The Legal 500

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

Maples and Calder continues to increase market share, the result of ‘excellent, immediate and attentive advice’ and strong, partner-led teams. The firm acts for Avolon on all its Irish activities, including the raising of $1.4bn in equity capital. Panel memberships include Bank of Ireland, AIB, Ulster Bank, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Nollaig Murphy, David Maughan and Liam Carney are highly praised by clients.

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

Maples and Calder’s head of finance Nollaig Murphy, who ‘quickly gets to grips with any situation thrown at him’, led advice to the note-holders during the Quinn Group restructuring. Other clients include Guggenheim Investments, which the firm advised on its issuance of a $1.2bn collateralised loan obligation; and FleetMatics Group, which the team is advising on its IPO, the first listing on the NYSE by an Irish company in a decade.

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

Maples and Calder, which provides ‘top-notch service’, is acting for Irish Asphalt and Lagan Holdings in multiple claims relating to pyrite-related damage to buildings, and its extensive client roster also includes John Sisk & Son and Balfour Beatty. Dudley Solan is ‘one of the best lawyers in Ireland’, and Conor Owens is ‘extremely knowledgeable’ and ‘has come out from Dudley’s shadow’. The firm recently recruited Mary Dunne, formerly head of projects at ByrneWallace, and Peter Lennon and his insurance team from Lennon Heather Solicitors.

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

Maples and Calder has ‘a reputation for excellence in corporate work’, and Edward Miller and Colm Rafferty are ‘both very experienced and capable’. The firm acted for Hilco Capital on the high-profile restructuring and disposal of leading Irish retail chain A-Wear Group. Food and pharmaceuticals regulatory expert Maree Gallagher is now a consultant for the firm, while maintaining her own practice, Maree Gallagher Associates.

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

Maples and Calder acted for AIB in the David Daly proceedings and is representing Ukraine’s Aerosvit Airlines in a breach of contract claim in the Supreme Court. Dudley Solan, Caroline Preston and Paul Dobbyn are ‘all excellent’.

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Within Employment, tier 5

James Scanlon heads Maples and Calder’s practice, which is acting for Dolmen Stockbrokers in a case concerning allegations of team poaching from rival Bloxham, which is now in liquidation.

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

Maples and Calder’s group is acting for the note-holders in the Quinn Group restructuring, and advising the second lien lenders to eircom. The ‘technically strong’ Nollaig Murphy and the ‘calm, intelligent’ Dudley Solan bring their respective finance and litigation skills to the practice, which is headed by Paul Dobbyn.

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Within Insurance, tier 4

Maples and Calder joins the ranking following the recruitment of ‘excellent strategist’ and ‘expert is his field’ Peter Lennon and a three-lawyer team from Lennon Heather Solicitors. The firm is acting for Chartis Europe in a professional indemnity case in the Supreme Court.

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

Maples and Calder provides ‘flawless focus to deliver from the top down’, and is regarded by some as being ‘the best in Dublin’. Clients appreciate the firm’s international network for work on cross-jurisdictional products, as well as its innovative approach, and well-structured teams that include the ‘outstanding’ Barry McGrath and Peter Stapleton, who pays ‘amazing attention to detail’. The firm acted for Alliance Bernstein on establishing a rare Irish regulated investment limited partnership (ILP).

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Within Projects and PPP, Maples and Calder is a third tier firm,

Maples and Calder’s team was launched in 2012 under ‘excellent projects lawyer’ Mary Dunne, who was hired from ByrneWallace together with senior associate Elizabeth Bradley. The group complements the firm’s construction and finance expertise.

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

Deutsche Bank and Barclays Bank are clients of Maples and Calder, which also advised the note-holders on tax aspects of the Quinn Group restructuring. Andrew Quinn has ‘deep knowledge of current market practice’, and ‘very bright’ senior associate William Fogarty is ‘a rising star’.

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