The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Ireland > Commercial, corporate and M&A

‘Sheena Doggett and her team are always available and very practical and direct with their advice. Strong team, experienced and ones you would want on your side.’

‘Sheena Doggett always manages a transaction very well. Knows when and how to resolve log jams or difficulties arising on transactions. Extremely commercial and practical. Very respected and knowledgeable in her area of expertise.’

‘The team is pragmatic and explains things in terms that are meaningful to a non-lawyer. They understand the commercial interests to which their advice relates. They are responsive to their clients’ needs.’

‘The team have been nothing but professional, with a good sense of humour that allows for effective, enjoyable and informative meetings.’

‘A&L Goodbody are responsive, proactive, and practical for US-headquartered businesses with operations in Ireland.’

‘David Widger is a terrific lawyer.’

‘Richard Grey is highly efficient and technically excellent. Good to deal with.’

‘Richard Grey is worth a mention in terms of a focused and dedicated approach.’

‘The Arthur Cox M&A team is the standout leader in its field. The breadth and depth of the expertise and experience of big name partners supported by hugely talented associates is unrivalled. At Arthur Cox you get talent, drive, deep expertise, business acumen, strategic, pragmatic advice and a can-do attitude which is hard to match elsewhere.’

‘Stephen Ranalow is a class act. He’s probably the smartest lawyer of his generation, a superb strategist and has a deep understanding of what his clients need. I would want him by my side every time.’

‘Maura McLaughlin really knows her stuff and gives clear, pragmatic advice every time.’

‘Geoff Moore is outstanding.’

‘The team at Arthur Cox are truly exceptional advisers in the corporate and M&A space with a significant depth of knowledge of all matters pertinent to both public and private companies. The unique abilities of the Arthur Cox team to manage multiple competing interests, deadlines and jurisdictional considerations in the context of a merger at a truly challenging time for stakeholders and indeed the global economy were second to none.’

‘The team at Arthur Cox have the exceptional ability to merge their excellent technical skills with excellent collegial and interpersonal skills. The all-encompassing nature of the firm and the willingness of each member of the team to assist in any way that they can through each stage of the company life cycle sets them apart from their competitors. Special mention to Geoff Moore, Brian O’Gorman, Maura McLaughlin, Conor McCarthy and Maeve Moran for their invaluable expertise and insights.’

‘The commercial, corporate and M&A team at Arthur Cox is pre-eminent. The fact that it tends to command a leading role on virtually every major M&A transaction involving the Republic of Ireland speaks for itself, as does the fact that it has a very impressive roster of clients. The technical capabilities and responsiveness of the partners is undoubted.’

‘John Matson stands out for his can-do attitude, strong business sense and responsiveness.’

‘The team I deal with strikes the right balance of being experienced but without being inflexible. They have a can-do attitude and a first-rate response time. They are also commercially practical and good value, without cutting corners or compromising on quality.’

‘Patrick Quinlan is helpful, plain speaking, very responsive and a pleasure to work with. Colm Rafferty acted on the other side of a transaction to me but he was results focused and just as dedicated and high quality as Patrick.’

‘Will Darmody is a clearly trusted associate. He is very reliable and productive. I can trust Will with speaking with clients directly.’

‘The Maples Dublin team have the inside track when it comes to advising tech companies in an M&A scenario.’

‘Colm Rafferty is excellent and provides high-quality, right on the button advice.’

‘The team is comprised of lawyers who, first and foremost, are commercial. They understand the need to balance risk with commercial objectives and advise accordingly and this has proved valuable to our successful relationship with the firm.’

‘Patrick Quinlan has worked with us for a number of years, understands our business and risk appetite and his advice is always well received. Transaction management, the ability to negotiate without causing friction in the relationship with the other side, and timeliness are key strengths of Patrick’s that we value immensely.’

