law firms who’s who€¦ · top commercial law firms and the views of managing partners law firms...

SURVEYMAY 2020

DETAILED LISTING OF IRELAND’S TOP COMMERCIAL LAW FIRMS AND

THE VIEWS OF MANAGING PARTNERS

Law FirmsWho’s Who

43 Law firms cover .qxp_LAW 23/04/2020 11:31 Page 61

44 BUSINESS PLUS MAY 2020

Accustomed to interviewingbusiness leaders in plush,mahogany-lined offices, it’s a bit ofa climb-down to instead quiz them

over the phone, as they perch on acorner of the kitchen table or strugglefor space while shoehorned into the boxroom. Welcome to the world of Covid-19, where entire organisations –some hundreds strong – have dispersedthe workforce to their homes.

Law firms are perhaps among themost successful of these diasporasbecause when the lockdown came, mosthad been ready for years – they justdidn’t know it in advance. The genesis ofagile working was not altruistic. Manyfirms found it difficult to retain keyspecialised lawyers when they reachedthe childbearing stage. Procedures andIT systems were devised so they couldwork from home yet stay on the payroll.Additionally, as ever more firms joinedinternational alliances and executivesoften worked on assignment abroad,they too required remote workingcapability.

Alan Murphy, managing partner atEversheds Sutherland, says that asCovid-19 gripped the country he wasable to move 80% of the firm’semployees in Dublin and Belfast toremote working within a week, enablingadequate social distancing in the office.The balance moved to their homes thefollowing week.

Many firms, including William Fry,switched to remote or agile workingeven before the government called for it.Managing partner Bryan Bourke was inWashington prior to the St Patrick’s Daycelebrations. “We took a decision to shutdown in the course of that week and wehave been working from home sincethen,” he says.

The lockdown was an extension of aprocess that was already ongoing, giventhat so many lawyers work from home atleast part of the week, according toGayle Bowen, partner and Head ofOffice Dublin at Pinsent Masons.Separately, the process had already beenunderway at Arthur Cox the week priorto the government lockdownannouncement. “On the previousMonday and Wednesday I had asked

two of our five departments to startworking remotely to make sure that ITsystems were functioning as they should.When the lockdown was ordered, 95%of us were remote and have been since,”says managing partner Geoff Moore.

The school closures also triggeredsome early decisions. “We movedimmediately so that anybody who hadchild-minding responsibilities couldwork from home,” says NicholasButcher, managing partner of theMaples Group office in Dublin. “On theFriday of the announcement we movedto a full, office-wide working from homearrangement.”

Before dispersing staff to their homes,Ronan Daly Jermyn operated asophisticated social distancing project.“We divided each of our three sites intotwo completely separate teams,”managing partner Richard Martin

explains. “I was on team X, whichworked Monday, Wednesday and Fridayfrom home, and on Tuesday andThursday we were in the office. Thefollowing week, we worked Tuesday andThursday from home. Team Y workedalternate days to us. The two teams werenot allowed contact, even socially. Theynever overlapped in the office and thethree offices were deep cleaned everynight to make way for the other teamthe following day. However, we hadpeople who were getting very anxious, sowe sent everybody home to work.”

At Matheson, over the past two yearsthe firm has been investing in agileworking kit such as laptops, etc. “Wewere able to mobilise very quickly to getthings up and running from home,” saysmanaging partner Michael Jackson.

Gayle Bowen says her firm had anearly heads-up from colleagues in Asia,

BP SURVEY COMMERCIAL LAW

Lawyers In Lockdown

Workplace restrictions have played to the agile workingsetups of many law firms, but they are also causing

workload headaches, writes Gerry Byrne

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and in particular the Hong Kong andBeijing offices. “They were impacted byCovid-19 before we had a sense overhere of the seriousness of the virus,” shesays. “We were able to learn from theirexperience. For example, half the peoplestayed away from the office because youcouldn’t have two people in the oneroom at same time, and that came overhere very quickly.”

During the lockdown, most officesclosed except for a skeleton staff doingphotocopying and other centralisedtasks, as well as operating a courierservice to get documents to and fromhome-based lawyers. Otherwise, staffhad to justify their reasons for wantingto go to the office, and many of thoserequests were rejected.

John White, managing partner ofBeauchamps, says that staff settled intothe routine involved with remote

working very quickly. Structures wereput in place to hold regular meetings, allconducted remotely via video calls.

“A department meeting takes placefirst thing every morning, which mighthave up to 30 people,” says White.“There are regular team meetings duringthe day and then the partners in eachdepartment have another remotemeeting every evening to review andtake stock. We also have partnersmeeting remotely once a week. Thatmight seem like a lot of meetings butkeeping connected and coordinating theflow of work is really important wheneveryone is working remotely.

“While we had a business continuityplan, it didn’t anticipate socialdistancing. The plan was supplementedby ordering additional laptops andscanners, and there was enough time toget the set-up right before thelockdown.”

White adds that Beauchamps havehad c.20 people working remotely for anumber of years. “Good people willperform well, whether at home or in the

office,” he says. “Secure systems forremote document access and retrieval,amendment and time capture andaccounts have all been available for along time.

“However, there are practicalproblems when your HQ is closed. Quitea lot of what law firms do involveshelping other people do what they needto do in terms of governance, recordingand executing of documents. Manyimportant legal documents still requirewet ink signatures, so without yourcentral hub and supports, that kind ofpractical stuff is more difficult.”

At Walkers Ireland, managing partnerGarry Ferguson says the firm’sdocument management system hasfacilitated remote access for years.However, the system wasn’t set up for asituation in which nearly everyone is outof the office at the same time.

“If you asked me at the start of theyear would we have been able to haveeveryone working remotely, I wouldhave said definitely not,” says Ferguson.

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Although solicitors are classified asessential workers, most law firmsemptied their offices when the Covid-19 lockdown was ordered




“But we felt the lockdown was comingand we had the benefit of the experienceof our colleagues in Hong Kong, whofound themselves working from home atshort notice. In February we moved toroll out work-from-home infrastructurefor staff who didn’t have it. Many of oursupport staff would never have workedremotely and it’s definitely a novelty forthem.”

Niche law firm OBH was set up forremote working prior to the lockdown,according to partner June Hynes.“Technically we can go into the office butwe’d rather not,” says Hynes. “It’sactually working really well for us. I wasslightly institutionalised and wouldnever have dreamt I’d work outside ofthe office. I was linked up at home butwasn’t using the facility, and I have tosay the experience has been somethingof a revelation.”

Hynes adds: “I think you have to havean office in the legal world, but I thinkwe will be combining remote workingand office working, depending ourpersonal circumstances. Most of theother people in the firm seem to bemanaging quite well, particularly theyounger crew. They have probably foundit easier than I have, because there’s acontrol factor with the older crew. Wefeel we can walk in and out of people’soffices, and now that hands-on aspect ismissing, though it has affected us lessthan I thought it would.”

BHSM’s Dublin office is physicallyshut during the Covid-19 lockdownbut the firm’s solicitors are working

very efficiently from home, according tomanaging partner Mark Homan. “It ismore challenging but our preparationshave paid off. We are operating verymuch the same as usual, with dailyconference call meetings with clientsand colleagues.”

Homan adds that the lockdownrestrictions have emphasised howresilient and adaptable people can be, aswell as shining a light on the merits ofremote working. “Having a physical baseis important, but there will no doubt bemore remote practices emerging on theother side of this crisis,” he says.

Law firm Philip Lee, headed byfounder Philip Lee, has 150 peopleworking remotely. “It’s a massiveexperiment to see how it all works out,and there are a lot of benefits,” says Lee.“I would say we are actually more

productive at the moment. Now, thatmay change, but most people spendhours commuting every day. However, Ithink people would miss the disciplineof going into an office. People like theroutine and interacting in person withcolleagues.”

While all of its fee earners are workingremotely, OCWM Law’s office is beingmanned by managing partner PhilipO’Connor and a skeleton crew. “We areworking remotely within our physicaloffice,” O’Connor explains. “This currentsituation is accelerating the process ofworking remotely in an integratedmanner, and the firms that cannot adaptwill struggle. After this whole process isover, our office is probably going to besimply a base for meet and greet, andperhaps nothing much more than that.”

Much of the current client work forOCWM Law reflects concerns about theCovid-19 pandemic. “A lot of people areturning their minds to wills, enduringpower of attorneys, setting up trusts andrestructuring their family affairs. In themain, while we can still provide someadvisory work we can’t really process it.”

Law firm Leman adopted paperlessoperations seven years ago. “All of ourfiles are electronic so people can accessthem wherever they are,” says managingpartner John Hogan. “One of thebiggest challenges in the legal sector isrecruitment and retention, and offeringflexibility is a good way of addressingthat issue. Prior to the lockdown we hadsome people working three days in the

office and two days at home. At the startof this year we had a trial whereeverybody worked from home for a day,as much to break down perceptionbarriers as anything else, and thatprepared us for moving everythingremotely in mid-March. I think thewhole experience has been life changingfor many people. Personally speaking, Irarely sat down with the family for theevening meal but recently I’ve beendoing it every day.”

Leman’s remote working routineinvolves a 10 o’clock gathering onMicrosoft Teams. “We’re also in touchwith each other through the day usingTeams. Keeping in touch with people isreally important. We’re doing what weused to do before, just a different way. Iwant to keep that structure and routine,and to ensure continuity for when weget back to work.”

Despite not needing to press workclothes or drive into a traffic jam,working from home brings its ownchallenges, and many people miss goinginto the office. “I have about ten peoplewho might say that they are sufficientlyin touch with their mental wellbeing toknow that they need to leave the houseevery morning,” one managing partnerreports. Another says his personalassistant actually enjoyed her oldjourney to work. “She has twins and shelooks forward to the commute because itgives her a bit of head space.”

Dillon Eustace was well prepared for


Law firm Eversheds Sutherland showcased its diversity credentials lastsummer with a staff ‘Pride Picnic’ in the Iveagh Gardens

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44_54_Law_Lead.qxp_34/36 Taxation 23/04/2020 12:50 6



the lockdown, having invested heavilylast year in laptops and related ITinfrastructure to facilitate remoteworking. “It was expensive but it provedto be prescient and the best investmentwe’ve made,” says managing partnerMark Thorne.

He adds that in February the firmcould see what was happening in Chinaand started drawing up a specificbusiness continuity contingency plan.“Most BCP focuses on what you do ifyour building is out of action. The focusbecame how we would cope if we all hadto go out on our own.

“There was input from across thepractice, and we thought about the nitty-gritty of the practicalities, such ashow do you receive or send a letter, whatif a client needs to seal a document.Then we started testing with individualsand groups, asking them to go onlineduring the weekend to check theiremails, send documents, and walkthrough the practicalities of not havingaccess to our building.”

W ell before the official lockdown atthe end of March, staff numbersin the office were reduced to

enable social distancing and to reducethe risk of infection. “The remoteworking has worked well,” says Thorne.“It’s different and it’s challenging. We’rea very collegiate, close group so you missthe personal interaction. However, fromthe practical perspective most thingshave gone pretty well. A lot of our clientsare international so we’re used toworking with them from a distance.”

Graham Kenny, principal at Kenny

Solicitors, is kept very busy workingfrom home but he would rather be in theoffice. “I’m a rainmaker for the firm. Ineed to meet people, people want to seeme and sit in front of me,” he says.“Theoretically, I can take instructions fora divorce over the phone but peopledon’t want to do that – they want toknow who they are talking to. I’m notsure that working from home is suitablefor law firms.”

Bryan Bourke in William Fry alsopoints out that working from home canbe quite isolating. “Even with technologythat enables you to see other people, itcan still be challenging.” At Maples,Nicholas Butcher puts strong emphasison mental wellbeing among his staff.“We use an online platform for people toget help and support, and to measureand assess their own sense of mentalwellbeing. Reinforcing a sense ofcommunity is very important at thistime.” Richard Martin in Ronan DalyJermyn concurs. “Working at home full-time is terribly isolating and it’s notfun,” he says.

