The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox is ‘number one in Ireland’, ‘sharp’ and ‘understands developments in the industry’. The firm continues to steer the government through the aftermath of the financial crisis and is the firm of choice for a growing number of international banks such as Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Rabobank and Barclays. The firm acted for Japan Bank for International Co-operation on the financing of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation’s acquisition of RBS Aerospace. Department head Grainne Hennessy, Kevin Lynch, William Johnston and Robert Cain are recommended, as are David Molloy, Orla O’Connor and Ultan Shannon.

Within Capital markets, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox’s ‘top-quality’ practice spans the debt and equity markets. Its dedicated debt team includes the ‘hugely experienced’ Cormac Kissane, who led advice on the €500m bond issue by Irish building giant CRH. On the equity side, the firm acted for Cooper Industries on its $11.8bn recommended cash and shares acquisition by Eaton Corporation, via scheme of arrangement, and advised Alkermes Inc on its $399m underwritten offering of 19% of its issued share capital. The firm’s Russian desk is led by debt specialist Glenn Butt, who is ‘capable of coming up with alternative solutions to make a deal work’.

Within Construction, Arthur Cox is a second tier firm,

Arthur Cox is advising Brehon Capital on its offer for the partially complete Grand Canal Square Hotel and residences, one of the first major distressed asset sales to secure project finance for completion. ‘Leading expert’ Niav O’Higgins and her team have ‘in-depth knowledge of the construction sector aligned with good commerciality’.

Within Corporate and commercial, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox remains hard to beat for depth of team, deal résumé, and client base. It advised Aer Lingus on all three unsolicited bids by Ryanair; eircom on its restructuring and acquisition by senior lenders; and Cooper Industries during its $11.8bn acquisition by Eaton Corporation. Ciarán Bolger is ‘formidable when negotiating transaction documentation’, and Eugene McCague, Stephen Hegarty and department head Colm Duggan are also recommended.

Within Dispute resolution, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox has ‘developed an ethos of meeting and exceeding customer expectations’. Its ‘superb lawyers’ include David O’Donohoe, who is representing the Health Service Executive (HSE) in two sets of judicial review proceedings, as well as ‘great listener’ Conor McDonnell, who is acting for BNY Mellon in a €380m professional negligence claim. Donogh Crowley, Bryan Strahan and ‘outstanding litigator’ Eve Mulconry are also recommended.

Within EU and competition, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox provides excellent, client-focused service, and is defending domestic building giant CRH and subsidiary Roadstone Wood in the High Court against allegations of predatory pricing and collusion in tenders. Practice head John Meade, who is ‘the best in his field’, has ‘good insight and relations with the Irish Competition Authority’. Pat O’Brien and Fiona McKeever are also recommended.

Within Employment, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox’s ‘technically excellent’ team acts for the Health Service Executive, as well as eircom and AIB, and advised the latter on some of the first reported springboard injunctions in the country. Practice head Séamus Given is ‘an outstanding practitioner with practical insights’, and supported by the ‘truly excellent’ Kevin Langford as well as industrial relations expert Cían Beecher.

Within Energy and natural resources, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox is ‘exceptionally advanced in its knowledgebase’, and has unrivalled deal experience across all sectors. It fields the largest dedicated team in the market, which includes practice head Alex McLean, who has ‘vast experience and knowledge of the offshore major infrastructure sector’, and ‘exceptional talent’ Garrett Monaghan. The firm is advising Covanta Energy and DOG Energy consortium on the Dublin Waste to Energy project.

Within Information technology, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox is advising the Law Society of Ireland on its proposed eConveyancing project. Its enviable client roster also includes eBay, Cisco, Skype and Oracle, and it is representing the latter in its dispute with AIB. Colin Rooney ‘gets the job done and gives excellent advice’, and John Menton and Rob Corbet are highly regarded.

Within Insolvency and corporate restructuring, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

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.