‘Mason Hayes & Curran is a superb multidisciplinary firm. I have had great experiences over the years across a range of functions. In relation to corporate issues, Claire Lord is a fantastic, clear-sighted and articulate corporate law adviser. She is supported both from the bottom up, through diligent junior lawyers, and cross-functionally, with support from excellent peers/partners.’

‘Covering the full spectrum of commercial legal services. Highly professional and competent. Excellent balance of legal advice tempered with commercial awareness.’

‘I would especially single out Martin Kelleher, who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to the project in hand and made himself available at all times of the day or night to meet deadlines, without compromising on the quality of service.’

‘MHC’s teams are known to be some of the strongest teams across business and industry in Ireland. Our commercial team from MHC was more than knowledgeable of all the latest developments in our area of business and were able to provide us with immediate advice and solutions on how to proceed in an ever-changing marketplace.’

‘A fully rounded team with strength and depth. Commercial, technically excellent, well resourced, approachable and available. I have very much enjoyed the relationship with the team and am fully reassured by it.’

‘Padraic Roche has a knowledge of the business, the stakeholders, our aspirations and supports us in achieving our goals. A true partnership.’

‘David Fitzgibbon is one of Ireland’s top commercial lawyers who can engage in a pragmatic way in the client boardroom. He has a good understanding of people and that the differentiating factor is rarely the legal advice itself, rather it tends to be how the advice is communicated to diverse stakeholder groups.’

‘They know our business well and have excellent turnaround times and in-depth knowledge of the local corporate requirements. We are reliant on their proactive as well as reactive approach to ensure corporate compliance of our Irish profile.’

‘Pat English in particular is pragmatic and practical in his approach and is always available to explain and discuss anything. His knowledge of corporate legal matters is excellent and we can always rely on him and his team to give us both comprehensive and thoughtful advice but, importantly for us, in a clear and succinct way. This is not an easy balance for any lawyer to strike but he achieves this each time.’

‘Very approachable, provide great practical solutions, great knowledge of our businesses.’

‘The Matheson team we worked with were excellent. We had an ambitious deadline to meet and the team worked long hours to make sure the deal was done in the required time frame. They were professional, calm, courteous but also provided us with good advice and helped us in our negotiation.’

‘Brian McCloskey was excellent, available at all times to provide advice, strong in negotiation and very good at managing the process and his team.’

‘Exceptional professionalism and expertise. They have always serviced my account with very experienced and capable partners and are good at limiting the number of other staff assigned to projects (which in my experience can greatly increase cost with little added value).’

‘Alan Fuller is technically excellent. His very broad experience brings critical insight into issues that arise.’

‘Fantastic service by David Byers, Stephen FitzSimons and the team under tremendous pressure during a high-profile matter. Top-tier lawyers for world-class transactions.’

‘Efficient, pragmatic and very experienced. Great with in-house teams’

‘Valerie Lawlor is a great lawyer, highly motivated for clients and extremely focused on delivery. Rory O’Malley is a great guy, very calm and pragmatic, and a dedicated and knowledgeable lawyer.’

‘Stephen Fuller is very capable.’

‘Gill Lohan is excellent.’

‘William Fry exhibited an intricate understanding of Ireland’s M&A complexities and cross-border attributes. The team leaves no stone unturned, prioritizing a pragmatic approach to legal advisory. I was impressed with the team’s ability to identify and negotiate effectively on a variety of legal issues of varying levels of magnitude, which positively impacted and assured our client. The team eliminated any potential issues from arising at the eleventh hour and were extremely proactive by identifying and resolving them early in the process.’

‘William Fry’s strengths in M&A are in their young, adaptable M&A team that works seamlessly with lead lawyers in international deals, and takes on board and supports the view of the in-house counsel. They are cost effective, available and always pleasant to work with.’

‘Stephen Keogh is a senior leader who presented to our board capably on corporate governance matters and is a trusted adviser going back many years. Mark Quealy is really impressive, walking away with the respect and admiration of the international deal team and more instructions from the UK lawyers.’