Matheson has rolled out onlinesessions dealing with time management,mental health and wellbeing issues. “Weoffer access to a counselling service forall our staff and their families,” saysMichael Jackson. “People are workingreally hard to try to balance the issue ofhome schooling and childcare with theirwork commitments. We are lucky thatthis didn’t happen ten years ago when the technology we now need wasin its infancy, and kids didn’t haveNetflix to watch.”

Pinsent Masons’ Gayle Bowen

suggests that there might be morepeople working from home in the post-Covid-19 business landscape. “Or itcould go the other way and people mightsay they’re never going to work at homeagain,” she adds. “But I don’t think so.Perhaps people who haven’t tried remoteworking and have been forced into it seethat it works.”

William Fry’s Bryan Bourke believesthe pandemic will change the wayeverybody works in the future – not justlawyers. “The technological advancesthat we have now mean that you will seequite a change in the working model,” heremarks. Nicholas Butcher’s view is thatthere could be far-reaching implicationsfor office accommodation. “If in futuremore people will be working from homebecause it suits them and their clients,then the amount of space one needs andwhat that office accommodation lookslike would change as well.”

This view is echoed by RichardMartin. “Everybody is questioningthe use of paper, everybody is having

to put in place remote working facilitiesand wondering if they need to be payinga couple of million every year in rent.The flipside of that is we must be carefulnot to throw the baby out with thebathwater. There is an important senseof community about being in aworkplace together.”

Arthur Cox’s Geoff Moore sees thegleam of silver linings amid the Covid-19clouds. “Our ways of agile working haveheld up extraordinarily well so there isan upside there,” he says. “We will also



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be asking if we need to take so manylong-haul flights. However, I think thatwhen we come to the new normal wewill all have a craving for decent socialinteractions too.”

Michael Jackson in Matheson predictsthe use of technology in the delivery oflegal services will be expedited, with anincreased emphasis on remote meetingsrather than travel. However, Jacksonrecalls people saying the same thingsabout travel reduction a decade ago.“Within a relatively short space of timeeverybody was back travelling, so it willbe interesting to see if this time will bedifferent.”

Rumours of the demise of the officeare greatly exaggerated, according toFeargal Brennan in ByrneWallace.“Home working will become embeddedwithin organisations as a way of workinglike never before,” he says. “Equally, Ithink that one of the great learnings ofthe Covid-19 crisis will be that theelevation of technology-assisted forms ofhuman engagement, while facilitating abetter quality of communication, isunlikely to be anything other than apoor substitute for actually meeting in person.”

At Beauchamps, John White’s view isthat after the pandemic eases there willbe a serious question about whether lawfirms and other professional servicesfirms will continue to need as muchprime office space.

“Consultancy firms and some of thebig international multi-jurisdictionalpractices are saying that remote workingis the best way of working in the future,and I suppose there is something in that,even though it suits their agenda,” saysWhite. “However, being in the office andbeing able to talk to somebody withoutan appointment, or tease through a legalissue or figure out a way of approachinga problem without having to set up avideo call is, in my view, the best way forcolleagues to achieve the best solutions.

“When we are working on bigtransactions involving corporate,property, litigation, IT, and competitionlawyers, doing that remotely is certainlymore difficult. So while remote workingdoes work effectively, I wouldn’tnecessarily say it’s always the optimumway of working.”

Declan Black, managing partner inMason Hayes & Curran, notes thatcommercial law firms are mirrors of theeconomies where they are active. “So it

is going to be a challenging year,” hesays. “That said, there are nooperational difficulties – all our lawyersare able to work from home. The issuewill be decreased workflows due to thedomestic and global recession causedby the crisis.”

Black adds that the Covid crisis willdrive down legal costs as firms competefor less work. “Increased competitionusually means clients choose carefullyand well rather than reflexively orbecause they’ve always used firm X. Thatdynamic suits MHC. And when clientschoose us, they tend to stick with us.And it is clients who ultimately decidethe success or failure of law firms, notnew market entrants.”

Richard Martin, of Ronan DalyJermyn, reports an increase in sometypes of advisory work. “We have eightemployment lawyers who are extremely

busy on a whole range of issues. On theother hand, we are already seeingcorporate property transactions deferredor even aborted.

“The banks aren’t lending, and inaddition to that the PropertyRegistration Office and the CompaniesRegistration Office are both closed, sowe cannot complete a transaction and aregistry charge. Over the course of thecoming months, most transactional-typework will all but dry up,” Martin adds.

According to Geoff Moore in ArthurCox: “It’s inevitable that there will be aslowdown in some transactional work,but equally I think debt capital andequity capital work is going to increasebecause companies require liquidity.”

John White in Beauchamps says thatdeals that were quite advancedreached completion after the

lockdown commenced. “While certainaspects of property such as housingremain busy, commercial real estate hasbeen hit,” White adds. “Until business asusual resumes, valuing retail, hotels andleisure is difficult. Even from a practicalperspective, if you were involved in aproperty deal right now and you aren’tbased in Ireland, you can’t travel andyour agent or team can’t view theproperty, so the usual due diligence justcan’t be done.

“Our commercial team is busy onreviews of commercial contracts and theemployment team is busy too. We havealso been involved in a number ofprojects where the HSE is the counterparty. Generally speaking it’s too earlyfor people to make decisions onenforcement or other steps which can’tbe reversed. While there is an increase incommercial work, it’s not a substitute forthe transactional bread and butter workthat most law firms and accountancyfirms are usually involved in.”

At William Fry, Bryan Bourke finds itdifficult to forecast the trading outlookfor the rest of the year. “Equity markettransactions mostly have gone by theboard, but in our business opportunitiespresent themselves in every crisis, and I think that the markets will get activeagain. That could be July or August, it could even be September – it is hard to tell.”

Garry Ferguson at Walkers Irelandreports that investment managers areestablishing new funds to take


IRELAND’SLARGEST

LAW FIRMS

Practice Solicitors

A&L Goodbody 313

Arthur Cox 299

Matheson 285

McCann FitzGerald 266

Mason Hayes & Curran 239

William Fry 207

ByrneWallace 132

Eversheds Sutherland 108

Ronan Daly Jermyn 107

Maples Group 105

Beauchamps 92

Dillon Eustace 88

Walkers Ireland 65

Pinsent Masons 64

Eugene F Collins 64

LK Shields 62

Hayes Solicitors 61

Philip Lee 55

Fieldfisher 53

Practising solicitor numbers as of

31 December 2019. Source: Law Society


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advantage of distressed asset situationsin Europe and elsewhere. “As you’dexpect our insolvency team is receivingmore queries,” he adds. “We opened aniche employment group last year inthe context of Brexit and naturallyenough the employment team isdealing with redundancy matters andother types of HR issues.”

Alan Murphy in Eversheds Sutherlandnotes that a whole new set of businessrequirements have dropped on thesector. “Businesses are having to look atthemselves in very different ways to howthey would have done a few weeks ago.It is very important to offer to helprather than to try to sell your services inthe current markets.”

During the lockdown, Lemanintroduced a ‘Helping Hour’ initiative,with the firm’s solicitors donating anhour free each day for businessesrequiring some legal expertise.

Matheson is seeing a significant shiftin the type of queries it is receiving fromclients, according to Michael Jackson.“The impact will be when clients start toroll back projects they were planning for2020. We will start to see that down theline but for now we are busy,” saysJackson. “We are seeing a big uptick inemployment law advice, in insurance-related queries and some uptick inlitigation. Transactional work continues,although the shutdown in constructionhas impacted some of the corporate

real estate transactions.”Dillon Eustace is a market leader in

providing legal services for internationalfunds, and managing partner MarkThorne senses that many investors seeopportunity in the crisis. “Vendorexpectations are possibly becomingmore realistic, so we’re seeing a decentlevel of activity on the financial servicesside.”

Domestically, client queries spanemployment issues, banking,rescheduling standstill arrangementswith financial institutions, filingdeadlines, and how you deal with AGMsand shareholder meetings.

“Financial services clients are dealingwith additional queries from the CentralBank around liquidity in particular,”Thorne adds. “Everybody is scramblingto interpret their force majeureprovisions or exclusions. So clientqueries are very broad ranging, whichreflects the breadth of the practice.”

Thorne distinguishes the currentrecession from the one that followed thebanking crash, insofar as the state ispumping out money and makingallowances in relation to tax. “There area lot of levers being used that weren’tpulled the last time,” he says. “Whathappens next really depends on howquickly we get back to somethingapproaching normality. It could be thata quarter of your year disappears beforeeveryone starts to get back to normal.

However, the current situation won’thelp people who were already indifficulties. Where there areenforcement proceedings, we’re seeingwith some non-bank lenders that theyare keener to settle. On the insuranceside we are also seeing some fastersettlements of personal injury claims.

“Some industries may take longer tocome out at the far end. Professionalsport has been hit quite badly and traveland holiday companies are obviouslysuffering. Irish people may take morehome holidays this year, but that won’tcompensate for the thousands ofAmericans, Britons and others whowould come here in normal times. Thatwill be a blow to the general tourismindustry and have a big impact on golfclubs for example, which are already indifficulty.”

June Hynes in OBH says most clientsare taking a relatively pragmaticapproach currently. “Requests for rentreductions and rent freezes are beingdealt with in a reasonable fashion.Property owners have pressure fromtheir own investors and have to be seento deliver. Landlords have to be realisticabout what they can actually do fortenants, so it’s a balancing act.”

Hynes would like to see more leewayoffered by banks to their distressedclients. “If you go to your bank, they arestill asking for cashflow projections,audited accounts and all of that. Thatjust doesn’t work in a crisis situation.There needs to be a more realisticapproach taken in terms of providingemergency assistance and easy access to credit.”

Leman’s John Hogan acknowledgesthat the Covid-19 crisis has severelyimpacted transactions and the

international flow of funding. “It wasreally obvious straightaway,” he says. “We had a couple of deals that crateredwhen the lockdown started happeningin the UK. That’s been really prettytough, and overall I’d say the impact onour business at this stage is certainly ofthe order of 25%.

“Our bank has been very constructiveand we are also looking at how tomanage our payments, what ourcashflow is going to be like. We deferredbonuses due to be paid in the Aprilpayroll because some clients aren’t in aposition to pay us.”


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Once the Covid-19 pandemic andlockdown dissipate, Mark Homan inBHSM says that a key task will beadvising clients on how to get any stalledtransactions up and running again.“There will inevitably be employmentissues and there will be issuesconcerning default on obligations underleases and commercial agreements, aswell as possible insolvency scenarios forsome businesses,” he adds.

As the lockdown consequences feedthrough the economy, Beauchamps’John White believes litigation andrestructuring will be busy, through hedoesn’t anticipate a glut of receivershipsin the short term. “In the last recessionthere was a hiatus until Nama wasestablished,” White explains. “This time Iexpect there will be a period before atrue picture emerges on valuations.Once valuations can be done, deals,including through restructuringprocesses, will follow.”

What will the post-coronaviruseconomic landscape look like?The view from Garry Ferguson in

Walkers is that Ireland’s educatedworkforce, taxation system andpredictable legal system will remain inplace. “The imponderable is the appetitefor investment by global companies thathave sufficient resources to weather thisperiod. If their investment picks upagain, Ireland is in a good position tobenefit from any recovery that comes.The unsettling part of this is, what’s thepain going to like before that recovery?”

Philip Lee’s view is that society andthe courts are going to have to come toterms with creating a just solution to theimplications as to who bears the cost ofwhat society has gone through duringthe Covid-19 lockdown. Lee explains:“For example, if you have a very largerestaurant paying €100,000 a monthrent to a landlord and your employeeshave all been laid off, then you have noincome for months. In the financialcrisis a decade ago, the landlord said,‘That’s your problem’, and the restaurantwent to the wall.

