McCann FitzGerald LLP > London, England > Firm Profile
McCann FitzGerald LLP Offices
TOWER 42
LEVEL 38C, 25 OLD BROAD STEET
LONDON
EC2N 1HQ
England
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McCann FitzGerald LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings
Offshore firms in London > Irish firms in London Tier 1
Ireland > Capital markets
McCann FitzGerald LLP has a highly developed DCM practice, which is widely respected for its strength in handling covered bonds, green bonds, social bonds, securitisations, and OTC and exchange traded derivatives; the ‘highly impressive‘ Judith Lawless has established expertise in derivatives matters. Fergus Gillen
, Adrian Farrell and Hugh Beattie have excellent reputations in DCM, securitisation and structured products, and Éamon Ó Cuív, who has returned to Dublin from the London office, garners praise for his ‘meticulous attention to detail‘. Sarah Pickering is a rising star in the debt capital markets space. ECM mandates remain prominent in the group’s workload, and David Byers and Stephen FitzSimons are key figures in equity deals. Gill Lohan is singled out for her expertise in IPOs. Aidan Lawlor and Conor O’Dwyer left the firm in 2024.
Practice head(s):
Fergus Gillen; Stephen FitzSimons
Other key lawyers:
Fergus Gillen; Adrian Farrell; Judith Lawless; Hugh Beattie; Éamon Ó Cuiv; David Byers; Gill Lohan; Sarah Pickering
Testimonials
‘The team assisted us with a large, strategically important project and were a fantastic support throughout. The team were responsive, well-organised and competitive on pricing.’
‘Fergus Gillen was a brilliant support to us. He was proactive and pragmatic. His advice was always clear, concise and commercially focussed.’
‘The team is very client focussed and knows our business really well – they really know what is and is not important commercially for us. We really value the continuity of of people over many years.’
‘Adrian Farrell in particular stands out, he is extremely responsive, always provides top quality advice and it really helps us that is is well known and respected in the market.’
‘Judith Lawless is a highly impressive lawyer. Her knowledge of the subject matter is boundless and her response times are excellent.’
‘We consistently instruct Éamon Ó Cuiv of McCann Fitzgerald to advise on our debt finance transactions on account of his expertise, meticulous attention to detail, and his unwavering commitment to having a granular understanding not only of the transaction, but of the wider needs that we have as a client.’
‘Hugh Beattie – nothing fazes him and he has a complete appreciation of what is being asked of him. Fast turn-around on documentation too.’
Key clients
Debt Capital Markets
Allied Irish Banks p.l.c. /AIB Mortgage Bank
Andorra Bank Agricol Reig, SA (Andbank)
Barclays Bank PLC
Eaton Corporation and related companies
BNP Paribas
Morgan Stanley
Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Ireland p.l.c.
Prodigy Finance
Electricity Supply Board
Avenue Capital Management
Nomura International plc
International Swaps and Derivatives Association Inc.
Investcorp
Citibank
No Limit Capital LLP
Equity Capital Markets
Kingspan Group Plc
Kerry Group Plc
Kenmare Resources Plc
Greencoat Renewables Plc
C&C Group Plc
AIB Group Plc
Irish Residential Properties REIT Plc (I•RES REIT)
Datalex Plc
Hostelworld Group plc
Origin Enterprises Plc
Hammerson plc
Goldman Sachs
J&E Davy
Goodbody Stockbrokers
Trinseo PLC
Alkermes plc
Work highlights
- Acted as lead counsel to Deutsche Bank on the MBS of a portfolio.
Ireland > Investment funds
McCann FitzGerald LLP has an intense focus on investment funds, especially the promotion and management of UCITS funds. Moreover, it has an established record in ETFs, hedge funds, structured products, and derivatives, as well as private equity, credit, and real estate funds. The team is also rated for its regulatory expertise, including SFDR compliance. Mark White is head of the investment management group and Iain Ferguson is another ‘exceptional lawyer'. Morgan Dunne is an impressive recently promoted partner, and Hugh Beattie has a key role in London. Practice head(s):
Mark White
Other key lawyers:
Iain Ferguson; Darragh Murphy; Hugh Beattie; Tony Spratt; Anna Moran; Morgan Dunne; Clare Gillett; Andrew McGovern; Seán Mulvey
Testimonials
‘Iain Ferguson is an exceptional partner who has a depth of experience in the subject matter of investment funds and also benefits from the experience of having worked in-house.’
‘The firm is very well organised. We are billed on a monthly basis so there are no surprises. We are very happy with the quality of legal advice, the team has depth, and the firm offers other services where needed e.g. GDPR queries.’
‘Both Tony Spratt and Seán Mulvey are very knowledgeable and practical in their advice. There is oversight by the partner but the work is done at the appropriate experience level so we get an efficient service at the right price, but with quality oversight.’
‘Morgan Dunne is an excellent lawyer with strong technical skills married with strong commercial instincts.’
‘An excellent partner bench with depth and diversity of expertise that brings a reassuring element of calm to clients. They have specialist knowledge of the requirements of pension investors and ESG.’
‘Morgan Dunne is a fantastic partner who is on the cutting edge of challenging and emerging areas of funds law like ESG. He is responsive and thoughtful in his advice with a personable demeanour.’
‘The funds team is technically excellent, commercially minded, always deliver to deadlines and are friendly and approachable. They are a great team to work with.’
