The Legal 500

The ‘excellent’, seven-partner team at A&L Goodbody advised Legal & General on establishing a UK-focused life assurance operation in Dublin. The ‘creative, pragmatic and knowledgeable’ James Grennan heads the practice, which advised Scottish Mutual on recovering proceeds of fraudulent insurance claims.

Matheson Ormsby Prentice has seen a significant increase in large-scale professional indemnity actions, particularly against insurance brokers and solicitors. The team, led by Sharon Daly, acts for clients including WR Berkley Insurance, ACE and Chartis. Tom Hayes is particularly noted for his ‘excellent knowledge’ in healthcare matters.

William Fry is ‘expert in its field’, and clients highlight team head John Larkin for his ‘keen understanding of the financial services environment’, and Eoin Caulfield as being ‘a pillar of support’. The team has received substantial work stemming from Central Bank of Ireland’s tougher approach to regulatory enforcement, and also advised Santander Insurance on establishing its payment protection insurance business in Ireland.

Arthur Cox advised Aviva Europe on a pan-European shared services structure. Practice head Carl O’Sullivan is recommended along with Donogh Crowley, Bryan Strahan and ‘expert in his field’ David O’Donohoe. Royal Liver Assurance and RSA are clients.

MetLife and Zurich Insurance are key clients of McCann FitzGerald, which also attracted an instruction from VHI to advise on regulatory issues regarding its transition to fully regulated status. Paul Heffernan is recommended.

Beauchamps Solicitors launched a dedicated insurance and claims handling department in 2011. Its clients include AXA, Marsh and the Solicitors Mutual Defence Fund. John Savage leads the team.

DAC Beachcroft LLP has made impressive headway since launching in Dublin in 2009 with a leading contentious practice. The firm has been re-appointed by the Irish State Claims Agency’s clinical negligence panel. Katie da Gama is praised for her ‘commercially minded, practical, hands-on approach’.

Dillon Eustace boasts one of the largest defence insurance practices in Ireland and counts Chartis, Travelers and RSA as key clients. The team is advising Clyde & Co LLP on local law aspects of a $150m contingent hull liability policy.

Eugene F. Collins has a broad contentious and non-contentious practice that has been busy acting for James and Richard Cotter on their purchase of Growth Investments Limited from the Royal Liver Group. Garrett Miller heads the team.

Eversheds’ balanced contentious and non-contentious insurance practice was boosted by the arrival of a healthcare team led by Aisling Gannon from Beauchamps Solicitors. Tyco International and Irish Life Assurance are regular clients.

Lavelle Coleman is highly rated and acts for clients such as Allianz, Chartis and Aon. Practice head and senior associate Hugh Kennedy is described as ‘the lawyer to contact’ in the area.

Mason Hayes & Curran’s team head Lorcan Buckley attracts high praise as ‘user-friendly’ and ‘a high-class litigator’. John Gleeson is also recommended. HCC Underwriting Agency instructed it to defend quarry owner Murphy Concrete in liability actions relating to pyritic heave in the foundations of houses.

Beale and Company Solicitors recruited Niamh Loughran from LK Shields Solicitors, who brings with her a wealth of clinical negligence expertise.

At DFMG Solicitors, Margaret Carey’s clients have included QBE and Amlin.

Hayes Solicitors’ Ciaran O’Rorke heads a strong healthcare and professional negligence team.

LK Shields Solicitors is noted for its insurance and reinsurance claims work, including litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. Edmund Butler leads the team.

Maree Gallagher Associates is highly respected for its niche expertise advising the food, animal feed, pharmaceuticals and consumer product sectors on regulations pertaining to a range of issues including product liability.

Duncan Grehan & Partners’ niche lies in representing its German-speaking clients as plaintiffs or defendants in personal injury and product liability cases.

Holmes O’Malley Sexton has a particular focus on defending professional liability and personal injury cases. Donal Creaton and Robert Kennedy lead the team.