‘William Fry has provided tremendous support to our in-house legal department over the last few years.’

‘Andrew McIntyre stands out as an excellent lawyer who delivers for his clients.’

‘Experienced and knowledgeable in the tech M&A space, particularly for cross-border transactions. Skilfully interacts with the various stakeholders in a transaction to progress the transaction and optimise the position for its clients.’

‘Máire O’Neill’s temperament and business acumen is what makes her the perfect partner for our business. Her advice was flawless and put us in a perfect position to succeed but keep our investors happy. Her approach paid huge dividends – her predictions and legal advice from our earlier engagements had come to pass, and taking her advice saved us heartache and pain.’

‘Large team with professionals covering all disciplines of Irish corporate law. Engaged and knowledgeable partners.’

‘Very strong SME credentials. They get our business as growth capital investors.’

‘Partner-led, very commercial, very good attention to detail, easy to do business with. Shaun O’Shea and Máire Cunningham stand out as partners.’

‘Beauchamps’ team really does give a highly personalised service. The partners take a strong interest in the overall strategic objectives of our business and help provide the right frameworks to achieve this from a legal point of view. They are highly responsive and prompt and always forward thinking on matters.’

‘John White takes an exceptionally strategic overview and provokes and prompts thinking that assists us with our long-term plans. His intellectual rigour yet personalised approach makes him our go-to confidante across a myriad of business issues.’

‘Beauchamps have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of our business, our values and our goals. This ensures that all services provided are to the highest standard and on point. Managing partner John White has been our point of contact for a number of years and John ensures that the the quality of service provided by Beauchamps remains at the highest standard.’

‘Emer Moriarty Crowley is extremely technical and provides round-the-clock assistance to assist us to implement projects. Damon Maloney also provides us with first-class support and is recognised for his commercial and hands-on approach to navigating through technical issues.’

‘We knew before hiring Beauchamps that it was a very commercially focused practice, and this was borne out in our experience of dealing with the firm. What we found unique was the team culture internally whereby multiple lawyers at all levels, from associate to partner, were available to collaborate and support our project, as required, proactively and without prompt. We liked this and it certainly distinguished Beauchamps from other firms in our experience.’

‘The individuals we met were approachable, deeply knowledgeable and highly professional. Kyle Wimpress is a standout professional with a meticulous attention to detail and procedure.’

‘I have always found Byrne Wallace and their team to have such a wide range of knowledge to cover any aspect we have ever requested support with and the support has been exceptional. What I feel sets them apart from other firms is their generosity with time and support for clients for any queries at all, never feeling rushed and always feeling supported.’

‘Gerry Beausang is a top-quality lawyer who brings great experience to deals.’

‘There was a very strong team working with us. There were experts involved from all the relevant fields. The team were readily available and endeavoured at all times to close out issues as they arose.’

‘Neil Keenan is a standout practitioner in this team. His knowledge of company law is second to none and he goes the extra mile to ensure that the client’s needs are met.’

‘I have worked with many law firms over the years but Byrne Wallace are by far and away the most professional and reliable of all. They have a remarkable and admirable team, highly knowledgeable and experts in their areas of specialty. With Byrne Wallace there is no doubt you are treated as a priority. As a client you are never left waiting for their assistance and they will work tirelessly to ensure your legal requirements are met.’

‘I have been working with Neil Keenan for many years and he never fails to provide sound and comprehensive legal advice. Our company relies greatly on Neil’s advice and he is the first port of call for us when legal expertise is required. Not only is Neil a wealth of legal knowledge, he is a pleasure to deal with and will always make himself available to us regardless of how busy he is. Neil’s approach augments the fact that he values our company as a client and we appreciate him greatly.’

‘Colin Sainsbury is hugely knowledgeable, experienced, gracious and most importantly responsive.’