‘Hugh Beattie was instrumental in advising and finalising documentation in relation to credit facility arrangements for our organisation. Hugh remained calm throughout the difficult commercial and legal challenges.’
Key clients
Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland Limited
Carne Group
EC Pohl & Co
Edge Aviation ICAV
Elkstone Partners
FFF Partners
Perpetual Group
Ardstone Capital
Willis Towers Watson
AMX
UBS Wealth Management
UBS Investment Bank
Metzler Bank/Metzler Asset Management
Universal Investments
Peal Capital Partners Group/PEAL Capital Partners ILP
Emerald Technology Ventures/Emerald Innovation Fund ILP
Urbeo Residential ICAV
JO Hambro Capital Management Limited
Pzena Investment Management LLC
Alvarium Investments
Hedge Fund Research, Inc
Solas Capital AG
MetLife Investment Management Europe Limited
BlueCove Limited
ValueAct Capital
Nordea Asset Management
Brookfield Asset Management
Aon Hewitt
UBS Global Asset Management
Irish Life Investment Managers
Hewlett Packard
Insight Investment
Goodbody Stockbrokers
Equity Trustees Fund Services
Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation
Fund Partners
AMP Capital
Findlay Park Partners
Brandes
HFR Asset Management
Imapx Asset Management
Davy
Ireland (Irish State)
Fairfax (Hamblin Watsa)
M&G Investment Management
Coupland Cardiff Asset Management
Dragon Capital Management
Investcorp Credit Management
ABC arbitrage Asset Management
Marathon Asset Management
Work highlights
McCann FitzGerald LLP > Firm Profile
McCann FitzGerald LLP’s London office acts for Irish, UK and international clients on Irish law matters and specialises in investment funds, banking and financial services, debt capital markets and loan sale transactions.
The firm: McCann FitzGerald LLP was the first major Irish law firm to establish offices in London in 1986 to serve the growing needs of clients, and has long been one of the largest London offices of any Irish law firm.
The firm is pioneering change in the delivery of legal services to clients by utilising innovative technology solutions in transactions and disputes. Our Projects Services Group delivers a pioneering, innovative model for the management of high-volume document review and reporting.
Office head Hugh Beattie has particular expertise in investment funds, structured finance, secured lending, bank/financial services regulation, debt capital markets, securitisation and corporate treasury.
Types of work undertaken:
Banking and financial services: McCann FitzGerald LLP’s finance group advises on the full range of banking and financial activities. Its lawyers work on many of the most innovative financing transactions in the market and advise on the most complex regulatory issues. Its London office supports clients engaged in international financing, especially in the London market. It also acts regularly for banks and financial services providers on issues such as regulatory compliance, enforcement of guarantees and security, negotiation disputes, employment disputes, restructuring and insolvency, breach of confidence and defamation claims, and discovery orders and requests from public inquiries.
Corporate: McCann FitzGerald LLP has extensive experience of advising on corporate and commercial transactions, often with a cross-border element. It has advised on many major transactions, including some of the most complex and innovative M&A transactions and equity offerings. It advises on the full range of corporate transactions and arrangements, including restructurings, corporate reorganisations, demergers and related issues, schemes of arrangement, capital reductions and share buy-backs, joint ventures and strategic alliances, commercial contracts/ arrangements (including outsourcing) and corporate governance, and has extensive expertise in complex domestic and international M&A transactions.
Dispute resolution and litigation: our Disputes group acts for a broad spectrum of clients, particularly those in the corporate and financial sectors. Understanding legal, commercial and reputational risk, it devises strategies which focus on the commercial objectives of clients. With significant large-scale legal and technological resources, McCann FitzGerald LLP is a leader in enabling the fast-tracking of complex commercial disputes through the commercial courts.
Real estate: McCann FitzGerald LLP’s real estate group comprises two main practices commercial real estate and construction. Its commercial real estate group advises across the complete spectrum of property-related issues. It advises on complex acquisitions, lettings, restructuring, security, enforcement and tax-based deals, and works with specialists across the firm to ensure all of its clients’ requirements are met to the highest standard. The construction group encompasses both commercial and contentious expertise. It has advised leading public and private sector clients on a wide variety of projects ranging from construction schemes to highly technical engineering projects that often have a strong project finance element.
Industry sectors: lawyers at McCann FitzGerald LLP specialise in business sectors as well as practice areas for maximum effectiveness. They are organised around selected industries so that they can share the latest research, track competitive dynamics, stay abreast of relevant regulatory changes and track emerging industry trends. In this way, the firm provides tailor-made advice and representation based on industry-specific expertise that enables clients to achieve their commercial objectives.
Other offices: Dublin (head office), New York, Brussels
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managing Partner | Stephen Holst | ||
| Head of London Office | Hugh Beattie | ||
| Head of Disputes/Restructuring and Insolvency | Michael Murphy | ||
| Head of Real Estate | Shane Fahy | ||
| Head of Construction | Barrett Chapman | ||
| Head of Finance | Georgina O'Riordan | ||
| Head of Corporate | Stephen FitzSimons |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hugh Beattie | Hugh specialises in investment funds, securitisation, structured finance, debt capital markets, restructuring,… | View Profile |
|
Éamon Ó Cúiv | Éamon advises clients on a wide range of financing transactions, including debt… | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Number of UK partners : 1 Number of other UK fee-earners : 5- Offshore firms in London > Irish firms in London
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Ireland > Capital markets
- Ireland > Investment funds