The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Maples and Calder is a second tier firm,

Maples and Calder’s ‘first-class’ team is ‘up there with the best’. David Maughan led a team advising the Investec Global Aircraft Fund on the establishment of its aircraft-leasing platform in Ireland. Liam Carney advised RBS Citizens as joint arranger for the syndicate providing a new facility to Penn Engineering. Nollaig Murphy heads the practice.

Within Capital markets, Maples and Calder is a second tier firm,

Nollaig Murphy and Edward Miller lead Maples and Calder’s highly rated debt and equity teams, respectively. The firm acted for Cerasus II on the $129m take-private transaction of NASDAQ-listed Trintech Group.

Within Construction, Maples and Calder is a second tier firm,

Maples and Calder inspires fierce loyalty, and clients say it is ‘the best in the market’. Dudley Solan’s ‘presence alone is often sufficient for success’. The team advised Woodfort Group on two international development projects and John Sisk & Son in relation to abnormal tendering practices in the Irish construction industry, where it prepared a procurement challenge to be heard before the courts.

Within Corporate and commercial, Maples and Calder is a second tier firm,

Maples and Calder has ‘a consistently high standard of quality lawyers’ and ‘blends legal acumen with business acumen to provide pragmatic advice’. The ‘top-notch’ Ed Miller leads the practice, which also includes the ‘bright and extremely capable’ Colm Rafferty and managing partner Andrew Doyle, who is ‘extremely commercial and on the ball’. The team advised Cerasus II on the take-private transaction of Trintech.

Within Dispute resolution, Maples and Calder is a third tier firm,

Maples and Calder’s team of ‘first-class lawyers’ provides ‘service of the highest standard’, and is renowned for its construction law expertise. It was local counsel beside Bingham McCutchen (London) LLP in advising bondholders of the Quinn Group. Practice head Dudley Solan is an ‘excellent strategist’ and ‘a brilliant advocate’.

Within Insolvency and corporate restructuring, Maples and Calder is a second tier firm,

Maples and Calder is acting as Irish counsel to Bingham McCutchen (London) LLP in the Quinn Group restructuring. Better Client and Prime Focus are also clients. Paul Dobbyn is the group’s lead partner.

Within Investment funds, Maples and Calder is a first tier firm,

Maples and Calder has quickly established itself as a genuine contender in Dublin, and was bolstered by the arrival of Stephen Carty from Eversheds. The team also includes the ‘very commercial’ Barry McGrath, Peter Stapleton and the ‘excellent’ Paul Dobbyn. The practice advised Sanlam Asset Management on the redomiciliation of a portfolio of hedge funds from BVI to Ireland.

Within Legal market overview,

The alternative investment market remains a stalwart source of work in Ireland with offshore funds increasingly ‘onshoring’ their products to take advantage of the lower corporate tax rates and a better regulated market. Both Dechert LLP and Walkers have started to establish local practices with launches in Dublin. Walkers turned to domestic firms Matheson Ormsby Prentice and William Fry for a series of eye-catching hires, and Maples and Calder recruited Stephen Carty from Eversheds. It seems unlikely that there will be any more new international entrants into an already overcrowded Dublin.

Within Tax, Maples and Calder is a third tier firm,

Maples and Calder bolstered its tax offering with the arrival of the highly rated Andrew Quinn from A&L Goodbody and senior associate William Fogarty from Linklaters LLP. It advised Morgan Stanley on setting up 110 SPVs in Ireland.