Book Now

Course Overview

Every company limited by guarantee must appoint a Company Secretary. In a company limited by guarantee (the legal structure of choice for most non-profits in Ireland) this role is frequently filled by a board director or staff member. It is the responsibility of a board of directors to ensure that the person acting as its Company Secretary, has the necessary knowledge and skills to fulfil both the legal duties associated with the role and the administrative duties assigned to the role by the Board.

Course Structure

The course is divided into 10 component parts and takes approximately 1.5 hours to review. Practical templates are provided with course topics. Participants should allow for additional time to fully complete the practical work associated with the lessons in the course. Topics are self-contained to facilitate micro-learning for the time conscious participant.

1. Introduction: Company Law in Context

The Companies Act 2014 commenced on June 1st 2015. In this introductory lesson, we will look at the implications of the Act for existing Companies Limited by Guarantee (CLG) and for those organisations who may wish to register as companies in the future.

2. Company Responsibilities

In this lesson we identify the key legal responsibilities of a Company Limited by Guarantee.

3. Core Functions of a Board of Directors

In this lesson, we identify the core functions of the Board of Directors and the overarching principles of good corporate governance.

4. Fiduciary Duties of Company Directors

In this lesson, we identify the eight fiduciary duties of Company Directors as set out in Section 228 of The Companies Act 2014.

5. Shadow and De Facto Directors

It is helpful for a company secretary to understand what the terms shadow and de facto director mean. This lesson explains the concept of both.

6. Appointing a Company Secretary

In a CLG, directors must ensure that the Company Secretary has the skills necessary to carry out their role. This means that the appointment of the company secretary must be discussed at board level and the decision to appoint the company secretary recorded in board meeting minutes.

7. Legal Duties of a Company Secretary

This lesson identifies the legal duties of a Company Secretary.

8. Administrative Duties of a Company Secretary

In addition to the legal duties attaching to the role, a board of directors may also assign administrative duties to the company secretary.

9. The Company Constitution

In supporting the Board of Directors, a company secretary must be mindful of the company’s legal requirements to adhere to the the Companies Act 2014 and their reporting obligations to the Companies Registration Office (CRO).

10. Company Secretary: Key Skills

Aside from having very good organisational skills, interpersonal skills and communication skills, there are two practical skills that a board secretary should possess i.e. the ability to set a meeting agenda in co-operation with the board Chairperson and the ability to take the minutes of board meetings. In this lesson, we look at this skills in more depth.

Upon successfully completing the course, participants may download free of charge a course Certificate of Completion.

Cost

The course costs €43.05 per participant for 60 days course access.

Purchase Course

To purchase the course, please enter the valid details in the payment section at the bottom of the page.

Commence the Course & General Instructions

Once you have purchased the course you will automatically be enrolled on the course:

  1. Please progress through each of the lessons in the course sequentially.
  2. To move from one lesson page to another, click on the ‘Mark Complete’ button located at the end of each lesson page. Once you have clicked the ‘Mark Complete’ button, you may then progress to the next lesson in the course.
  3. Some lesson pages contain interactive resources. To open an interactive resource, click the orange ‘Launch’ button contained on the web page. Click on the ‘Next’ buttons or arrows within each interactive resource to move from one screen to the next within each of these resources.
  4. Document names in red within a lesson or topic page denote that the document is available to download. Just click on the document name (in red) to open it for viewing and download.

To start the course, click on the lesson 1 heading in the table below.