“How can the law cure that? There’s alegal doctrine of frustration, and I thinkthat whether through legislation orthrough clever judges, this issue needs tobe addressed. With the jurisprudencearound frustration, the most interestingcases are around the Second World Warperiod, when many enterprises and

assets were requisitioned. We are in asimilar situation where somethingunforeseeable and unmanageable to anybusiness has occurred. There is nothingyou could have done to avoid this.

“I believe great minds are going tohave to try and arrive at a fair solution.Perhaps the Supreme Court will makeone or two good decisions and thenthey’ll trickle down. So we’ll see.”

With the exception of urgent cases,the courts have effectively closed forbusiness because of Covid-19 and this isprobably one of the most critical impactsfor the legal profession. “Litigation andconveyancing are the two mainstays ofour practice,” says Graham Kenny ofKenny Solicitors. “If I get instructionstoday I don’t get paid for months.Everything has been pushed back, whichis having an immediate impact oncashflow because clients normally paythe balance on the resolution of the case.There is going to be no resolution whilethe courts are closed.”

Apart from the backlog ensuing fromthe lockdown period, the courts will nowhave to handle a lot more insolvencyissues. “I hope that the courts willabandon their long vacation and thatthey sit right through the summer,” saysRichard Martin of Ronan Daly Jermyn.“If they don’t we are going to have aneffective shutdown of our court systemfor six months instead of three.”

Chief Justice Frank Clarke hassignalled that remote court hearings are

on the agenda for May after a systemstrial of the platform was successfullycompleted in April. “We shouldacknowledge that replicating an e-trialor e-hearing through online videoconferencing is a considerable step upfor the judiciary and the Courts Service,”says Larry Fenelon, partner in Leman.

“It was scarcely imaginable a monthago that the Irish courts could take sucha quantum leap into the 21st century, socredit where it is due,” says Fenelon.“Lord knows there will be technologyteething problems. Just imagine a Zoomcall with complexity, verbosity andpomposity. It will take a whole lot ofpatience and time.”

The issue of how to process cross-jurisdictional work is also a concern forsome of OCWM Law’s internationalclients. “Each country is at a differentstage in the cycle of dealing with Covid-19, so it is difficult to give advice thatruns in tandem with advice from otherjurisdictions,” says Philip O’Connor.

At Leman, John Hogan hopes thatthe coronavirus crisis will speed upaspects of digital transformation. “Whyare we not leading the world in the useof electronic signatures for documents?We don’t need ink on pages anymore.Some of the institutions, the LawSociety included, need to get to gripswith that. I’m hoping there’ll be a bit ofa technology leap and that would be agood result.”

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Ireland’s large commercial lawfirms are substantial enterprises,though their finances are opaque.Only one firm, Mason Hayes &

Curran, announces annual turnover,which was €85m in 2019. With 239solicitors employed in the firm lastyear, that works out at average annualbilling of c.€350,000 per solicitor.Taking Mason Hayes as a benchmark,the top 20 firms combined charge outover €900m annually in billings.

Accountancy firm Smith &Williamson conducts an annualsector survey, and canvassed 120 lawfirms in September and October2019. The survey results showed thattwo-thirds of firms had increasedrevenues year-on-year, though one inten reported a decline. Among the top20 firms, 87% reported an increase inrevenue while none reported adecrease. For four out of ten of thelargest firms, the income increase wasover 10%. Half of the firms in theSmith & Williamson survey increasedprofits, and among the large firmstwo-thirds had a larger surplus poolthan the previous year to distribute topartners.

For 2020 it will be a different story,due to coronavirus economic impactsin Ireland and around the world.Even last autumn, before the worldhad heard of Covid-19, law firms werebecoming more cautious about theoutlook for their sector. Only one-third of firms signalled that theoutlook had ‘improved’ comparedwith two-thirds a year earlier.

This negativity was largelyinfluenced by the Brexit factor, as lastautumn a no-deal crash-out by theUK was still on the cards. Theslowing global economy was also aconcern among law firms six monthsago, and how right they were.

Most but not all large law firmswere able to function during theCovid-19 lockdown as integration ofdigital into core legal services hasbeen an ongoing investment priority.According to Smith & Williamson’sMarc Lowry: “Legal firms are notrenowned as digital innovators, butthere is increasing recognition in the

profession that incremental change,the hallmark of traditional practice, isno longer a winning strategy.

Lowry remarks that his firm’ssurvey reveals a story of technologyinsiders and outsiders. Larger firmsrecognise the challenges, risks andopportunities inherent in technology,plus its potential to disrupt. Arounda quarter of Top 20 firms seeadopting new technologies as amongtheir most pressing challenges overthe next three years, compared to11% of all firms.

Six months before the Covid-19lockdown, Smith & Williamsonfound that over half of law firms

were planning to increaseinvestment in remote workingtechnology. The main drivers wereintroducing work flexibility to attractand retain staff, unlockingefficiencies and enabling a betterwork/life balance for employees.Business continuity wasn’t forefrontin people’s minds, though it is now.

Lowry also notes that clients arebecoming more sensitive to areassuch as efficiency and value formoney, while the arrival of UK andglobal firms also brings demand for

enhanced client service models,efficiencies and digital interaction.Document management technologyis a priority for two-thirds of firms,while managing workflow andprocess automation were alsoidentified as areas where investmentis set to increase.

In addition, one quarter of Top 20firms told S&W they wereprioritising investment in artificialintelligence. “This AI investment hasthe potential to open a real serviceand cost efficiency gap with smallerand mid-sized firms,” says Lowry. “Inproviding additional transparencyon workflow and clarity on pricing,these technologies could prove to bean important means to build astrong and ongoing relationship withclients in an increasingly competitiveand noisy landscape.”

In the short term, though, largelaw firms are more likely to stickwith the knitting. As law firms arestructured as partnerships, theydon’t hold large cash reserves, andsurplus income is distributed as staffbonuses and partner payments. Withthe economy seizing up, costlyinvestments will be long-fingered.


Insiders And OutsidersMost commercial law firms were prepared for remote

working, as the large players see technology giving them acompetitive edge, writes Emily Styles

Paul Wyse (right), managing partner at Smith & Williamson, with justice minister Charlie Flanagan


56 Smith_Williamson.qxp_34/36 Taxation 22/04/2020 17:00 Page 56

We go further to navigate your business. We deliver meaningful insights and trusted advice.

At RDJ we believe in partnerships. We believe in working together to deliver excellence. By investing in understanding your business inside and out, we can leverage our deep sectoral expertise for your benefit.

We are not just your legal partners. We are your advisors, your connectors, your problem solvers and, above all, your trusted partners.

MO RE THAN LAW.ITS AB O U T YO UR B U SIN ESS.

W W W. R D J . I E

MORE THAN LAWMEANS SURPASSINGEXPECTATIONS

C O R K | D U B L I N | G A L W A Y | L O N D O N


BRYAN BOURKEManaging PartnerWilliam Fry

ACTIVITY During 2019 we saw hugegrowth in our Equity Capital Markets practice.We acted for the only two Irish companies tolist last year, Uniphar Group and Fineos. Also,we probably worked on more fund raisings bylisted companies than any other firm inDublin. In May 2019, we opened a new officein Cork, expanding our number of officesglobally to six and enabling the firm tofurther service our clients in the Cork andwider Munster region.

It is our belief that we should make apositive and lasting difference in ourcommunity, workplace, marketplace and ourenvironment. We are increasingly seeingrequests from our clients to vet ourcorporate responsibility activities as part ofthe tender process across several industries.We are committed to corporate responsibilityas it’s the right thing to do, but also becausewe are a business and it makes businesssense to embrace and engage in well thoughtout and meaningful corporate responsibilityinitiatives.

In January 2020, we appointed StephenKeogh as our new Head of Corporate/M&A. Hejoined William Fry over 20 years ago, andheaded the London practice for five years. Hespecialises in corporate transactions, with anemphasis on the private equity andtechnology sectors. It is vital for us atWilliam Fry to continue to ensure our clientsreceive the best quality in legal advice. PRACTICE Our Financial Regulation unit

provides advice to financial institutions on allaspects of regulation and compliance in thefinancial services sector. This is a hugelysuccessful and growing part of our businessin terms of pure regulatory advice but alsodispute resolution work.

There is also a continued focus on thedevelopment and growth of our tech/cyberservice offering. Following its success in2016, we are revisiting our Europe For BigData report, addressing the realities thathave arisen post GDPR roll-out, as well asexamining new developments impacting thesector – AI, machine learning and theInternet of Things.

Our Healthcare & Life Sciences teamprovide transactional and regulatory adviceto some of the world’s leading companies. Wewill grow and develop our business in thisarea through combining many interrelateddisciplines – tax, technology, IP, commercialcontracts – alongside our dedicatedHealthcare & Life Sciences specialists tooffer the full scope of services required byclients. BREXIT Almost immediately following the

Brexit vote, enquiries from UK law firms andregulated financial services institutionsstarted to roll in. We have seen a reallysignificant ramp-up in activity, spanninginstructions on moving operations to Dublinand applications for authorisations in thefinancial services sector.

Outside of Dublin, and outside of financialservices, Brexit probably represents more of achallenge. Depending on how matters develop,sectors like agri-business may need to findnew markets, and this could cause disruption(even if only temporarily), which could feedinto activity levels in the broader legal market.

CYBER-SECURITY Cyber-security anddata protection are very real threats for thelegal industry, and a lack of vigilance isprobably the biggest risk. You cannot becomplacent just because lots of money hasbeen spent on cyber protection. Our ISO 27001 certification recognises our robustinformation security management system andprovides clients with the assurance that wetake the security of their data very seriously. USP We are of course all strong technical

lawyers, but we are also business savvy andpractical. At William Fry, we deliver morethan legal and taxation knowledge. Ourspecialists bring their working knowledge ofthe business and the sector the clientoperates in. We explain the options and wewill tell our client what we would do if wewere in their position.

Recruiting the best and staff retention aretop of our list of priorities. In an extremelycompetitive environment for talent, it wouldbe incredibly short-sighted of us not to befocused on our people and the edge they cangive us in that market.


‘We will tell our client what we would do in their position’

Emily Styles canvassed Managing Partners in Ireland’sleading commercial law firms about their growth drivers,

competition, the sector outlook and their USP

58 William Fry.qxp_34/36 Taxation 21/04/2020 09:46 Page 58

GEOFF MOOREManaging PartnerArthur Cox

ACTIVITY It was a great honour to beappointed as Managing Partner, and I took upmy role in November 2019. The transition tothe role has been very interesting and I havelearned a huge amount in the past fivemonths. I had been involved in themanagement of the firm in various ways overthe years, so I haven’t had too manysurprises yet. However, it goes withoutsaying that none of us was expecting thecurrent crisis, and our response to that hasbeen a steep learning curve for everyone.

Covid-19 and its aftermath will change thebusiness landscape as well as so much morein our society, and is likely to give rise tochallenges that we can’t even anticipate.Before the crisis, we were very focused onour digital transformation strategy, and Ibelieve that will continue to be a key focusfor the next few years. And there arepractice areas that are likely to requireinvestment in the short term that we maynot have thought would do so. We are animble firm and we will respond to the

challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. COMPETITION The arrival of law firms

from abroad is not a new development. Anumber of international law firms haveestablished here over the years, generally inniche areas such as funds and insurance. Inmore recent times, a small number ofinternational business law firms have opened

offices in Dublin. I think it is too early to sayif the new arrivals will be a competitivethreat. Whilst we are not at all complacent,experience in other jurisdictions shows thatthere is always room for large independentindigenous firms as well as someinternational players.

