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Commercial property

Arthur Cox has parlayed its banking relationships 
into extensive work on distressed property assets. It 
is advising the administrators of the WG Mitchell 
group and the Odyssey Pavilion. Other clients include Bank of Ireland, Barclays, NAMA, Ulster Bank, the Department of Social Development, Gap, Jaeger Group and new client Runwood Homes. Practice head Rowan White, Ross Davidson and Alastair Todd are recommended.

Carson McDowell is well regarded for its work for retailers, utilities and clients in the infrastructure sector (an area of expertise for Emma Cooper). It advised Corbo Ltd on selling Damolly Retail Park in Newry; acted for Bord Gáis and Gaz de France on divesting a County Antrim gas storage facility; and is advising Belfast Harbour Commissioners on a mixed-use development. The group handles tenancy for retailers including Argos, HMV and Topshop. Other clients include Belfast International Airport, Tesco and University of Ulster. Department head Jeremy Hill and Rosemary Carson are recommended. Associate Victoria O’Hara joined from Tughans. Alan Reilly retired from the partnership, but remains a consultant.

Cleaver Fulton Rankin advised Scottish and Southern Energy plc on various wind farm acquisitions. James Houston advised a financial institution on acquiring Shore Road Retail Park, and practice head Kathryn Collie is representing Northern Ireland Science Park (Property) Ltd on lettings at its Queen’s Road site. The team also advises charities such as Age Concern NI and Mind Wise New Vision.

McGrigors Belfast LLP’s ‘excellent’ property practice attracts many institutional clients, and won new instructions from the Department for Social Development regarding the regeneration of Belfast city centre. It advised NYSE on lettings at Belfast’s Adelaide Exchange; acted for Invest NI on land acquisitions; advised on the £85m restructuring of a shopping centre; and is advising on a new development for Northern Ireland Science Park. Ian Huddleston and Andrea McIlroy-Rose are ‘very knowledgeable and very commercial, and give good, common-sense advice’.

Tughans’ ‘excellent’ practice advised ING REIM 
on the local aspects of a REIT acquisition; acted on 
the purchase of a £30m retail park acquisition for 
Metric Property Investments; advised Corbo Ltd on 
the disposal of several Belfast city centre properties and a retail park; and is advising Tesco on 
restructuring a property portfolio. Practice head Phyllis Agnew, Tracey Schofield and John Mills are recommended.

A&L Goodbody Northern Ireland advised BDO, as D2 Trading Ltd’s administrator, on disposing of 18 leasehold properties; and manages Heatons’ 53-store Irish portfolio. It also represents NAMA and Bank of Ireland. Associate Mark Blair heads the team, having joined from Wragge & Co LLP.

C & H Jefferson advises retailers, landlords 
and investors on transactions, leasing and 
restructuring. Ciara McCloskey and the ‘pragmatic 
and straightforward’ Mark Tinman co-head the team. Julie Galbraith and Donald Thompson are also recommended.

Leo Brown heads Elliott Duffy Garrett’s team, which advises retailers, developers and investors on property management and transactions.

Millar McCall Wylie is ‘very good – commercial and professional’, and ‘capable and creative’. It is active for retailers, including Starbucks and Monsoon Accessorize Ltd, in property portfolio management, and is assisting Card Factory with its Northern Ireland rollout. The group also represents healthcare clients and charities. Practice head Peter McCall is ‘quick and accurate’, and senior associate Simon Fleming is ‘very commercial when negotiating leases’.

John McKee & Son handles instructions from major banks, and also acts for developers, retailers and other commercial entities on leasing and other transactions. Gerard Small is the primary contact.

Johns Elliot’s commercial conveyancing practice represents institutional and private clients. The ‘sensible, pragmatic’ Steven Cockcroft, David Leitch and Richard Dickson are the key figures.

Commercial property is a core focus for Kearney Sefton, with Victor Sefton the key partner.

Practice head Aleric Turtle joined McCartan Turkington Breen from Carson McDowell. Recent work includes representing CBRE Investors on a prime property purchase; and Edinburgh House on acquiring a mall in County Antrim.

Bill McCann at Mills Selig is acting on three supermarket instructions, and recently advised on a £3m property sale. The practice notably represents harbour and waterways authorities.

Construction

A&L Goodbody Northern Ireland has attracted a bevy of cases, particularly since the excellent Brendan Fox joined from Cleaver Fulton Rankin. It is representing Stothers (M&E) regarding a contract claim and counter-claim against Leeway Stothers; and defending Hamilton Architects against breach of contract and negligence claims arising from the refurbishment of Fir Trees Hotel, Strabane. Other clients include McCue Interior Fit Out Solutions; Mascott Construction; and several councils.

