Corporate and M&A in Northern Ireland

‘David Rowan has always given us the most professional advice – his consistent ability to “speak truth to power” is a trait that is highly valued by my business partners and I.’

‘A&L Goodbody in Belfast is the top law firm in Northern Ireland. They have strength and depth across all service lines.’

‘Peter Stafford is calm, commercial and a pleasure to work with. The go-to person for all corporate matters in Northern Ireland, with a wealth of experience.’

‘Alastair Keith – a very strong corporate lawyer who brings huge experience to the table.’

‘They have vast experience; they work as a team to ensure that the client receives the best possible advice. We have worked on several complex transactions and the service has been fantastic. The corporate and commercial teams are innovative and forward-thinking we have seen them integrate new technology during the Covid lockdown, which has ensured a seamless service throughout.’

‘David Rowan has been a fantastic leader, working across several teams to deliver complex documentation under time pressure – his ability to coordinate multiple team members and ensure delivery in a timely manner sets both David and the ALG team apart from its peers.’

‘The team we work with led by Lynsey Mallon have been thoroughly professional in all our dealings with them, when needed in the last year. Competency, capability, legal knowledge, punctuality, receptiveness, engagement, understanding of client requirements, advice and advocacy have all been excellent.’

‘Partners are always available at the outset of the project. Partners establish the best team to complete the project and maintain their input throughout. The firm works well other advisers ’

‘The main individuals I work with are Alan Taylor and Lynsey Mallon. Both have fantastic knowledge of our company and supported and advised on all aspects of our strategy.’

‘Highly regarded all-island firm with refreshed Belfast practice with a highly commercial focus.’

‘Alan Taylor is our lead partner. Has helped with corporate tax restructuring exercise, and family trust matters.

‘The people are very down to earth and are good at explaining legal issues in laymans terms’

‘Lynsey Mallon and Richard Armstrong – great commercial knowledge and understanding their clients needs’

‘Lynsey Mallon is exceptional. Commercially astute. Friendly and very commercial. ’

‘The team are always available when required and the fact the partners we deal with have been with the firm for a numbers of years is helpful in terms of continuity. ’

‘We found Tughans to be hugely professional and competent. They approached our project with transparency, specialist expertise and commitment and delivered the key objectives. The corporate team drove the project forward and called on the depth of experience within the firm, notably banking/finance, property and employment to fulfil the goal.’

‘John McGuckian is fantastic to work with. His knowledge, perspective and commitment were admirable. In addition to a very pragmatic and measured approach, John has a wonderful ability to get the deal over the line. He is very personable and brings a great sense of calm and confidence to his clients. We found his attention to detail, availability, and communication outstanding.’

‘I have worked with a number of the Corporate and Commercial team in Tughans and every member of the team is exceptionally approachable, knowledgeable, responsive and professional. They efficiently ensure any issue is addressed promptly, clarifying any requirements upfront to ensure any terms of engagement accurately reflect your needs.’

‘The team at Cleaver Fulton Rankin handled our recent investment and made the whole process very straightforward. They explained all of the legal paperwork so that it was easy to understand and made sensible, workable suggestions.’

‘Both Hilary Griffith and Kathryn Laverty are extremely knowledgeable in what they do and have great experience behind them to guide us in the right direction. We found them very approachable and easy to work with.’

‘I was impressed with the team at Cleaver Fulton Rankin, who had all the skills to help our company complete the business transaction in a timely manner. Advice was co-ordinated in an efficient way to achieve the best outcome. My engagement with CFR was very positive’

‘My engagement with CFR was mainly with Hilary Griffith. Hilary was very professional and logical in her approach and kept me informed at all times. Despite the challenges of the Covid pandemic, Hilary managed all the communications and document exchanges in an efficient manner. I had a high degree of confidence in her analysis of the priorities. Hilary employed the skills of her team to the company benefit. She provided her personal contact details and was available at all times to take a call to help maintain momentum in the deal.’

‘They are large enough to cope with any project and have the appropriate individuals to cater for my needs. They differ from others as it’s not always about how much they can charge, they thrive on building relationships – the bottom line is they care!’