‘We will respond to the challenges and opportunities’


Dublin London New York San Francisco

Looking To Move?Join Ireland’s fastest growing law firm as we continue our expansion. We are always interested in hearing from experienced lawyers at all levels.

We are seeking new partners and senior lawyers to join our teams in Aviation Finance, Funds, Corporate, Commercial, Employment & Benefits, Real Estate and Tax.

If you are a talented lawyer who would like to work with an enviable client base on a market-leading team, we would like to hear from you.

To apply, visit MHC.ie/lookingtomove


59_Arthur_Cox.qxp_34/36 Taxation 23/04/2020 16:17 Page 59

NICHOLAS BUTCHERManaging PartnerMaples Group

ACTIVITY 2019 was a very strong year forthe Maples Group, both in Ireland and acrossthe globe. We reached a significant milestonein the group’s history having welcomed our2,000th employee in November 2019. Inaddition we completed a complex rebrandwhich saw Maples and Calder and MaplesFSconsolidate under a single brand, the MaplesGroup.

All of our practice areas are highlycomplementary and form a service network torespond to the needs of our internationalclients. We therefore devote proportionalresources to each practice area.COMPETITION The legal landscape is in a

huge period of flux, with a number of newmarket entrants. This competition raises thebar, bringing out the competitive spirit in ourlawyers and I am confident we will continue toimprove our offering, even in these particularlyturbulent times.

We initially entered the Irish market in 2006and have been successfully operating here for14 years now. With this experience, I amconfident we are equipped to navigate the

inevitable challenges that we will face in theweeks and months ahead. Ireland, along withmost of the world, is in the grip of the Covid-19crisis. It remains to be seen what impact thisunprecedented event will ultimately have onthe Irish legal market, but it is almost certainto herald changes.

There is no denying it is a highly competitive

Irish legal market, but at the Maples Group welisten to our clients’ needs in order to createnovel and tailored solutions for them. We alsoplace a huge emphasis on cultivating strongand long-lasting relationships with our clients,which we believe is fundamental to top-tierservice and success.USP To be the best law firm in the market,

you need the best people – simple as that. Wefocus on a very select number of practiceareas, which means our lawyers have deepsectoral knowledge in their respective fields. Ifwe are not going to be the best at something,we simply do not do it.

Our people need to be fulfilled to excel. Thatis why we place a huge emphasis in ensuringour people are satisfied professionally, as Ibelieve that a positive culture enhances andimproves client service. Over the past year, wehave spent a huge amount of time workingwith our HR team to improve our maternity,paternity and parental leave policies.

We recently introduced a range of flexibleand agile working policies as we accommodateemployees’ changing needs, and invest in thefuture of our people. All of our lawyers andprofessionals have the necessary capabilitiesto enable them to work effectively on a remotebasis, with secure access to relevant internalplatforms, as required.

JOHN WHITEManaging PartnerBeauchamps

ACTIVITY The firm has seen positive growthacross all areas of the business up until thecurrent quarter, especially in our traditionalcore strengths of banking, commercial propertyand corporate. We have also become a marketleader in the social housing sector, workingwith all parties across the range of servicesrequired to deliver many landmark housingprojects. We are immensely proud of theintegral role our award-winning team, led bypartner Fidelma McManus, is playing in helpingto increase availability of housing stock.COMPETITION One of the things

Beauchamps is known for in the market is itstraditional value for money, with a first classservice but at reasonable rates, and that won’tchange. There is a huge amount of competitionin the marketplace and clients generally lookfor alternative fee solutions beyond hourlycharge-out rates. We believe that we operate

lean teams so we try to keep costs for theclient low. OUTLOOK There is no doubt we are living in

highly uncertain times, with the dual macrothreats of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemicrequiring a highly flexible approach to workingand business strategy. Businesses have andwill need to continue to evolve quickly duringthese changing times. Real human tragedy is atthe heart of the pandemic, but the nature ofthe uncertain economic threat it poses clearlyrequires considerable caution for any business. USP We actively foster and recruit lawyers

for their positive character and ability to co-operate with each other, as well as theirability to provide practical and clear advice toclients. While we retain our objectivity asadvisors, we commit fully to achieving ourclients’ goals and aims.



‘The pandemic economic threatrequires considerable caution for any business’

‘To be the best lawfirm, you need thebest people’

Survey contined on page 62

60_Maples_Beauchamps.qxp_34/36 Taxation 16/04/2020 14:31 Page 60

The Dillon Eustace client list includes leading national and international corporates and institutions. From our largest to our smallest clients, the international quality of our service and expertise is assured.

To discuss how Dillon Eustace can help your business, and learn more about our services, contact Mark Thorne, Managing Partner, on [email protected] phone 01-6670022.

Banking

Capital Markets

Commercial Property

Compliance

Corporate Finance

Corporate Recovery

Dispute Resolution

Distressed Investing

Financial Services

Insolvency

Insurance

Investment Funds

Listing Services

Litigation

Mergers & Acquisitions

Regulatory Compliance

Structured Finance

Tax

dilloneustace.com

4366_DE_BRIDGE_CLOSEUP_SERVICES_A4_AD.indd 1 08/04/2020 15:46

MICHAEL JACKSONManaging PartnerMatheson

ACTIVITY The past year has been a busyperiod for Matheson across the entirebusiness. The firm has expanded both in itsoffice presence and headcount, where we nowhave 740 professionals, of whom 515 are legal,tax, and digital services professionals.

In line with our overall growth, wecontinued to add recognised industryexperience and expertise in the form ofexternal hires and partner appointments,notably in the areas of corporate M&A, digitalservices, employment, technology andinnovation, data privacy, commercial realestate and construction. We have alsoexpanded our office presence in London, NewYork and Cork in response to our growingclient demand.

We now have more than 30 practice areasacross six office locations to service theneeds of all of our clients. A key focus for thefirm is the increasing demand from clients forlegal technology, particularly in relation tolarge-volume deal work, enhanced legalprocess efficiency, and bespoke new digitalproducts in the delivery of legal solutions.

Another area where we have notedsignificant momentum is our corporate M&Apractice. We advised on four of the fiveannounced public takeovers in 2019, providingcounsel to IFG Group plc, Independent News &Media plc, CGI Inc and Abbvie Inc. Ourcorporate restructuring department is alsoamong the largest of any Irish law firm. Ourlitigation practice had a busy year, and this isan area where we foresee increased levels of

activity. Matheson’s tax department andfinancial services departments remain thelargest groups of their kind amongst Irish lawfirms. COMPETITION Few markets of comparable

size have as many large law firms, with theleading Irish firms matching many continentalfirms in larger markets in numbers of lawyers.That ensures a high level of competition. Thequality and value of the professional servicesavailable in Ireland is one of the factors oftencited by international companies as importantin their decision to establish in Ireland. OUTLOOK For over 20 years Matheson’s

strategic focus has been on servicing theneeds of internationally focused businessesand financial institutions doing business fromIreland, and it is the growth in activity in thatarea which continues to drive the growth inour business.

In our view, the most significant threat tothe sector will come from the threat ofeconomic downturn brought about by theCovid-19 crisis.

Notwithstanding this, the breadth and depthof our experience across all areas ofcommercial law means that we have thecapability to provide the services clients needto help them manage through thosedifficulties.USP We believe that our market strategy

and our people strategy, underpinned by ourcore values of partnership, respect,innovation, diversity and entrepreneurship,give us a competitive edge. Much of thetransactional growth we have seen in ourcorporate M&A group, for example, is drivenby the deep relationships we have developedwith firms over many years.

We believe that by investing in andimproving a robust talent programme andcontinuously delivering innovative client andbusiness solutions that we succeed inengaging and motivating our people, whichallows us to maintain our competitive edge.Building a more diverse and inclusiveworkplace is a key strategic business priority.




T +353 1 644 5800 E [email protected]

www.lavellepartners.ie

Award winning commercial legal services for corporate, SME and emerging businesses.Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution | Insolvency & Corporate Restructuring |

Debt Recovery | Employment Law | Banking & Financial Services | Corporate & Commercial

Michael Jackson (right) with Tom Connor, Head of Digital Services

62_Matheson.qxp_34/36 Taxation 21/04/2020 16:47 Page 62

Our mission is to provide the very best legal advice to a diverse and ambitious range of clients across all practice areas. We believe the best commercial outcomes come from taking the time to really understand what drives a client’s business.

John White, Managing PartnerE: [email protected]: +353 (0) 1 4180 600

www.beauchamps.ie

www.beauchamps.ie

S I D E B Y S I D EW E A C H I E V E M O R E

ALAN MURPHYManaging PartnerEversheds Sutherland Ireland

ACTIVITY As an international law firm, wehave always had an ambitious growthstrategy. We have experienced acceleratedgrowth in our corporate and commercialdivisions including data protection, intellectualproperty, cyber-security, litigation, real estate,and financial services. We have a specialistdata centre group and we offer bespokeservices for sectors that incorporate datacentres, which can be quite complex.

We have a very strong tax team, andprovide a strong Irish-US offering. Other areassuch as employment law have alsoexperienced significant growth, and we areindustry-leaders in technology innovation anddriving our administrative effectiveness.

In February 2020, our Belfast team movedinto new offices, increasing our footprint inNorthern Ireland. Now with 17 employees andambitions to grow to 25 by the end of theyear, the larger space gives us greaterflexibility for further growth. The Dublin andBelfast offices work closely together offeringexpert legal services, including a specialist‘Brexit-hub’ across the island of Ireland and

the UK. Additionally, we have invested heavilyin our IT structure and as a result, the firm hasadapted very quickly to remote workingwithout any issues. COMPETITION By some distance we are

the largest global law firm on the island ofIreland, with by far the greatest strength anddepth of expertise, and the longest localheritage. In my time at the firm, I haveexperienced the challenges a recession

brought and the opportunities that came froma return to economic growth. Our successcame from focusing on our clients’ needs andthen growing out of that.

We are facing similar challenges nowbecause of Covid-19 and an increase incompetition in the market from newcomers. AtEversheds Sutherland, we will focus on whatwe can control – ensuring we provide ourclients with exceptional support andunparalleled advisory services.OUTLOOK The unforeseen Covid-19

situation is very difficult, but it will abate andin time trading and commercial deals willresume. Part of the recovery will see Irelandreignite its position as one of the topdestinations for US investment and formultinationals to do business in Europe andfurther afield. Additionally, when Brexitreturns as a political and trade priority, it’slikely that more UK companies will declareIreland as their post-Brexit base.USP We are a Top 15 global law practice

with an all-island presence andmultidisciplinary expertise. Clients arebecoming more globalised and multi-jurisdictional, and what sets our model apartis our international offering. We take acommercially driven, solution-focused, and‘can-do’ approach.

GAYLE BOWENPartner, Head of Office DublinPinsent Masons

ACTIVITY Seeing the number of staffincrease from 11 to almost 60 in the past yearhas been very exciting and has changed thedynamic of our office. It has also seen usbecome a full service offering to our clients,which helps us in all the areas that wepractise.

Initially, our focus was to expand thepractice areas that we offer to cover our fiveglobal sectors, which are real estate, energy,infrastructure, financial services, and advancedmanufacturing & technology. Now we arelooking to deepen the bench strength of ourexisting teams and expand into new areas suchas IP and life sciences; litigation andregulatory; big data, technology and cyber;financial services; and energy, infrastructureand property.

We have targeted these areas because ourkey contacts are often general or regionalcounsel for our clients’ EMEA business. Theyare not just interested in the local position inone market in isolation from their European or

global business. Similarly in terms of litigation,clients see huge benefits in being able toconduct their litigation strategy through one firm.

