The Legal 500

Northern Ireland: Corporate and commercial

Corporate and M&A

Within: Leading individuals

Alan Taylor - Arthur Cox Belfast

Within: Corporate and M&A

Arthur Cox Belfast ’s ‘very responsive’ corporate team attracts praise for its ability to provide ‘technically superb’ advice to international and local clients from the agri-food, technology, energy, retail and pharmaceutical sectors. Agri-food-sector highlights included advising Northern Ireland-based food producer Dunbia on its high-profile merger and joint venture with meat producer Dawn Meats, which involved competition issues across international jurisdictions, and representing US-based poultry producer Pilgrim’s Pride in its $1bn acquisition of Northern Ireland-based poultry producer Moy Park. Tech-sector highlights included acting for Ulster University in a joint venture project with BT, which involved the construction of the BT Ireland Innovation Centre. Alan Taylor heads the practice, which includes key partners Paul McBride and the ‘very commercial’ Lynsey Mallon.

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Northern Ireland: Private client

Personal tax, trusts and probate

Within: Personal tax, trusts and probate

Arthur Cox Belfast assists high-profile individuals with a range of private client matters, including the administration of estates, the creation of trusts, succession planning and substantial probate matters, with many cases involving cross-jurisdictional assets. Corporate lawyers Alan Taylor and Lynsey Mallon are the key names in the team, and corporate associate Richard Armstrong is also recommended.

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Northern Ireland: Projects, energy and natural resources

Energy

Within: Energy

Arthur Cox Belfast’s energy practice represents energy clients in transactions and financings across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The group is adept at handling mandates covering both the traditional and renewable energy sectors, with gas-related instructions a notable area of strength. Dublin-based Alex McLean heads up the group and led advice to the Energia Group on the development and financing of five wind farms in Northern Ireland; the transaction was successful. In another highlight, Belfast-based Alan Taylor led advice to Mutual Energy on the development of the new single NI Network Gas Transmission Code, and is assisting Premier Transmission with amendments to an existing tripartite agreement with National Grid and Gas Networks Ireland regarding arrangements at the interconnection point between their gas pipelines in Scotland to ensure gas continues to be delivered to Northern Ireland from the UK following changes to Northern Ireland’s gas industry.

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Northern Ireland: TMT (technology, media and telecoms)

Intellectual property

Within: Leading individuals

Alan Taylor - Arthur Cox Belfast

Within: Intellectual property

Arthur Cox Belfast handles the gamut of contentious and non-contentious IP matters, from patents and trade secrets to copyright and trade mark issues. The team’s clients include universities, pharmaceutical companies, food producers, and technology manufacturers. The firm acts as Northern Ireland counsel to Getty Images UK and assists the client with copyright protection issues and policing unauthorised image use. Other clients include Probiotec Pharma, which the firm advises on all its UK brand and celebrity endorsement agreements, and Coca-Cola, which the firm assists with IP provisions pertaining to trading agreements. Corporate partner Alan Taylor leads the team, in which Lynsey Mallon is also a key name. Paul McBride joined from Pinsent Masons Belfast LLP in 2017.

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