Within Insurance, Arthur Cox is a second tier firm,

Experienced corporate partner Elizabeth Bothwell at Arthur Cox succeeded Carl O’Sullivan as head of the insurance and reinsurance practice, which acts for numerous insurers including RSA Insurance Ireland, Aviva Europe, Chartis, and Travelers. The team is representing the latter in a prosecution brought by the Data Protection Commissioner.

Within Intellectual property, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox is representing GlaxoSmithKline in a patent revocation claim brought by BiogenEli, and acts for a number of top universities and technology colleges on all of their IP needs. The IDA and Paddy Power are also clients of the team, which is led by John Menton, who ‘stands out by far in terms of ability’.

Within Investment funds, Arthur Cox is a second tier firm,

Arthur Cox’s ‘very high-functioning team’ includes ‘excellent business partners’ Carl O’Sullivan and Sarah Cunniff, the ‘very bright and creative’ Dara Harrington, and practice head Kevin Murphy, who is recommended for his business acumen. BNP Paribas Investment Partners appointed the firm to its panel following a recent competitive tender.

Within Maritime and shipping, Arthur Cox is a second tier firm,

At Arthur Cox, litigator Bryan Strahan led advice to Omega Bunker SRL on the arrest and subsequent release from Dublin Port of cruise liner MV Princess Danae. Dublin Port Authority is also a client. London-based practice head Kathleen Garrett is ‘quick to grasp the work involved’, and ‘always willing to pick up the phone and work out solutions’.

Within Media and telecoms, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox’s impressive client base includes RTÉ, Paramount Pictures, eircom, and the IE Domain Registry. The team’s workload includes advising the latter on various regulatory matters including its dealings with ComReg. Patrick McGovern and Colin Kavanagh head the telecoms and media teams, respectively, and provide ‘a broad range of expertise’ and ‘advice that is business-oriented with clients’ best interests in mind’.

Within Pensions and employee benefits, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox’s busy practice advises large employers and trustees on issues such as scheme funding, restructuring and legislative change. Clients include Merck Sharp & Dohme, Tesco and the Royal College of Surgeons. Declan Drislane is ‘technically outstanding with excellent interpersonal skills’, and Philip Smith has ‘a sharp brain’.

Within Planning and environment, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox has substantial experience in advising major public and private sector clients such as the state, several county councils and waste-to-energy giant, Covanta Energy. Practice head Deborah Spence is representing Cork County Council in High Court proceedings concerning environmental liability. Brendan Slattery is ‘an expert in national and EU environmental law’.

Within Projects and PPP, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox’s excellent practice exhibits ‘professionalism and a strong corporate ethos at all levels’, and has a strong résumé of cutting-edge projects over the years. It continues to advise the National Development Finance Agency on the €120m Schools Bundle Three PPP and is acting for arc21 regarding its residual waste treatment project, which is Northern Ireland’s largest PPP. Aaron Boyle, Niamh Burke and practice head Alex McLean are recommended.

Within Public sector, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox is a dominant force in this arena and continues to advise the state on the aftermath of the country’s banking and finance crisis. Other key clients include the Health Service Executive (HSE), RTÉ, Bord Gáis, various leading universities, and NAMA. The firm is ‘flexible and proactive in its approach to the particular work being undertaken’.

Within Real estate, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Mark Barr at Arthur Cox is ‘undoubtedly one of the best in class,’ and heads a team that is ‘exceptional in terms of response times, service level and respect for clients’. Deirdre Barrett led advice to an international investor on the purchase of Dublin’s Morrison Hotel, and NAMA, Dublin Airport Authority and Stryker Corporation are also clients. ‘Thorough operator’ Ken Egan, the ‘technically expert’ Rachel Farrell and the ‘diligent’ Simon Hannigan are also recommended.

Within Tax, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox’s well-resourced tax group advised Cooper Industries on the tax aspects of its $11.8bn acquisition of Eaton Corporation, a matter which was led by Fintan Clancy, who is ‘the best international tax lawyer in years’. Other clients include Lloyds Banking Group, GE Capital and Northern Rock. Caroline Devlin is ‘concise, commercial and policy-aware’.