COMPETITION There has been an upwardpressure on salaries due to more competitionin the market. However, we find that mostlawyers do not move solely for payincreases. Offering our staff agile workingconditions and a positive, inclusive workingenvironment also makes a difference. We areservicing our clients not just in Ireland butacross their European and global businesses,and this can bring natural efficiencies to our clients. OUTLOOK We expect the coronavirus to

have an impact on all businesses in thecoming months. To date, luckily, we have notseen a significant drop-off in work volumesor revenues.USP As a new entrant into the market, our

lawyers are hungry and ambitious. We havealso been very successful in hiring high-profile candidates across our specialist areas.Our global sectoral approach sets us apartfrom other firms, and this is very importantto our clients.



‘As a new entrant, our lawyers are hungry and ambitious’

‘What sets our model apart is ourinternational offering’

64_Evershed_Pinsent_Masons.qxp_34/36 Taxation 22/04/2020 12:21 Page 64

GARRY FERGUSONManaging PartnerWalkers Ireland

ACTIVITY We are now in our tenth year inIreland, having opened in 2010. We havegrown each year and last year we sawsignificant expansion in our support areasacross BD, HR, Finance, L&D and IT. In termsof revenue we grew by 18%, which was verystrong for a mostly mature business. We haveseen organic growth across several teams.Our Finance and Capital Markets team hasgrown significantly and the staff number inthe team is approaching 30 people. We havealso grown our Asset Management andInvestment Funds and our Litigation teams,driven by client demand.COMPETITION Until recently I would have

said that new players will expand the market.After Covid-19, I’m not so sure in the shortterm. While new opportunities will presentthemselves and some lawyers will pivot intonew areas, overall the size of the market maylikely contract for the next 18 months or so.

Salary pressure will ease, though theimpact on fees is more uncertain. In the

context of the financial crash and thesubsequent deleveraging of the Irish banks,there was a flight to quality as complex legalissues arose and clients valued experienceand depth of service offering. The samecould happen again. We are in a time ofuncertainty. OUTLOOK It’s inevitable that we will see a

downturn. The legal market, along with so

many other sectors, is faced withtremendous uncertainty. However,opportunities will arise in the coming monthsand years. As a firm we generally have anoptimistic outlook. We do not underestimatethe challenges ahead, but experience showsthat market disruption brings opportunity.USP I've always felt that we simply give

the service that clients expect, and wedeliver it on time and on-budget. Lookingback over the past decade, I think we havewon a lot of clients on this basis. We alsoembrace the technical side of our business;we enjoy this side of law and hopefully weare easy to deal with. We are selective whenhiring new talent. First and foremost theremust be a good cultural fit, and this isrecognised by our clients.


‘Experience showsthat market disruption bringsopportunity’


65_Walkers.qxp_34/36 Taxation 23/04/2020 16:32 Page 65

DECLAN BLACKManaging PartnerMason Hayes & Curran

ACTIVITY In the context of the coronaviruscrisis, what is most pleasing is that despite thepace of growth and development of the firmover the last number of years, MHC hasretained its simple ethic of properly lookingafter staff and clients. That’s much, muchmore important than anything else, butwinning the ‘Irish Law Firm of the Year’ awardfrom international legal publication TheLawyer was a nice external confirmation of the quality of work we do every day with our clients.

PRACTICE Over the last number of yearswe have put an increasing focus on the keysectors which we serve. Energy, particularly inthe sustainable arena, is something that wehave worked on for the last decade. We haveadvised on almost half of the renewable windenergy projects on the grid and also the firstever solar farm in Ireland.

Our technology practice advises the topinternational technology organisations on theirbusiness critical issues, from data privacy totalent recruitment and retention. The recent

expansion of our San Francisco officedemonstrates how entwined we are in this sector.

Financial services is the engine of the firm.We advise the majority of main financial andinsurance businesses in Ireland, including thelargest loan portfolio sale in the history of thestate. Our breadth of experience in healthcareand life sciences would be difficult to rival.One interesting and emerging practice area ishealth tech, and it is the interplay of ourexpertise across both sectors that reallyenables us to add real value to clients in thesenew areas.

Although many firms talk about real estateas a sector, we take a wider view and considerbuilt environment. We act on many differentelements of place-making, from transportinfrastructure and buildings to enabling theplatforms for smart cities.

USP The advice you get from MHC is (1) relevant and (2) capable of being readily

implemented. This is because our lawyers aretrained to understand their client’s business,sector and objectives in the context of anyrequest for assistance. So you don’t getuseless theoretical answers that can’t bemade work operationally.

Second, you get it quickly. Third, it is clear.It continues to astonish me that clients put upwith advice from law firms which you wouldneed a law degree to understand!

RICHARD MARTINManaging PartnerRonan Daly Jermyn

ACTIVITY Over the past year we have madesome outstanding hires and grown our team tomore than 260 people across our Cork, Dublinand Galway offices. We are particularly pleasedwith key hires to our regulatory andconstruction teams during the year.

RDJ has also made significant investmentsin smart technology and business managementsolutions that have allowed us to automate andstandardise once manual processes with built-in workflows, as well as provide enhancedbudgeting and dynamic reporting tools. Thisprovides us with the capability to deliverfaster, more efficient and cost-effective legalservices.

We are more conscious than ever of ourimpact on our environment, and as a firm RDJis committed to minimising the production ofwaste and reduce our energy, water and paperusage. Both our Dublin and Cork offices aredesigned to LEED gold standard, recognised asthe benchmark of green building standards.PRACTICE Our cyber response team has

seen a significant increase in the number of

clients experiencing successful securityincidents over the past 12 months. We haveexpanded our team and now offer securityincident response on a 24/7 basis, which issupported by our claims handling andmanagement and reputation managementservices.

We were delighted to welcome regulatoryspecialist Brian Hunt as partner to the firm in2019. His arrival will enable us to bettersupport our existing client base who requirespecialist expertise in that area.USP Our clients see us as a key part of the

decision-making process in their own business.This is due to the effort we make tounderstand in considerable detail not only ourclients’ business but also the sectors in whichthey operate. Half of our partner appointmentsover the last 10 years have been lawyers whohave come from industry or who have beenseconded to industry. This gives them a uniqueperspective of what client service reallymeans. It is very important for us that ourlawyers understand what it means to be aconsumer of legal services every bit as muchas a provider of legal services.



‘Financial services is the engine of the firm’

Richard Martin (centre) with regulatory partner Brian Hunt (left) and BryanMcCarthy, partner-in-charge of RDJ’s Dublin office

66_Mason_Ronan_.qxp_34/36 Taxation 23/04/2020 16:26 Page 66

PHILIP LEEManaging PartnerPhilip Lee

ACTIVITY There are two standout aspectsof the firm’s growth and development from thepast year. The first is our ability to once againattract heavy hitters from the legal market tothe firm. Five exceptional individuals joinedthe partner group in the last 12 months: JohnGiven (M&A), Angelyn Rowan (construction),Tom Conway and Thomas O’Malley (property)and Marie Kinsella (healthcare).

More recently, the firm is in the final stagesof a merge with McEvoy Corporate Law, adiscussion that commenced well before thecurrent Covid-19 crisis. Bernard McEvoy grew avery strong corporate practice which I haveadmired from afar for many years.PRACTICE One department that we have

particularly focused on this year is corporate,with John Given joining the team. John’s top-tier legal expertise, having served bothinternational and domestic clients acrossmultiple sectors, adds tremendous weight anddepth to our firm as we continue to disruptthe established order in the Irish legal marketthrough a combination of brilliant people andconstant innovation.

Our media team goes from strength tostrength as we hold onto the position ofleading top tier legal advisors with the largestand most active team in the Irish market.Other areas that we have placed considerableeffort are energy and competition, and we seeincreasing demand for specialisation inprocurement, construction, environmental andplanning.

Of course, data protection remains an area

in great demand. We were reappointed to theData Protection Commissioner this year andour clients take great comfort in knowing thatwe have unparalleled expertise in the law andhow it should be applied.OUTLOOK There are always challenges

ahead for law firms. We have a very particular

set of skills, skills that make us a nightmarefor people not looking after our clients. Forthat reason, we have no fear of the future.

We see the arrival of international firms asinevitable because they risk losing clients inthe financial sector. I suspect they willstruggle – time will tell. Our special skills andthe belief in what we are is a huge strengthregardless.USP Our job is to predict the future, take on

the challenges our clients will face and deliversolutions for them. We like to win and we likeour clients to win. Our depth of expertise andinnovation creates not only insight, butforesight. This gives us competitive edge. Weonly lack humility and we are working on that!



‘We only lackhumility and we are working on that!’


“Our growth and success is dependent on the growth and

success of our clients.”

Corporate | Real Estate Banking & Financial Services

Litigation & Dispute Resolution Employment & Benefits

Healthcare & Life Sciences

MARK’S CONTACT DETAILS+ 353 (0)1 440 [email protected]

6-7 Harcourt TerraceDublin 2

www.bhsm.ie

– MARK HOMAN, Managing Partner

68_Philip_Lee.qxp_34/36 Taxation 22/04/2020 14:09 Page 68

FROM DUBLINTO LONDON

Our Dublin office brings our sector focus to the Irish legal market. Connecting our global experience from London to our local knowledge in Dublin means

that we can truly empower our clients to do more, wherever they do business.

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78465

JULIAN YARRManaging PartnerA&L Goodbody

ACTIVITY 2019 was an excellent year forthe firm, driven by strategic investmentsmade during the preceding number of years inpeople, client service and businesstransformation. We focused hard ondeveloping a growth mindset as individualsand as a collective which allows us tocontinuously enhance our working andlearning environment and adapt and improvehow we deliver quality advice and service.

We made significant progress on ourdiversity and inclusion strategy. This includeda specific gender equality programme calledDARE – Daily Action; Real Equality. DARE has anumber of initiatives ranging from making lifeeasier for working parents to changing howwe allocate and manage our workflow. As wellas gender diversity we also have programmeson social mobility, disability, cultural diversityand sexual diversity.

The firm’s response to the Covid-19 crisishas been impressive – we moved c.900 peoplefrom our offices to working from home over a

matter of days. The Covid-19 outbreakpresents complex issues and challenges forbusiness, society and the economy. Access todeep specialist legal knowledge and expertisewill be extremely important as corporates andgovernments address the fall-out. Firms likeours, with this bandwidth and specialistservices, will stay busy by collaborating withtheir clients to find answers or workarounds.

PRACTICE We are investing in anumber of sectors at the moment,some through the hiring of peopleand some through investing intechnology solutions. These includeregulation and white-collar crime,where we have grown the team andinvested in AI technology forregulatory investigations; thecommercial and technology team,which advises on IP and dataprivacy, and funds and assetmanagement where we haveinvested heavily in the team.USP Smarts, drive, sophistication

and a collaborative culture,combined with the quality of ourclients and the work we do forthem. We have some of the very

best lawyers in Ireland who work for some ofthe world's largest companies on innovativeand sometimes complex legal mandates. Weconstantly push to look at ways we canimprove our business and the service weprovide to our clients, including our uniquelearning and development programme, theALG School of Business & Law, and in ourresponsible business and pro bono initiatives.

MARK HOMANManaging PartnerBHSM

ACTIVITY BHSM has experienced itseighth consecutive year of growth since itsfoundation in 2012, and this growth has beenacross all departments. Our corporate, realestate, banking and litigation departments,in particular, have enjoyed increasedactivity. Our corporate and real estatedepartments have been involved in a numberof high-profile deals, which has bolsteredour reputation in these areas. Our litigationteams have been involved in some veryinteresting cases, and we have seen anupswing in landlord and tenant, and property-related disputes.

We are currently acting for a liquidator ina high-profile fraudulent and recklesstrading High Court case arising out of theliquidation of an Irish company operating inthe charity sector. This case is particularlyinteresting, having an internationaldimension and various applications includingapplications for freezing orders.PRACTICE We have developed our firm to

be strong across the three core areas ofpractice in most law firms, i.e. corporate,real estate and litigation, most of which

have a commercial aspect. As a firm, wehave invested in recent years in recruitingexperienced practitioners in morespecialised areas such as life sciences,healthcare, and banking. We also have a verystrong presence in insolvency and corporaterestructuring, employment and benefits, anddata security.