Arthur Cox handles some contentious mandates – such as advising Russell Simpson Construction Co Ltd on disputes over unpaid invoices – but is primarily known for non-contentious matters; it is ‘particularly knowledgeable’ for projects and energy construction procurement. It is advising SwaMP2008 on waste treatment construction procurement. Other clients include Laing O’Rourke, NIE plc, Runwood Homes; banks as lenders; and government departments. O’Hare & McGovern Ltd and Lagan Group are new clients. Team head Ross Davidson and Alastair Todd are recommended.

Carson McDowell provides ‘an excellent level of service’; it represents many housing associations on construction procurement, notably via instructions from Apex Procurement and Maintenance Partnership Group, and is representing Tesco in disputes concerning new stores. University of Ulster is a major client, including for advice on its ongoing £250m Belfast development and for defect claims. Practice head Stuart Murphy ‘brings good clarity to complex legal issues; he has great business acumen’.

Cleaver Fulton Rankin represents developers and contractors on major projects. It advised Titanic Quarter Ltd on the construction contract for the £17m Public Records Office; Harcourt Construction on the £90m Titanic Signature Project; and Ivywood Colleges Ltd on the £44m Belfast Metropolitan College PPP. Practice head Patrick Fleming provides ‘excellent advice on construction matters’. The ‘excellent’ Jonathan Forrester specialises in construction disputes, and advised North West Regional College regarding a £500,000 building defects claim.

McGrigors Belfast LLP provides ‘prompt, accurate and tailored advice’. It advised Queen’s University Belfast on a joint venture to build the Northern Ireland Advanced Composites Engineering Centre; acted for Tyrone Energy on procurement for a biomass plant in Strabane; and represented North Down Borough Council on procurement for a £30m leisure centre and Olympic swimming pool. Sam Beckett co-heads the practice with Andrea McIlroy-Rose, who ‘tells you how it is, and provides sound advice’.

Nigel Brown at McIldowies Solicitors is ‘very good’ for plaintiff-side construction litigation.

Tughans provides ‘first-class service’. It advised Ilex URC on the Parade Ground redevelopment in Londonderry; is acting for Tesco to build new stores; and representing Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Red Sky, and Diageo in disputes. Litigator Michael McCord displays ‘deep knowledge and an ability to cut through the legalese’, while Phyllis Agnew is recommended for non-contentious matters.

Environment and planning

Carson McDowell is advising on planning permissions for the cross-border electricity interconnector; represents Tesco on planning matters; and has been retained to advise on a large gas storage project. Gary McGhee is ‘a good planning lawyer’.

Cleaver Fulton Rankin delivers ‘excellent service, immediate responses, and excellent business acumen’. It has been representing Belfast City Airport on its runway extension application and proposed amendments; and continued to advise The National Trust on a new visitor centre at the Giant’s Causeway. The group also advises the Department of Social Development on community master planning. Karen Blair has ‘a lot of expertise on environment matters’, and is ‘diligent, well organised, polite and knowledgeable’.

Consultant David Flinn is the key contact for A&L Goodbody Northern Ireland’s environmental and planning practice. The team advised Invest NI on planning consents by applicants seeking funding; SITA (UK) on the arc21 waste project; and Contour Global regarding an energy facility in Lisburn.

Arthur Cox remains busy on waste projects, notably arc21 and SwaMP2008, and is advising a consortium on judicial reviews relating to a proposed waste-to-energy plant. Alastair Todd now heads the team, after Claire Duffy joined the Attorney General’s office.

McGrigors Belfast LLP’s Sam Beckett is ‘a very good litigator for judicial reviews’, recently advising Invest NI in that area and also on strategic land acquisitions. Ian Huddleston advised BGE on implementing natural gas transmission infrastructure.

Tughans recruited Andrew Ryan (‘a good environmental lawyer’) from Carson McDowell in April 2010 to head its newly formed environment and planning practice. Highlights included advising Schrader Electronics on the End of Life Vehicles Directive; representing Irish Recycling Services Ltd on planning permission for a waste-to-energy plant; and B Mullan & Sons Ltd regarding a proposed landfill site.

Leo Brown is Elliott Duffy Garrett’s contact for project planning.

Johns Elliot’s Ronnie Robinson has acted on several planning-related judicial reviews.

At Mills Selig, Bill McCann’s property practice encompasses planning work, most recently for a retail store site.

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