‘They are all commercially focused and make me feel at ease when going through commercial legal issues.’

‘ Kathryn Laverty has grown with our business – she did the paperwork on our first VC investment and now leads our VC investments. She does an outstanding job’

‘Hilary Griffith is very grounded and keen to understand what is going on in the business behind the legal matters at hand. She is much more approachable than the typical partner at a big law firm. Kathryn is extremely responsive to our questions and issues. No matter how big or small the request, it never seems too much trouble. Both ladies seem to enjoy what they do and this comes across in their day to day interactions with clients such as myself.’

‘Scott Kennedy is always easily available and responsive. Also steady and commercially savvy.’

‘Excellent service – they always respond in a timely manner to all requests. Great range of knowledge and experience across the commercial team.’

‘Great service from partner Scott Kennedy. Excellent technical knowledge delivered in very commercial way. ’

‘Excellent level of service. Very responsive – they represent extremely good value for money – priced far more competitively than some of the biggest names in the Belfast legal market but service and insight on par with the best.’ 

‘Damian McParland is an excellent lawyer with arguably the broadest skills base of any corporate lawyer in Belfast, with very strong commercial acumen. Has an excellent ability to surmise complex concepts into simple statements and documents, benefiting his clients and facilitating smooth transactions.’

‘The key members of the team obviously have their individual expertise and it is great to be able to rely on them for requirements that we have. I feel as a practice they have a collaborative approach.’

‘Damian McParland’s help in a recent acquisition was great – the fact that he led the team gave me great confidence.’

‘Darren Marley is exceptional. He goes beyond law and thinks commercially – advising the businesses we invest in on what matters and what doesn’t; picking the right fights so as to get the most for the businesses from us as the VC, which I respect. There are few lawyers who can give quality advice with a very strong commercial focus on what really matters. This helps to close deals efficiently and effectively.’

‘The team respond very quickly to all our requests. We have used them over the last 40 years for acquisitions and disposals.’

‘I have found them to be very reliable and also easily available when I need to speak to someone. They are more down to earth than others, which suits me best – from answering the phone to the partner I deal with.’

‘My dealings with the practice was for a single transaction. The partner in charge took personal charge; was attentive to correspondence and phone calls and always provided follow up to every query raised. The transition was efficiently handled; nothing was too much trouble – the practice managed to make the team feel like a very personal service.’

‘Consistent reliable and timely support always delivered with exceptional courtesy in the most demanding circumstances.’

‘Mark Davis is very intelligent, picks things up very quickly and addresses the issue straight. He involves juniors if the matter doesn’t need himself, which makes things cost effective.’

‘They solve the matters very quickly. They also offer good fees.’

‘A very strong and committed team in the Belfast office who have a good grasp on practical matters and a strong industry knowledge.’

‘Mark Davis represented us on our recent seed investment raise. We would definitely use the firm for any further investment rounds, and and would have no issue recommending them to other startup companies.’

‘Andrew Jennings is a highly accomplished individual with a driven commercial view which makes dealing with him and discussing deals and proposals enjoyable. Extremely well connected across three sectors we’ve spoken specifically about.’

‘Andrew Jennings is pragmatic, approachable, practical and has good technical expertise.’

‘Andrew Jennings is a true professional in his field. Cognisant of others’ needs, he intently listens while figuring out clear pathways. A brilliant mind.’

‘TLT have strength across all commercial areas we’ve explored with them. Their structure is such that if the individual you’re dealing with doesn’t cover that area, a partner within one of their other offices will. They are very accessible and on point with billing and openness. No nasty surprises. We’ve also found they’re happy to add value up-front in the spirit of a business relationship in the future. If I had to pick a phrase or word it would be ‘importance of relationships’.

‘We could not recommend the firm or the individuals highly enough and see no reason to look anywhere else.’

‘Pragmatic, approachable, practical and good technical expertise’

‘Great quality of service, good people to deal with and come across as genuine people’

‘The quality of work, getting to know us individually as a firm and as individuals. Making you feel valued as a client.’