USP There are a wide range of advantagesfor a commercial client to retain a mid-tierfirm rather than a larger firm. Thankfully wehave had success in attracting these clientsfrom larger firms. Clients tell us that theyare attracted by a closer and more personalservice with no compromise on theefficiency and quality of advice.



‘Clients are attracted by a closer and more personal service’


70_Goodbody_BHSM.qxp_34/36 Taxation 23/04/2020 11:30 Page 70

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FEARGAL BRENNANManaging PartnerByrneWallace

ACTIVITY The firm has performed verysolidly across all service lines, and at thebeginning of the year was looking forward tohigh levels of activity across the board.Clearly Covid-19 has created a degree ofuncertainty about the year ahead. Ultimatelyhowever, we expect that at some point in thefuture significant new work flows will emergeas the damage to the economy caused by theCovid-19 crisis needs to be repaired, andwhole sectors of industry restructured, all ofwhich will require intensive legal support.Given the breadth of our platform I am veryconfident that ByrneWallace will be a leadingfirm in this type of work. PRACTICE We have continued to grow

across most of our practice lines to meet highlevels of demand. Over the last two years, wehave made significant investments andappointed a number of significant lateral hiresacross the firm, in particular within the areasof construction, renewables, projects andinfrastructure, pensions, crisis management,

tax, and financial services. COMPETITION The legal services market in

Ireland is vibrant and this is the primaryreason why it is attractive to new entrants.Some of these players will flourish and somewill struggle, and the impact of the Covid-19epidemic remains to be seen overall in thelonger term. Growing a law firm is acomplicated endeavour and very nuanced.Ireland will continue to be an attractive placeto do business in the longer term and even ifthere is more competition, I would have agreat deal of optimism for the future.Competition has always been intense and thefuture will be no different.

GRAHAM P. KENNYPrincipalKenny Solicitors

ACTIVITY Some of our clients haveexpanded across the globe and it has been athrilling ride to accompany them on theirjourneys. I’m most pleased with how ouroffice has adapted to these new challengesby forging international relationships andestablishing professional partnerships inother jurisdictions.

PRACTICE Kenny Solicitors has been along-term market leader in insolvency, withits solicitors participating in countlessliquidations, receiverships, insolvencyschemes and examinerships before thecourts. In this critical era of Covid-19,businesses are faced with unprecedenteddemands and mounting debt. KennySolicitors is one of the only firms in thecountry who are presently before the HighCourt engaged in a large-scale examinership.We have a proven track record insuccessfully achieving considerable debtwrite-off for a host of businesses.

From international technology companiesto Premier Division football clubs, hotel andpub chains to restaurants, we have hadschemes approved in the Circuit Court and

High Court to write off historical debt andallow companies trade successfully into thefuture. Of paramount importance for adirector in such circumstances is to sourceexpert advice and act as quickly as possibleto salvage trading operations.

COMPETITION I think to view a firmexclusively by size is a largely pointlesstask. Nobody ever left court after losing a

case and drew comfort from the fact thatthey briefed a firm with a lot of lawyers. Theclient should wholly focus on the firm’s levelof expertise in any given area and maketheir decision to instruct based on that. Aclient simply wants the best available adviceat the most reasonable cost. I believe ourfirm has proven it offers both.

USP As Covid-19 has decimated the Irisheconomy, many business owners will beturning to their professional advisors forhelp. There are only a handful of firms thathave actually appeared before the courts inexaminerships and related insolvencyproceedings. While many law firms acrossthe country will enter this insolvency space,Kenny Solicitors can stand over its provenand established track record in this area.



‘We have a trackrecord in achieving debtwrite-off forclients’

‘Growing a law firm is a complicatedendeavour’

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MARK THORNEManaging PartnerDillon Eustace

ACTIVITY Our Financial Regulation andRegulatory Investigations department hasshown substantial growth as the CentralBank of Ireland and regulators increase theirattention and focus on both authorisationand supervision matters. In particular wehave seen an expansion of the number ofdefined functions requiring Central Bank pre-approval, an increasing focus on fitness andprobity investigations, as well as greaterfocus on senior accountability regimes. All ofthese changes have led to a larger amount ofreferral work.

On the funds side where we continue to bethe leading Irish legal advisor, the year hasseen increased diversity in geography of fundpromoters and also increased activity in theETF space.

PRACTICE Our Funds, Property andBanking departments have seen stronggrowth, and in particular a high degree ofcross-departmental work from moreoverseas investment funds and non-banklenders financing sophisticated property andasset financing transactions. Many newfinancial services firms are establishing inIreland post-Brexit, and the nature ofproperty and banking finance work isincreasingly complex. Irish fund vehiclesneed more specialised advice that ourfinancial services teams provide.

COMPETITION We have always competedin an international market in terms of legalservices, and so the competition from newmarket entrants is not really new. That said,hopefully the level of new entrants will

create additional focus on Ireland and lead toadditional work.

NOTABLE DEAL The Project Circletransaction involved lawyers from funds, tax,banking, construction and real estate in theestablishment of a fund vehicle, and thefinancing and property work on acquiringover 200 apartment units across 27 separateproperties in one transaction. We were alsoinvolved in the successful defence of theSunday Business Post in the defamationaction brought by businessman Denis

O’Brien. The case ran for 17 days and the win was testament to our longstandingexpertise in this area.

USP We have a very strong internationalclient base and a reputation for commercial,timely and constructive advice delivered in acollaborative fashion. We are lucky to haveclients who appreciate that over time weassist them achieve their businessobjectives and support them when they need it most.


Innovative Ambitious Brave DynamicTalentedLeman Solicitors are Ireland’s most innovative law firm. We specialise in Financial Services, Technology, Real Estate & Life Sciences. For more information and to contact us visit www.leman.ie


BUSINESS PLUS MAY 2020 73

‘Competition from new market entrants is not really new’

73_BHSM.qxp_34/36 Taxation 22/04/2020 16:46 Page 73

JOHN HOGANManaging PartnerLeman

ACTIVITY We grew our top line by 21% in2019 – our best year yet. Most gratifying wasour seven place rise in the annual GreatPlaces to Work survey, to No.22 spot in thelisting. That was down to a lot of hard (butenjoyable) work with our people.

We are always looking to add on new linesof business. In addition to bringing on afinance law function, we have spent a lot oftime and effort building and supporting ourlegal consultancy business, Lextech, which islooking at legal services through a differentlens. There was very exciting progress in thatbusiness in 2019, and more is planned for2020.

COMPETITION There are lots of newentrants in the market but the pool of workhas not grown. Some of these new firms willoverpay to unseat people, and that will have aknock-on effect on wage demands. Coupledwith increased competition and fee slashing(to hold on to work), this will make it hard tomaintain margins. We also have tech lawcompanies offering retainer services whichwill eat away at annuity work. It’s going to bevery tough but we are ready and excitedabout the opportunities it presents for firmslike Leman.

LIMITED LIABILITY We’re a LimitedLiability Partnership now but frankly it’snothing to be excited about. LLPs do notprovide for employee share ownership,alternative investment, corporate structuringand succession. We should be able toincorporate – full stop. What about our solepractitioner colleagues? They have been leftbehind and may be forced into ‘arrangedmarriages’. That is wrong.

USP Our firm expertise spans fintech,corporate real estate, construction, insuranceand financial services/regulation. We offerpartner access and retained institutionalknowledge of your business (not just yoursector). With Leman there is a lack of churnand pass-down delegation – you don’t meet anew face on every transaction. We operatefixed fees and no hourly rates, which is whatbusinesses want.

PHILIP O’CONNORManaging PartnerOCWM Law

BACKGROUND OCWM Law was establishedin October 2018 by myself, Michael Walsheand Carol Maguire. As former partners of aninternational law firm and together withconsultant Peter McShane, we dealt with abroad range of domestic and internationalcommercial client matters. The new firm wassoon augmented by the appointment oflateral hire corporate specialist, EdelConway.

ACTIVITY The consolidation of our clientbase in a relatively short period has beenparticularly pleasing. Our principal focus ison property and commercial transactions,mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures,regulatory advice, insolvency, commercialdispute resolution and employment matters.

We have been developing several novelprojects in the credit union sector includingnew collaborative marketing and IT projectsand a new online insurance offering for theirmembers. Our work with property assetmanagers has also involved innovativefunding structures as we see more and moreclients moving away from traditional pillarbank lending models.

OUTLOOK Trade policy uncertainty andgeopolitical tensions together with theconcerns regarding the coronavirus weigh onglobal economic activity, especiallymanufacturing and trade. As a smaller firmwe expect that we can adjust quickly to achanging market. To date only one overseasinvestor client has decided not to proceedwith a property purchase, citing globalrather than local market uncertainty. Otheroverseas property investor clients had in anyevent decided to take their gains on assets

acquired upwards of five years ago.Managing those disposals will of itselfgenerate a steady flow of work throughout2020.

USP A mid-market firm can offerspecialist advice in core practice areaswhich is partner-led, client-centric,commercial and cost efficient. The focus ison providing clients with predictability andtransparency on timelines and fees, as wellas ensuring proactive and collaborative legalservice delivery.



‘We should be ableto incorporate –full stop’

Philip O’Connor (centre) with (l-r) Michael Walshe, Carol Maguire, Edel Conway and Peter McShane

74_Leman_OCWM.qxp_34/36 Taxation 16/04/2020 14:37 Page 74

Kenny Solicitors A4 Apr19.qxp_Layout 1 29/03/2019 10:46 Page 1

MICHAEL LAVELLEManaging PartnerLavelle Partners

ACTIVITY 2019 was a great year for thefirm. We saw growth across all practice areasbut especially in commercial transactions andcommercial property and banking. There wasan increase in receivership work in bothcommercial and residential, and we haveincreased resources in these areas inparticular. Our insolvency, commercial andproperty background as a firm means we’reideally positioned to advise in this area of the market.

We’ve always had a very strong commerciallitigation practice and during the course of2019 we were involved in a significant numberof High Court commercial cases. Our propertyteam continued to grow throughout 2019 too,and the team now has six solicitors.

LIMITED LIABILITY In 2019 the firmassumed Limited Liability Partnership statusand we rebranded as Lavelle Partners. We werefamiliar with the protection afforded by LLPstatus and aware of how they operate fromcolleagues in the UK. There is no downsidewhatsoever to an LLP structure, and whilethere are some administrative issues

implementing it, we believe that over thecourse of the next year or two most firms inIreland will become LLPs.

OUTLOOK Covid-19 has thrown us all off-course a little. It’s a challenging time and I think the world we return to will be different.However, it’s had some positive effects on

working practices. Forexample, I’m delighted tosee the courts pilotingvirtual hearings.

Our transition toremote working was fairlyeasy as we already hadthe IT and securitymeasures in place.

Many of our clients areSMEs and it could beespecially challenging forthem when the country

returns to work. This sector is crucial to theIrish economy, and I’d like to see thegovernment continue to support SME ownersand employees. It’s essential that we keep asmany SMEs operating as possible.

USP We have the breadth of knowledge toadvise SME clients on all aspects of theirbusiness, and we can do so in an efficient andflexible manner. Medium-sized firms are morereactive and less bureaucratic than large firms.On important issues, a client can get theadvice of a partner and the partner willcontinue as the principal person in atransaction. Our partners have a broadknowledge of various aspects of law, whilepartners in larger firms have, in many cases,become highly specialised.

JUNE HYNESPartnerOBH Partners

ACTIVITY We have had a very successfulyear overall and have worked on somesubstantial transactions. We recently actedfor the purchaser of the Marker Hotel and theReflector Building. We also acted on behalf ofone of the under-bidders in the Green Reitportfolio and completed all of the commercialproperty and corporate due diligence on thattransaction over the course of summer 2019.

