The Legal 500

David Widger’s team at A&L Goodbody is widely hailed by clients as the best in the business. The ‘practical’ and ‘responsive’ John Given advised the underwriters on Bank of Ireland’s €3.4bn capital raising project, while Widger led a team instructed by Campari on the €128m acquisition of the Carolans, Frangelico and Irish Mist liqueur brands from William Grant & Sons. Other highly recommended partners include Eithne Fitzgerald, while the newly promoted Alan Johnston is singled out as a ‘star of the future’. Aviva, Hellman & Friedman, and Pfizer are also representative clients.

One client enthuses that Arthur Cox ‘is better than most of the Magic Circle in London’. The team, led by the ‘strong’ and ‘proactive’ Colm Duggan, is praised as providing ‘truly exceptional advice, tailored to the commercial situation’. A deal sheet that includes advising Bank of Ireland on the largest capital raising ever undertaken by an Irish company and advising Accenture and Warner Chilcott, among others, on the migration of their holding companies to Ireland adds credence to these claims. Elizabeth Bothwell is ‘exceptional in her field’, while junior partner Paul Robinson is something of a ‘rising star’, and Raymond Hurley is also recommended.

Matheson Ormsby Prentice ‘sets the benchmark for standards in Ireland’, according to one client. Led by Stanley Watson, the team is praised as ‘highly responsive, knowledgeable and practical’. Highlights included advising William Grant & Sons on its €300m purchase of C&C Group’s spirits and liqueurs business, and Aramark on its €50.8m acquisition of Veris. Tim Scanlon is picked out as ‘calm and collected in the most challenging of scenarios’, while New York based junior partner Patrick English ‘carries himself with the confidence and experience of a much more senior lawyer’. Patrick Spicer is highlighted as ‘smart and pragmatic’, and George Brady also stands out.

McCann FitzGerald, a cornerstone of the Irish M&A market for so long, is praised by clients for its ‘commercial approach’ and ‘top-drawer bench of talent’. The ‘very responsive’ David Lydon and ‘commercially sound’ Alan Fuller are both applauded by clients. The firm advised C&C Group on a number of transactions over the year including the Irish aspects of its purchase of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Irish, Scottish and Northern Irish businesses. On the energy side, the team advised Ion Equity on the sale of SWS Natural Resources to Bord Gais Eirann. Barry Devereux is also recommended.

William Fry’s team displays an ‘unrivalled range of skills’, and has a ‘commerciality and pragmatism that is invaluable’. Managing partner Myra Garrett is still active, and the ‘superb’ Owen O’Connell is ‘one of the very top lawyers in Ireland’. David Cullen is applauded for his ‘authority and commercial acumen’; David Fitzgibbon is ‘user friendly’; and David Carthy is picked out for his ‘leadership and commercial skills’. The team picked up new work from Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and the Irish Electricity Board (ESB). In its standout deal, the team advised Skillsoft on the $1.2bn takeover bid by a private equity consortium.

A ‘smaller firm to watch out for’, LK Shields Solicitors has a nine-partner team ‘prepared to be tough when required’. Gary Halpenny and Richard Curran are both singled out for their ‘pragmatic approach’, while Emmet Scully is also recognised. Halpenny led a team acting for Veolia Proprete in the sale of Veolia Environmental Services to Greenstar. Chevron is another representative client.

Maples and Calder ‘gets the balance right every time between eliminating legal risk and maximising commercial opportunity’, and is also noted for its levels of client focus. The ‘top-class’ Ed Miller heads a team whose recent work includes acting on the sale of Web Reservations International to affiliates of Hellman & Friedman. The ‘tireless’ Jennifer Caldwell and the ‘excellent’ Colm Rafferty are recommended.

Mason Hayes+Curran advised on two of the largest M&A deals in Ireland, including acting for the private equity consortium on its $1.2bn bid for Skillsoft alongside Ropes & Gray LLP. David O’Donnell’s team is of ‘a very high quality’ and grapples with the law in a ‘timely and practical manner’. The ‘excellent’ Paul Egan provides ‘creative solutions to problems’, and Justin McKenna is also recommended. Vedanta Resources and Mylan are representative clients.

Beauchamps Solicitors’ strengths lie primarily in the energy and healthcare sectors, and John White runs the team, which is applauded for its ‘value for money’. Shaun O Shea and Maire Cunningham are praised by one client as being ‘not just being our legal advisers, they are our partners’. Clients include Western Development Commission.

ByrneWallace was boosted by the arrival of life sciences expert Tom Maher from an in-house position at Amarin. The group had a strong showing among its tech and life sciences clients, advising Stokes Bio, Avoca Capital and Iontas.

Eugene F. Collins’ venture capital business saw the significant hire of John Olden from LK Shields Solicitors. The team ‘has the right approach in dealing with commercial activities’, and the ‘practical’ Nicola McGrath is recommended. Petrogras and Ethicon are notable clients.

Eversheds O’Donnell Sweeney provides an ‘overall service that is excellent’, and Abigail St John Kennedy is ‘knowledgeable and professional’. The firm advised Payzone on the disposal of its Dutch, Polish and German mobile top-up businesses.

McEvoy Partners inspires loyalty with its M&A prowess, and clients are effusive in their praise for Orlaith O’Brien and Bernard McEvoy. The firm advised West African Diamonds on its reverse takeover of Stellar Diamonds.

Dillon Eustace acted for one of the bidders for the C&C spirits and liqueurs business, and a leading global insurer in relation to disposal matters.

Hayes Solicitors operates in the ‘real-life business world’. David Phelan has an ‘excellent business brain’, and Breda O’Malley is also recommended. Ladbrokes and Primark are key clients.

Ronan Daly Jermyn has the largest corporate team outside of Dublin. It acted on a €9m fundraising for Nualight, and also advised Bord Gáis Éireann.

Therese Rochford and Stephen Walker at WhitneyMoore bring a wealth of expertise in pharma and healthcare. The firm acted for Greenstar on its acquisition of Veolia acquisition.

Brian O’Donnell Solicitors provides ‘a high standard of service across the board’. Brian O’Donnell is ‘one of the most commercially astute lawyers in Ireland’.

Ivor Fitzpatrick & Company has clients across the technology, finance and public sectors. John King and Anne McHale are the key partners.

Lavelle Coleman delivers ‘pragmatic advice’ but is ‘not OTT on fees’. Managing partner Michael Lavelle is cited as ‘commercial and supportive’.

Headed up by Andreas McConnell, the team at Philip Lee has a strong corporate restructuring offering. The firm recently won Pobal as a client.

DFMG Solicitors is primarily known for its IP work, but Patricia McGovern has experience in M&A and public listings.

Doherty Ryan & Associates is known for its board and shareholder advice as well as handling some M&A work.

Holmes O’Malley Sexton provides a ‘good level of service’, with Siobhan Buckley recommended. It recently advised the sellers of a retail business worth €2.5m.

Landwell Solicitors operates in the M&A and corporate compliance areas. Edward Evans is the key contact.

At Reddy Charlton McKnight, managing partner Paul Keane is well thought of for his corporate law expertise.