‘Catherine Dowling provides exceptional service. Always on top of the project.’

‘Eugene F Collins are very knowledgeable on the linking of legal documents to the best possible financial and commercial outcomes in a transaction, creating incremental value where possible. They have a personal touch and a structured approach to laying out the steps for the client to understand the process from end to end.’

‘Our experience with EFC is that they have deep knowledge in investment documents, but they have a deep knowledge in what possibilities exist and how to solve the differences between various investors. This knowledge helps move the process forward. They are also delightful to work with and responsive ’

‘Nicola McGrath uses her experience to cut through the fog that is created between multiple entities and get right to the central heart of the matter. She has vast knowledge of the problem, but brings it down to very simple principles that can be dealt with directly and efficiently.’

‘John Olden is excellent. He goes through matters in a very thorough and open way, he can explain complex legal points in a very understandable, pragmatic way, while also taking a full 360-degree view of different approaches. His advice is always spot-on and he is very easy to deal with.’

‘John Olden and his team are very attentive and give practical advice. They are always available and have never failed to meet a deadline.’

‘Deborah Kelly is an excellent adviser no matter what the issue. She is analytical and clear in her advice and she will bring in other specialisms when required and will ensure the best result is achieved consistently on her cases. She will go the extra mile and does so every time.’

‘High-quality advice in a friendly and practical manner.’

‘A well-established, highly regarded Dublin firm. Leonora Malone has many years experience of company/commercial and corporate finance law.’

‘Very good knowledge of local legal matters. Very approachable and commercial. Well-rounded team of excellent lawyers with local offices that work together, adding the local element to a global firm.’

‘Eversheds Sutherland is a firm that is extremely responsive and always available for urgent matters.’

‘The team at Eversheds approach issues with a solution focus. The team is extremely responsive and demonstrates commercial awareness which is sometimes lacking with advisers. What you don’t get with this firm is teams and teams of solicitors arriving unnecessarily.’

‘Enda Cullivan is exceptional! He is calm in the heat of a battle, certainly one to have in your corner. An adviser to trust, technically brilliant and approachable.’

‘Gerard Ryan is very supportive and can provide practical commercial guidance. He runs our account extremely well.’

‘Gerard Ryan is a key business adviser for us. His excellent legal expertise and commercial experience allows him consider a situation and plot a legal and commercial strategy to achieve our goals. He has built a team around him that put client service at the top of everything they do. Gerard continues to see around corners for us and sets us up for future success. Over the last year, his previous advice has saved us time and money.’

‘Enda Cullivan continues to impress with his legal knowledge and ability to devise solutions for our legal issues.’

‘Enda Newton provides excellent customer service combined with deep insight on executing transactions in the fintech and financial services space.’

‘The approachability of the team is second to none and they are incredibly easy to work with. We have instructed LK Shields across many disciplines and have found their advice to be focused, commercially practical and useful. They have worked to get to know us well as a client and to understand what we need from them and consistently deliver us a high-quality service (without the top-tier firm fees).’

‘Jennifer McGuire is a remarkable lawyer – her depth of knowledge, coupled with her commercial approach, is very much valued by the team. She has also facilitated our working closely with various subject matter experts across the firm in a seamless fashion and we value her as a standout resource to the in-house team.’

‘Bernard McEvoy is astute, has a common-sense approach, and is straight talking and commercial. Inez Cullen is diligent, with a professional and practical approach, and is quick to respond.’

‘Philip Lee occupies a unique space in the Irish legal marketplace. It more than matches the intellectual heft of the biggest firms while retaining an approachability and can-do attitude that really does set it apart.’

‘Andreas McConnell exemplifies everything you could hope for in a legal adviser in corporate matters. He cuts through bureaucratic obfuscation and technical detail to focus on what really matters – the business outcome to the client. His unwavering practicality and clear-minded focus simplifies and engenders calm when dealing with complex matters. We value highly his ability to provide balance, perspective and inject both wisdom and humour into proceedings.’

