The Legal 500

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

Arthur Cox ‘offers a wide range of solutions across the board’. Practice head Grainne Hennessy is ‘an experienced banking lawyer who is at home on large complex deals’; Ultan Shannon is ‘a strong practitioner’; Orla O’Connor ‘can provide advice on any aspect of Irish banking law’; and Kevin Lynch is also highly regarded. The firm has remained the lead legal adviser to the Irish government throughout the financial crisis and was the first private law firm globally to have negotiated legal terms of a sovereign bailout under the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF). The team also advised NAMA on a number of matters.

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

Arthur Cox’s practice head Cormac Kissane ‘reflects the commercial sensitivities of the issue at hand’ and ‘always provides a practical solution’. On the debt side, the team advised BNY Mellon and TRS Asset Custodian on €40bn repackaging programmes set up by KBC Bank. Highlights on the equity side include acting for Bank of Ireland on its €5.2bn recapitalisation. Colm Duggan is hugely experienced.

Within Construction, Arthur Cox is a second tier firm,

Arthur Cox is ‘competent and unwavering in its advice’. Practice head Niav O’Higgins has ‘absolute focus on client service’ and ‘provides a winning formula’. Tim Kinney’s ‘mix of experience is perfect’, and associate Karen Killoran ‘gives generously of her knowledge and time’. Alongside colleagues in the projects group, the team won a mandate to advise Endesa Ireland on the Great Island power station development. Other clients include Bord Gais Eirann, Diageo and Smartply.

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

Colm Duggan heads Arthur Cox’s group, which has ‘a blend of legal excellence and commercial astuteness that separates it from the other Irish firms’, says one client. Conor O’Dwyer is ‘excellent and very responsive’; Elizabeth Bothwell is ‘above a top-quality lawyer’; John Matson has ‘a proactive, “can do, will do” attitude’; and Ciaran Bolger and Paul Robinson are also recommended. Financial services has been the calling card of the practice for the last two years and this was no different with significant work coming from Allied Irish Banks, AIB and EBS Building Society. It advised Alkermes on the $960m merger with Elan Drug Technologies.

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

Arthur Cox’s group is ‘always pleasant and always available, no matter the time’. It is acting for Crédit Agricole in a €15m claim against Dexia Asset Management. Other clients include NAMA, JSC BTA Bank and eircom. Conor McDonnell and Gavin Woods are ‘reliable and trusted advisers’; Richard Willis ‘has incredible endurance and tenacity’; and Donogh Crowley, Bryan Strahan and team head David O’Donohoe are also recommended.

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

Arthur Cox has a plum role as lead legal adviser to the Irish government, and it advised NAMA on various merger control and competition aspects of the nationalisation and recapitalisation of Anglo Irish Bank and that of Bank of Ireland. The team has ‘an ethos wherein its people make it their business to understand business’. Pat O’Brien has ‘a good tactical brain’, and practice head John Meade is ‘a leader in his field’.

Within Employment, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox boasts one of Ireland’s largest dedicated employment teams with 12 lawyers led by Seamus Given. ‘True professional’ Kevin Langford is recommended, as is Cian Beecher for his ‘expertise, accessibility and practicality’. The firm was appointed as the lead adviser to the Health Service Executive following a tender process, and acts for five of the seven Irish universities.

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

Arthur Cox, which ‘views matters from a commercial and not just legal perspective’, is advising KPMG as receiver of the Parnell Centre and Ernst & Young as receiver of the Holiday Inn in Pearse Street. Renowned team head William Day has ‘a practical and deep understanding of issues’.

Within Insurance, Arthur Cox is a second tier firm,

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.

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

Arthur Cox advised Skype on the transfer of Qik’s intellectual property to Ireland and also advises Paddy Power on all its IP protection and enforcement. Team head John Menton is highly recommended.

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

Arthur Cox produces ‘thorough, well-rounded responses’ and represents clients such as Citibank Brazil, Baillie Gifford and Silchester Investments. Practice head Kevin Murphy is ‘an outstanding lawyer’. The team added a fourth partner when it promoted Dara Harrington in 2011.

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

Kathleen Garrett leads the practice at Arthur Cox, which advised Multi Link Terminals on the refinancing of facilities with Nordea.

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

Arthur Cox has added significantly to its pensions practice, having recently attracted new clients Amgen, BASF and Cadbury. Team head Declan Drislane advised the Pensions Board on the Pensions Act preservation regime as well as Zurich on the pension consequences of outsourcing.

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

Arthur Cox provides ‘exemplary service’. During a busy year, standout matters included acting on every major wastewater upgrade in greater Dublin, and advising Covanta on the country’s largest waste-to-energy project. Deborah Spence is ‘conscientious, thoughtful, and always prepared’; Brendan Slattery is ‘creative’; and consultant Yvonne Scannell is also recommended.

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

Arthur Cox has one of the largest teams in the market. On the project side, it is advising the National Development Finance Agency on the Third Level PPP Programme, while on the renewables side EcoWindPower has become a major client, which it is advising on its Irish portfolio. Alex McLean heads the practice.

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

Arthur Cox’s team is ‘best in class’, say clients. In 2011, it was appointed to provide all legal services nationally to the Health Services Executive and was the first law firm in the world to advise on a sovereign bailout under the European Financial Stability Facility. Pat O’Brien has ‘a good tactical brain’.

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

Clients appreciate the breadth of commercial experience in Arthur Cox’s six-partner team, which has attracted substantial work from NAMA and Ernst & Young. David Foley is advising Lloyds Banking Group in the disposal of a portfolio of retail bank properties. Deirdre Barrett, John Walsh and practice head Mark Barr are also recommended.

Within TMT , Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox provides clients with ‘very competent and professional service’ across regulatory and transactional mandates. It advised RTE Networks on the procurement of equipment supplies and handles technology work for Paddy Power, the Pensions Board, and Fáilte Ireland. John Menton, Patrick McGovern and Colin Kavanagh lead the technology, telecoms and media teams respectively.

Within Tax, Arthur Cox is a first tier firm,

Arthur Cox’s ‘professional’ and ‘efficient’ team advised Warner Chilcott on a dividend recapitalisation, and Seagate Technology on its strategic alliance with Samsung Electronics. Practice head Conor Hurley is recommended along with Caroline Devlin, Jonathan Sheehan and the ‘superb’ Fintan Clancy.