The Legal Aspects of Animation 2025 I Session #1: Navigating Employment Status in the Animation Industry

Overview

Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet and Animation Ireland with the support of Coimisiún na Meán are delighted to host a second series of these monthly lunch and learns with Catherine Keane and Robert Grimes.

Each session will be held online monthly from June to November at 1 p.m. The dates and topics for each session will be announced the month before, and there is no obligation to attend all the sessions.

Please note that each workshop is eligible for 1 Law Society CPD Point, with the potential of 6 points for those who attend all workshops.

What will this course cover?

Session 1: Navigating Employment Status in the Animation Industry
The 2023 Supreme Court ruling on Domino’s delivery drivers—and the May 2024 Revenue Commissioners guidance—are reshaping how employee vs. contractor status is defined for tax and legal purposes. This session explores what these changes mean for the animation industry.

This session will address key challenges, share practical insights, and consider best practices to help studios and freelancers stay compliant without disrupting creative workflows.

It should be noted that these workshops are educational in nature and should not be considered legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need assistance, you should always consult independent legal advice.

Participant profile

This series of lunchtime workshops will help creatives, producers, management, and administrative personnel understand how the law and animation interact.

Tutor

Catherine Keane, Head of Legal, Cartoon Saloon

Catherine is the Head of Business & Legal Affairs with Cartoon Saloon the five-time Academy Award®, Golden Globe®, BAFTA and Emmy nominated animation studio. Catherine is a member of the executive management team and as General Legal Counsel to the business advises on all legal matters as well as working in a strategic role on co-production, financing, distribution, IP protection, sales, licensing and merchandising matters. Prior to this Catherine worked in an Advocacy and Policy role within the Not-for-Profit sector. In June 2020 Catherine was appointed by the Minister for Justice to serve as a statutory member of the Board of the Legal Aid Board. Catherine has also recently joined the Board of Animation Ireland. Early in her career she worked as a Research and Policy Officer in both The Houses of the Oireachtas and The European Parliament. Catherine is originally from East Galway and is a graduate of UCD and holds a B. A. in History and Politics and an M.A. in Public Relations. She qualified as a solicitor in 2008 and was apprenticed with Gaffney Halligan & Co. Solicitors in Dublin. Catherine has since obtained a Diploma in Employment Law and Certificate in Technology Law from the Law Society of Ireland. Catherine lives in Kilkenny with her husband Rory and children Róisín, Aidan and Síle.

Robert Grimes, General Counsel, Lighthouse Studios

Robert is In-house Counsel for Brown Bag Films, a multi-award winning and Academy Award® nominated animation studio in Dublin having previously served as General Counsel, and member of the Executive Management team at Lighthouse Studios, and In-house Counsel for Cartoon Saloon. He started his career in investment banking in London with Bank of Ireland and later practiced as a barrister, litigating commercial, trust and succession law cases. He has authored several legal textbooks, including the Irish Probate Practitioners Handbook, the Probate Pocketbook, and Succession Law in a Nutshell (Thomson Reuters) and also the UK and EMEA Corporate Counsel Handbook (Bloomsbury), numerous academic and national newspaper articles, established and edited the Irish Probate Law Journal and has contributed chapters to a range of other published texts. Rob has worked internationally as a senior in-house lawyer at Ford, General Motors and ACCO Brands plc. He holds a BComm degree (with a specialisation in economics and finance) from University College Dublin, a Diploma in Legal Studies and Barrister-at-law degree from the Honourable Society of Kings Inns and a Fintech qualification from the University of Oxford. Robert lives in Kilkenny with his wife, Dr Doireann McWeeney and children, Sophie and Thomas.

Venue/location

Online

Costs/fee

Free

Dates and times of the course

Wednesday, June 18th, 1pm to 2pm

The Zoom link will be emailed the day before the workshop.

For any queries, please get in touch with seansmith@furthr.ie

Please note that due to our funding requirements, registrations are only available to those resident in the Republic Of Ireland. 

CCIS will generally only accept requests for cancellation refunds up to 5 working days before the training course commences. CCIS may allow for refunds outside of this on a case-by-case basis. Any request for a refund must be made via email to seansmith@furthr.ie, inserting the course name in the subject line.