Both our commercial property andcorporate departments are performingstrongly and we have devoted a lot of ourresources to those areas. We have put aconsiderable time into our partnership withDublin BIC, co-sponsoring their Innovateprogramme for their Funding and Scalingseries. We also sponsored One2Watch atFutureScope last year and hope to do so againin the autumn.

COMPETITION The arrival of international

law firms will not expand the pie. We will aimto continue to place emphasis on the qualityof our work and to build on longstandingrelationships with clients. Client referral iswhere most of our new business comes fromand that will not change.

OUTLOOK The legal sector is just likeevery other sector in that it is always subjectto external factors which we can’t control.Last year it was Brexit, now it’s Covid-19.Because of the slowdown in the marketgenerally resulting from the Covid-19 crisis,we expect a lot of challenges this year.

USP We have strong corporate andcommercial property departments. Ourbanking department, headed by DaraghBohan, is also expanding. No matter thenature of the work involved, the client canalways be confident that experienced lawyersare dealing with and/or overseeing the work.



‘Client referral is where most of our new business comes from’

‘Medium-sizedfirms are more reactive and lessbureaucratic’

76_Lavelle_OBH.qxp_34/36 Taxation 22/04/2020 15:50 Page 76


DAVID PHELANManaging PartnerHayes Solicitors

ACTIVITY We have been growingconsistently over the last number of years,and it was pleasing this year to see anincrease in our total number of lawyers ofmore than 10%. Over the year, we saw stronggrowth in our corporate, commercialadvisory, and banking and financial servicesteams. The climate now is very different,since the outbreak of Covid-19. The legalservices sector will be significantly impacted,though not on the scale of sectors such asretail, hospitality and others.EXPERTISE Our corporate transaction and

commercial advisory teams are marketleaders in providing client-focused solutions.We make sure we understand our clients’businesses so that we can provide strategicadvice to fit with their needs. In that way, weare trusted advisors to our clients. OUTLOOK The outlook for the year has of

course significantly deteriorated as a resultof Covid-19 and the related business closures.Unfortunately there is a very negative impactfor many of our clients, and otherbusinesses, particularly those sectors such

as retail, hospitality and childcare. Our focuswill be to provide every assistance to clientsthrough the difficult period ahead, with theaim of returning to growth as soon aspossible.USP There are many advantages to

seeking counsel from mid-market firms. Not

only are we cost competitive and agilecompared to larger firms but we can offerexpert partner-led services across our rangeof practice areas. We find that our clients arereassured to know personally the lawyersengaged in their work, and to have access tothis team and the lead partner at all times.

JP McDOWELLManaging PartnerFieldfisher

Long-established firm McDowellPurcell merged with international lawfirm Fieldfisher in May 2019.ACTIVITY The merger with Fieldfisher has

already had a transformative effect. We haveseen a very lucrative pipeline of referralsdevelop from across the network of 25offices. Ireland is a hub for manymultinational companies, and our expandedinternational capabilities mean that we canprovide a cross-jurisdictional service acrossthe full suite of corporate legal services. Ithas been very gratifying to be able tocompete for and win new work from a morediverse range of sectors as a much largerfirm with a wider diversity of skills andexperience.

Internationally, Fieldfisher has a number ofmarket-leading practices, most notably intechnology, financial services, energy andnatural resources, and life sciences. As aresult, we are looking in particular atdeveloping our offering in technology, finance

and life sciences and there is an activerecruitment process ongoing at present.COMPETITION We have seen a number of

international law firms establishing a

presence here, and the recruitment andretention of staff has been a pressure pointfor all Irish firms in recent years. Coronavirusmay temporarily ease that pressure, thoughquality personnel will always retain theirvalue in an increasingly specialised legalmarket.OUTLOOK Ireland’s ability to bounce back

as a society and an economy from what iscurrently unfolding will determine businessoutlook. In the immediate term, it has causedsome transactions to stall and projects to beput on hold. That said, I have taken hugeheart in seeing how quickly many of ourclients have been able to flex their day-to-day operations in response to Covid-19. Government supports for businesses,combined with this country’s inherentcreativity and adaptability, would signify acollective recovery of confidence in theeconomy towards the end of 2020.


‘Quality personnel will always retain their value’

‘Clients are reassured to know personally their lawyers’


David Phelan with colleagues Áine Coghill (left) and Katy Meade

77_Hayes_Fieldfisher.qxp_34/36 Taxation 16/04/2020 14:22 Page 77

Geoff Moore (left) succeeded Brian O’Gorman (right) as managing partner of Arthur Cox in November 2019. Also pictured is chairperson Orla O'Connor

A&L GOODBODY Solicitors: 313Mng. Partner: Julian YarrThe firm added 21 lawyers in 2019,becoming the first Irish law firmwith over 300 solicitors. ALG hasoffices in Dublin and Belfast, aswell as offices in London, NewYork, San Francisco and Palo Alto.Patrick Brandt, Andrew Sheridanand Kerill O’Shaughnessy werelateral hire partner appointmentsover the past year, bringing thetotal partner count to 105. ALG

advised Henderson Park on its€1.34bn acquisition of Green Reit,one of the largest M&Atransactions in Ireland last year.

ARTHUR COXSolicitors: 299Mng. Partner: Geoff MooreArthur Cox has offices in Dublin,Belfast, London, New York andSilicon Valley. Geoff Mooreassumed the role of managingpartner in November 2019 andOrla O’Connor was appointedChair of the firm from May 2019.Also in 2019, the firm appointedits first pro bono associate,Carolann Minnock. “Our pro bonowork is a key aspect of the firmconducting business responsibly,”says Moore. The firm announcedthree new partners in January2020 – Imelda Shields, BrendanWallace and Ryan Ferry.

Notable recent deals includeadvising Allergan plc on its

pending $63bn merger withAbbVie. The firm says the deal isnotable for its size, not just in anIrish context but globally.

MATHESON Solicitors: 285Mng. Partner: Michael JacksonMatheson has six offices inIreland and abroad, with the SanFrancisco hub opening in 2017 anda Cork office in 2018. In July 2019,Matheson announced theappointment of Sharon Daly ashead of its London office, whiledata privacy and employment lawspecialist, Deirdre Crowley, joinedthe Matheson office in Cork inSeptember. That office willrelocate in the city in later thisyear. Recent partnerappointments are DavidFitzgibbon, Philip Tully, KimberleyMasuda, Susanne McMenamin,Dermot Powell and David Jones.

Notable transaction counsel in

the past year includes advisingIndependent News & Media on itsacquisition by Belgian companyMediahuis. The transaction wasled by corporate partners TimScanlon and Padraic Roche.

MCCANNFITZGERALDSolicitors: 266Mng. Partner: Barry DevereuxThe firm has over 600 employeesacross offices in Dublin, London,New York and Brussels. Aviationfinance partner Catherine Deanewas appointed first chair of thefirm in November 2019.

The firm has a large dealspractice, and recent M&A andfunding structures clients includeGreencoat Renewables, Elsevier,Coillte, C&C Group, Uniphar,Musgrave, Dubray Books, Nuritas,Centric Healthcare, InfraViaCapital Partners, ORIX and BBAMAviation Services.



LAW FIRMS WHO’S WHO

LISTING DATASolicitor numbers are forIreland only and are sourcedfrom the Law Society Gazette,effective December 2019, andsome of the firms themselves.Practice information isprovided by the listed firms.

CHRIS BELLEW / FENNELL

78_83 Law Listing.qxp_34/36 Taxation 23/04/2020 14:26 Page 78



MASON HAYES &CURRAN Solicitors: 239Mng. Partner: Declan BlackThe firm has 90 partners and over500 staff, with offices in Dublin,London, New York and SanFrancisco. Recent lateral hiresinclude partners Michaela Herron,Brian Johnston, David Gunn, andNiamh Caffrey. The firm was solelegal advisor the Department ofCommunications, Climate Action &Environment on theimplementation of the long-awaited National Broadband Plan.“To advise on a project of suchtechnical complexity, novelty andnational significance is probably aonce in five years occurrence,”says managing partner DeclanBlack.

WILLIAM FRY Solicitors: 207Mng. Partner: Bryan BourkeAs well as offices in Dublin, Corkand London, the firm has apresence in New York, SiliconValley and San Francisco. The Corkoffice was established in May2019, led by Brian O'Callaghan,Laura Houlihan, and GráinneVarian. Managing partner BryanBourke describes the Leesidebusiness market as “vibrant”. Lastyear the firm also launched aSocial Impact+ programme, whichsees staff provide legal and non-legal pro bono support to localsocial enterprises.

Recent lateral hires as partnersinclude Brian Butterwick, whojoined from Shearman & Sterling inLondon; Lyn Brennan, an expert inleveraged finance; Ailbhe Dennehy(employment and benefits); andIan Murray (insurance). The firmadvised Uniphar plc on its IPO lastyear – “a great transaction towork on and a real privilege,” saysBourke.

BYRNEWALLACE Solicitors: 132 Mng. Partner: Feargal BrennanNotable partner lateral hires overthe past year were MarkO’Shaughnessy, Liam Connellan,Tracey O’Donnell and DamienMcShane. The firm has a strong

property practice and on the dealfront managing partner FeargalBrennan singles out acting in thesale of Tesco’s 788,000 sq ftdistribution centre in Donabate toa South Korean investor. “Theclient required support from amulti-disciplinary team of lawyersand advisors whichincluded partners and seniorlawyers from our real estate,tax, corporate, financial services,and banking & finance teams,”says Brennan.

EVERSHEDSSUTHERLANDSolicitors: 108Mng. Partner: Alan MurphyThe international law firm has 66offices in 32 countries, andemploys c.280 people in Dublinand c.20 people in Belfast. Asignificant lateral hire is ConallMcLoughlin as partner in thefirm’s construction group, while inFebruary 2020 Eoin MacAodha,Julie Galbraith and Peter O’Neillwere made partners. The firmrecently advised London-basedinvestment firm Blantyre Capital onits investment in Tyrone offsiteconstruction specialist, McAvoyGroup. “Numerous practice areas

across our Dublin and Belfastoffices were involved, includingreal estate, banking, employment,tax, construction, disputeresolution, corporate, and IP,”says the firm.

RONAN DALYJERMYN Solicitors: 107Mng. Partner: Richard MartinNotable recent lateral partnerhires include regulatory specialistBrian Hunt and constructionspecialist Alison Bearpark. EimearDesmond joined RDJ in 2019 asPeople and Culture Director. Thefirm is currently working towardsthe Investors in Diversity–Silverlevel award, and says thecomposition of the seniormanagement team is now 30%women. Significant recent activityfor the firm includes advisingMasterCard in relation to itsextensive European TechnologyHub development inLeopardstown, south Dublin.

MAPLES GROUPSolicitors: 105Mng. Partner: Nicholas ButcherThe firm provides legal, fund andfiduciary services to clients across

five legal jurisdictions with 18global locations. Maples Groupglobally has 350 lawyers and2,100 staff, and in Dublin the firmhas 105 lawyers and c.430employees.

Last year the firm re-launchedits employment law practice ledby Karen Killalea, while NiamhO’Shea and Ronan Cremin madepartner in January 2020, bringingthe number of partners in theFunds & Investment Managementteam to 14.