‘innovative and well-rounded in their thinking and approach to challenges.’

‘Andreas McConnell is a great guy and always available. He feels like an in-house legal adviser as he is deeply knowledgeable in our space and seems to be able to instantly place himself in the middle of our challenge, bringing other considerations of our business to mind that many others would need to be reminded about. Personable and a pleasure to work with.’

‘Anna Hickey is responsive, delivers the promised work quickly to a very high standard, is concise in her feedback and questions, and a pleasure to work with.’

‘The informal but professional attitude and cadence is refreshing. Eoghan Doyle and his team make corporate legal fun!’

‘The team demonstrated excellent commercial knowledge and were able to bring options and solutions to the table on any issues, as they arose. They were also very willing to listen to, and then keep in mind, particular concerns we had around the transaction.’

‘A very pragmatic and diligent team.’

‘Lorcan Tiernan is an excellent lawyer. As well as being responsive and practical, he is creative and a problem-solver. He wants to get the deal done. I would highly recommend him.’

‘Consistent points of contact enabling the development of a good working relationship. Diverse and specialised teams capable of meeting our needs depending on the nature of our query. Easily contactable and promptly respond to queries. The team have worked with us for a long time and have historic knowledge, which is valuable particularly where there may be a change in staff in our office.’

‘Catherine Hicks has an excellent working knowledge of her field and attention to detail. She has a good appreciation of the client relationship.’

‘Dillon Eustace are extremely responsive and commercial in all their dealings. They are able to innovate on the complex matters and execute efficiently on the routine.’

‘Responsiveness, innovation, resilience, focus, loyalty.’

‘We find the firm’s very professional approach, combined with the personal attention to detail, time and cost control, excellent and comforting when they are acting on our behalf.’

‘Ross Little is our main contact and makes sure we are happy in all aspects of the firm’s service even it is outside his particular discipline, ensuring that there is a consistency of excellent service.’

‘A dedicated team that provides a very personal approach.’

‘They stand out for their ability to find legally challenging solutions and explain them in a simple manner.’

‘A one-stop shop for foreign companies with a presence in Ireland. Very reachable and hands-on approach.’

‘Ken Casey is highly recommended.’

‘They understand our business. They will go that extra mile to ensure they deliver what we require. They respond quickly, sometimes at very short notice, and follow up afterwards.’

‘Throughout my dealings with Hayes, I have found that the timeliness of responses and the information provided has been to a high standard at all levels.’

‘Ken Casey and his team were very helpful. Sabrina Burke was especially attentive and supportive to the process. Ken deserves many accolades for his support in negotiations, keeping the project focused, tempering emotions and managing expectations throughout the process.’

‘The corporate team I have dealt on a recent transaction was led by Therese Rochford and I found my interactions with them on all levels superb. It was a complex transaction but the team brought us through it with assuredness, efficiency and professionalism, finding solutions where it seemed there were none. Most importantly, as well as having really good negotiating skills, Therese and her team were highly commercial, listened to our instructions and gave us great confidence in our decision making.’

‘The team are very responsive and bring their full expertise and knowledge to each engagement.’

‘The individuals are committed to meeting my deadlines and ensuring comprehensive documentation is provided as required. Brendan Ringrose in particular is very happy to provide answers to high-level questions at the initial phase of a project to enable my clients to decide which path to take on a transaction.’

‘The team are great to work with – efficient, knowledgeable and fair. They are very knowledgeable in their fields and very professional in how they dealt with us and the other parties involved. They were transparent around the work involved and also managed expectations very well. They worked hard to deliver to our timeline.’

‘Brendan Ringrose and Therese Rochford are experts in their areas, gave direct advice and recommendations, and were easy to communicate with. They did a great job of breaking down the legal language to plain English for the layman to better understand. At the same time, they tried to keep things sensible, which can sometimes be hard to do when you have multiple parties involved.’

