The Legal 500

A&L Goodbody’s ‘excellent’ and ‘technically strong’ practice played key roles in the headline restructurings of eircom and Quinn Group, and advised NAMA on the restructuring of the David Daly property development portfolio. According to clients, the partners ‘are more than lawyers, they are trusted business advisers’. Practice head David Baxter is ‘outstanding in his field’, and the ‘solution-oriented’ Mark Traynor is also recommended.

Arthur Cox’s banking and corporate expertise makes it an obvious choice for instructions, particularly under practice head William Day, who is ‘highly impressive’ and ‘on top of his brief’. Day led advice to eircom during the largest examinership in Irish history, and assisted Musgrave with its pre-pack purchase of Superquinn. Brendan Cooney and John Donald are also recommended.

Matheson provides ‘a consistently high level of service’, combining practical, commercial advice with technical know-how. In particular, Tony O’Grady is ‘an innovative and strategic thinker’; Julie Murphy-O’Connor is ‘decisive’; and Niamh Counihan pays ‘excellent attention to detail’. The firm advises Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank and KBC Bank on high-value insolvencies and restructurings.

McCann FitzGerald’s ‘top-class team’ includes ‘exceptional insolvency lawyers’, among them the ‘technically outstanding’ Jane Marshall and Michael Murphy, who is ‘very commercial and personable’. The firm acted for the examiner in eircom’s landmark restructuring, advised the banks and receivers of Superquinn Group, and acted for the joint administrators of Quinn Insurance.

William Fry is ‘a compelling choice for more complex cases’, and acted for regulator ComReg in the eircom examinership. It also acted for IBRC and receiver Kieran Wallace of KPMG on separate aspects of the Quinn Group insolvency. NAMA and AIB are also clients of the team, which has ‘a deep understanding of insolvency law and the practicalities facing insolvency practitioners’. ‘Veteran insolvency lawyer’ Michael Quinn heads the practice.

Doug Smith at Eugene F. Collins is a leading practitioner, and earned the firm significant roles such as advising Vodafone on the impact of the eircom examinership, and representing the receiver of two overseas Quinn group companies. Barry O’Neill is also recommended.

Eversheds’ ‘very commercial’ practice reports significant growth in this area. The firm is acting for the receivers of The Paul O’Brien Connection, which has property-related debts of over €200m. Norman Fitzgerald is ‘very easy to deal with’, and Cian McGinley stands out for his dedication.

LK Shields Solicitors’ substantial insolvency and corporate restructuring practice acts for clients including KPMG. The team includes the ‘tenacious’ Edmund Butler, ‘excellent commercial solicitor’ Hugh Garvey and Jillian Callanan, who shows ‘insolvency expertise’.

Maples and Calder’s group is acting for the note-holders in the Quinn Group restructuring, and advising the second lien lenders to eircom. The ‘technically strong’ Nollaig Murphy and the ‘calm, intelligent’ Dudley Solan bring their respective finance and litigation skills to the practice, which is headed by Paul Dobbyn.

Mason Hayes & Curran is ‘among the top-two providers in terms of its service’, according to one client, and Maurice Phelan gives ‘excellent, clear and timely advice on all insolvency matters’. The firm acted for Bank of Scotland in its successful opposition to the examinership of pub and nightclub chain, Sheffs.

WhitneyMoore acted for the finance director of Superquinn in its pre-packaged insolvency. The team’s expertise also attracts leading banks, companies and state bodies, including clients such as IBRC and NAMA. Frank O’Reilly heads the three-partner practice.

Beauchamps Solicitors won a number of mandates from NAMA and also acts for several banks. It represented KBC Bank during High Court litigation brought by Treasury Holdings against NAMA.

ByrneWallace’s Gavin Smith and John Fitzgerald are recommended for their energy, responsiveness and good-quality service. The firm advised a first lien secured creditor during the eircom restructuring.

Dillon Eustace advises the firm’s numerous banking and financial services clients on insolvencies and loan restructuring. It acted for supplier Donnelly’s during the pre-pack insolvency of Superquinn.

Holmes O’Malley Sexton’s Joseph O’Meara is advising the receiver in a High Court case challenging a legislative repeal. Ulster Bank and Bank of Ireland are also clients.

Lavelle Coleman attracts a large share of High Court matters. It successfully represented the US trustee in bankruptcy regarding aspects of the bankruptcy of former Anglo Irish Bank CEO, David Drumm.

McDowell Purcell puts together ‘good teams’ that are ‘strong in litigation to enforce remedies available to banks’. Mark Woodcock stands out for his ‘sound legal advice’, and ‘many years’ experience’. He is running ten Supreme Court appeals for Bank of Ireland.

Nicholas Comyn and Emma Crowley head Ronan Daly Jermyn’s burgeoning department, which acted for the examiner during the Cappaquin Chickens examinership, one of the few successful such processes during 2012.