BEAUCHAMPSSolicitors: 92Mng. Partner: John WhiteThe firm’s clients includemultinational companies, ownermanaged businesses, governmentand public bodies and regulatoryauthorities. Lateral hire StephanieReidy joined the firm’s companysecretarial practice. Notablerecent litigation includes advisingthe Premier League to blockillegal streaming in Ireland of livematches, the first application totarget streaming servers ratherthan websites. The case recentlyreceived a ‘Managing IP Impact’award.

continued on page 80

Matheson became the first organisation in Ireland to be awarded the Investors inDiversity Gold Standard by the Irish Centre for Diversity, led by Caroline Tyler (centre),pictured with managing partner Michael Jackson and HR director Lorraine Roche (left)

JOHN ALLEN


DILLON EUSTACE Solicitors: 88Mng. Partner: Mark ThorneThe firm has a focus on assetmanagement and investmentfunds, banking and capitalmarkets, corporate and M&A,employment, financial services,insurance, litigation and disputeresolution, real estate andtaxation. According to MontereyInsight, Dillon Eustace advisesmore Irish funds than any otherlaw firm. The key lateral hires in2019 were partner Keith Waine(financial regulation), Fiona O’Neill(property) and Shane Coveney,who joined the expanding ETFteam.

WALKERS IRELANDSolicitors: 65Mng. Partner: Garry FergusonWalkers Ireland is the Irish arm ofa ten-office global law firm, andits core focus is structuredfinance. Notable recent lateralhires include Joanna Taylor asSenior VP of Walkers ProfessionalServices, and Thomas Leyland, apartner hire to the Insolvency andDispute Resolution practice.Notable recent advices includeacting as counsel for GoldmanSachs on the River Green Finance2020 securitisation, the first evergreen European commercialmortgage backed securitytransaction.

PINSENT MASONSSolicitors: 64 Partner, Head of Office Dublin: Gayle BowenThe international law firmestablished an office in Dublin in2018 and expanded its solicitorcount in Dublin by 32 in 2019.Lateral hires have included MichaelFinn from Matheson; NaoiseHarnett and Niall Campbell fromWilliam Fry; Garrett Monaghanfrom Arthur Cox; Kevin Collinsfrom Eversheds Sutherland; andAnn Lalor from Whitney Moore. Inthe M&A arena, the firm advisedNH Hotel Group in its acquisition,alongside German investment fundDeka, of the Marker Hotel in Dublinfrom a group of private investors.The deal involved seven of the

firm’s offices and 30 fee earnerscontributing.

EUGENE F COLLINS Solicitors: 64Mng. Partner: Mark WalshThe firm’s main practice areas arecorporate, banking, disputeresolution and property. The firmtraces its roots back 1893 and isconsistently ranked by legaldirectories Chambers Europe,Chambers Global and the Legal500. In February 2020, PaulDempsey was appointed partner indispute resolution department.The firm says that with thedeparture of the UK from the EUthere is now the potential for theIrish legal system to be regardedas the jurisdiction of choice forcontract dispute resolution.

LK SHIELDS Solicitors: 62Mng. Partner: Emmet ScullyThe firm is renowned for its workin mergers and acquisitions andwas ranked in eighth place by dealcount for Ireland in the 2019Mergermarket league table. “Wehave a reputation for providingpartner-driven, accessible anddecisive input and work to buildin-depth relationships with ourclients, learning about theirbusiness and providing them withthe guidance, support andstrategic solutions they require to

achieve their aims and meet theirobjectives,” says the firm.

HAYES Solicitors: 61Mng. Partner: David Phelan The firm offers expertise inbusiness, employment, property,media, healthcare, banking,insolvency and family law. Hayesadded six lawyers to its rosterthrough 2019, including MaryKelleher, Tim Waghorn andRebecca Conlon. On the deal front,the firm advised on the sale of carparking operator NCPS to Apcoa, atransaction that involved avoluntary notification to theCompetition and ConsumerProtection Commission in order todeliver greater deal certainty.“Deals between competitors inhighly competitive markets bringa need for more complex andsophisticated transaction servicesand it was very rewarding todeliver a great result for ourclients,” says the firm.

PHILIP LEE Solicitors: 55Mng. Partner: Philip LeeThe practice in Dublin iscomplemented by offices inLondon, Brussels and SanFrancisco. Lateral partner hiresover the past year include MarieKinsella, John Given, and ThomasO’Malley, while in April 2020

corporate specialist BernardMcEvoy merged his practice withthe firm. The Philip Lee firm issole legal adviser to the DataProtection Commission and isinvolved in the ‘Schrems/FacebookII’ litigation. According to PhilipLee: “The proceedings involvehighly complex and novel issues ofdata protection law as well asaspects of US law on privacy,intelligence gathering andsurveillance of non-nationals. Theultimate outcome of the case willhave a significant impact on dataflows from the EU to the USA andother jurisdictions.”

FIELDFISHERSolicitors: 53Mng. Partner: JP McDowellMcDowell Purcell merged with UKlaw firm Fieldfisher in May 2019.The firm has a leading regulatorypractice and also specialises incorporate and commercial,renewable energy, banking andfinance, data protection, litigationand dispute resolution,employment, commercialproperty, insolvency andrestructuring, and environmentaland planning. A notable recentappointment is Liam Corrigan tohead up the firm’s new technologypractice.

On the deal front, JP McDowellinstances advising Simply Blue



William Fry opened in new office in Cork in 2019, led by Brian O’Callaghan (left) and LauraHoulihan, pictured with managing partner Bryan Bourke

continued on page 82

JOHN ALLEN




Energy, a Celtic Sea energydeveloper, on its JV with energyindustry major Total, to developinnovative floating wind projectsoff the Welsh coast. “Thisrevolutionary project marks animportant new step for renewableenergy generation in the UK andIreland,” says McDowell.

DAC BEACHCROFTSolicitors: 46Mng. Partner: Lisa BroderickThe international law firm operatesfrom 11 locations in the UK as wellas offices in Ireland, Spain, France,the US, Singapore, Mexico,Colombia and Chile. DACBeachcroft’s focus is healthcare,injury risk and professionalindemnity insurance, and relatedcommercial litigation, employmentand regulatory matters.

HOMS Solicitors: 42 Mng. Partner: Harry FehilyEstablished in 1970, HOMSSolicitors is the premiercommercial law firm in Limerickand also has offices in Dublin, Corkand London. In 2019 the firm

appointed six new partners in thecore practice areas of litigation,insurance, commercial propertyand private client, raising thepartner count to 14. HOMSestablished its Cork office in 2018following the opening of a Londonoffice in 2017.

WHITNEY MOORESolicitors: 35 Mng. Partner: John LynchThe firm relocated to new premiseson Shelbourne Road in D4 inOctober 2019 and also expandedthe number of partners to 17 with the appointments of Marie Claire Scullion, Vicky Riordanand Colin Hayes. The firm is amarket leader in intellectualproperty expertise and was namedIreland Patent Firm of the Year atthe Global IP Awards 2020organised by trade publisher LawBusiness Research.

LEMAN Solicitors: 20Mng. Partner: John HoganThe firm has four coredepartments: corporate, realestate, dispute resolution and

employment. Specialist expertisealso spans fintech and payments,medtech and life sciences, retail,construction and sports. The firm’sLexTech unit develops ‘reg tech’and ‘legal tech’ software productsand services for businesses, whichstreamline legal and regulatoryadministration through digitisation,automation and data capture. Thefirm says LexTech also deliversbespoke risk and contractmanagement solutions to business clients.

BHSM Solicitors: 20Mng. Partner: Mark HomanThe firm’s core practice areas arereal estate, commercialtransactions and litigation. Inrecent years the firm says it hasinvested in recruitingexperienced practitioners in morespecialised areas such as lifesciences, healthcare and banking.The firm has six partners and alsooffers specialised legal expertisein the areas of employment andbenefits, insolvency andcorporate restructuring, and data security.

LAVELLE PARTNERSSolicitors: 18Mng. Partner: Michael LavelleThe firm has six partners andprovides legal advice across thebusiness sector, from financialinstitutions to SMEs. Its practiceareas are corporate andcommercial, commercial litigationand dispute resolution, property,employment and private litigation.Notable deal advices over the pastyear include a substantial mergerin the motor industry between twodistributors, which involvedcommercial advice, advice onemployment, litigation issues andproperty. “As a transaction, itdemonstrated the benefit of usinga smaller flexible firm rather thanone of the larger firms who wouldhave increased the number ofparties in the transaction,” saysthe firm.

GORE & GRIMES Solicitors: 18Mng. Partner: Brian O’NeillBased in Smithfield and with aheritage going back over acentury, this boutique mid-marketfirm has a focus on commercial

ByrneWallace strengthened its dispute resolution team with the appointment of property litigator Helen Gibbons, pictured with managing partner Feargal Brennan (left) and department head Jon Legorburu

CHRIS BELLEW / FENNELL




law, tax and property. The firm haseight partners and the Real Estateteam was ranked in the 2019edition of The Legal 500 EMEA.

CLARK HILL Solicitors: 17Mng. Partner: Kirby TarrantUS law firm Clark Hill entered theIrish legal market in 2019 bysubsuming O’Gradys Solicitors. TheDublin office has ten partners andoffers legal counsel spanning M&A,financial services, commerciallitigation, bankruptcy,restructuring, commercialproperty, fintech, data security andcybersecurity.

ORPEN FRANKSSolicitors: 14Mng. Partner: Peter WalshWith a heritage going back overtwo centuries, the seven-partnerfirm couples commercial adviceswith a focus on medical andprofessional negligence litigationand private law matters such asestate planning. Family lawspecialist Deirdre Burke joined thefirm as a partner in 2019.

OBH PARTNERSSolicitors: 10Founding Partners: OrlaithO’Brien & June HynesThe firm works with a wide rangeof corporate and private clients,and services span real estate, M&A,corporate governance, insolvencyand restructuring, IT and media,and capital markets. In the pastyear, the firm appointed DaraghBohan as partner to head up itsbanking division. OBH recentlyacted for the purchaser of theMarker Hotel and the ReflectorBuilding, and also represented oneof the under-bidders for the largeGreen Reit commercial propertyportfolio in 2019.

O’CONNORSOLICITORSSolicitors: 9Mng. Partner: John C. O’ConnorCommercial and property practicePeter Morrissey & Co merged withthe firm in August 2019. Activityencompasses large commerciallitigation, employment and trade

union law, protecting businessideas, mediation and alternativedispute resolution, clinicalnegligence, insurance andcommercial agreements,competition law and commercialleases and property transactions.Personal client services spanproperty transfers, administrationof estates, succession planning,litigation, and employment law.

OCWM LAW LLPSolicitors: 8Mng. Partner: Philip O’ConnorEstablished in 2018, the client basespans regulated property funds,asset managers, SMEs, creditunions, alternative lenders,pension trustees, insolvencypractitioners, insurance brokers,accountancy and otherprofessional firms, startups andhigh net worth individuals. Notablerecent deals include acting for thedevelopers of an innovativememorial park in the property siteacquisition and funding via acombined equity subscriptionagreement and secured convertibledebt instrument.

KENNY SOLICITORSSolicitors: 6Principal: Graham P. KennyThe firm specialises in property,commercial agreements andcommercial litigation. Clients spanhigh net worth individuals, localbusinesses, professionals andleading sports personalities. Thefirm has a strong insolvencypractice and advised on the

examinership of Altada TechnologySolutions Limited. “The companywas able to reduce its debt andmaintain the majority of itsworkforce,” says principal GrahamP. Kenny. “This type ofarrangement is obviously to theforemost of a lot of directors’minds in these most trying times.”

HUGHES &ASSOCIATES Solicitors: 3Principal Solicitor: Daniel HughesThe practice has a focus oncommercial litigation relating toshareholder disputes, medicalnegligence and divorce andseparation proceedings.

Hughes & Associates Solicitors13 Eustace Street

Temple BarDublin 2

l Commercial Litigation & Insolvencyl Company Shareholder Disputesl Corporate & Commerciall Private Client & Advisory

Walkers hired insolvency law specialist Thomas Leyland (centre) in January 2020 fromDentons in London. Also pictured are managing partner Garry Ferguson (left) and GavinSmith, head of the firm’s dispute resolution practice


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