‘Commercial approach combined with a quick, responsive service with competitive fees. Access to partner advice rather than associates.’

‘Strong commercial approach. David Ryan is a very high-quality lawyer.’

‘Outstanding legal advice with a hefty dose of commercial nous.’

‘Gavin Lawlor is an exceptional professional. He answers not only the question asked, but the question we had not realised we needed to ask.’

‘Excellent local market knowledge, proactive nature of communications, and a feeling that they implicitly understand the more successful we are (as their client) in the short term, the more successful they will be in the medium to long term. It never feels like their focus is on the immediate billable opportunity, but instead on how they can provide value to us as their client. This trust is the reason we expect them to handle more and more business for us as we go, and the reason I don’t hesitate in recommending them to anyone who asks me for a legal recommendation in Ireland.’

‘We deal almost exclusively with Gavin Lawlor and his team. His attention to detail, speed, accuracy and over-delivery are some of the many qualities that stand out for me. He has saved us time and money, helped us win business, identified pitfalls in contracts and generally provided exceptional advice and guidance.’

‘David Ryan, Pat Flynn and Alan O’Driscoll are all top class.’

‘Preparation and attention to detail are excellent. Prompt response times and very competitive fees. John Troute is a top-class operator, very clued in on the details and rarely gets things wrong.’

‘The team at Lavelle Partners are always available to assist in all matters with a collaborative approach between the respective disciplines.’

‘Gríana O’Kelly is an excellent commercial lawyer with experience in a range of different sectors.

‘The team is accessible and quick to respond and complete work to deadlines.’

‘We have worked with Gríana O’Kelly for a number of years and found her to be a good business partner, offering practical advice on any matters.’

‘Gríana O’Kelly was outstanding. Very knowledgeable about pharmacy transactions.’

‘The team are very approachable and provide a personal service from the managing partner and all the staff we met.’

‘Michael Lavelle and Gríana O’Kelly are the two partners we mainly deal with and both are very committed to providing a professional and relevant service to match our needs.’

‘Practical advice and efficient.’

‘Whilst the team is small it is very dedicated and focused and very much partner-led, which frequently is not the case in other firms.’

‘This firm offers all the services of a very large practice at very reasonable rates.’

‘Conor Lupton makes complex transactions appear simple, and makes life straightforward for his client.’

‘The team is very attentive and always available when we look to meet with them. They act in a very timely manner and are very thorough.’

‘They know and care about us on a personal level.’

‘Thorough and great attention to detail with exceptional focus on understanding and meeting the client’s needs and requirements.’

‘Friendliness and availability at all hours and always put the client first under all circumstances.’

‘Very experienced on corporate matters, specifically for public companies of a medium to smaller scale, listing on AIM, and placement financing.’

‘Orlaith O’Brien is very experienced and gives sound practical advice. She identifies the solution and delivers results, not issues and problems.’

‘Susan Noone has a good command of corporate reporting and compliance.’

‘The team were very easy to work with and were able to help us come up with practical solutions to address the issues that we had.’

‘All members of the team were extremely easy to deal with and were able to put across their views in a manner which was easily understood (without all the legal jargon). They have a very practical mindset.’

‘When we have a requirement for legal advice in a new area we like that the referral internally is personally handled by our existing contacts. The size of the practice is ideal for our needs without being too big whilst still offering the full service level of a mid-tier law firm.’

‘We note a strong sense of commitment to our best interests from the staff we engage with – notably from Niamh Gibney who is persistent in negotiations to get what’s required. If and when required we have immediate access to Elaine McGrath and Paul Keane.’

‘Professional, client-focused service.’

‘Attention to detail, personalised approach, understanding of their brief, efficiency.’

‘Very helpful team and very professional’

‘Elaine McGrath was great to work with, very professional and stuck to the price she originally quoted even though the work took longer than expected.’