Ms Nicola Dunleavy > Matheson LLP > Dublin, Ireland > Lawyer Profile

Matheson LLP houses a wide-ranging public law practice which counts a broad array of state and semi-state bodies, government departments and private sector companies among its clients. The team has significant expertise in contentious matters, including judicial reviews and statutory investigations and appeals, and also stands out for its strengths in energy regulatory issues, the procurement and development of public infrastructure projects, and freedom of information law. The practice is led by litigation-focused Michael Byrne, Nicola Dunleavy, whose extensive practice includes planning and environmental law, Garret Farrelly, a key name in the energy sector, and state aid and public procurement specialist Kate McKenna.

Situated within Matheson LLP‘s technology and innovation group, the intellectual property team collaborates closely with the firm’s litigation group, delivering extensive advice on contentious issues stemming from patent infringement, counterfeiting, and content liability. In addition to this, the team is highly active on the non-contentious front and advises domestic and international clients on Irish IP documentation, IP rights, brand protection, trade marks, and IP-related due diligence. Practice head Anne-Marie Bohan has a strong focus on the management, commercialisation, and licensing of intellectual property, with continuous support from Nicola Dunleavy and Carlo Salizzo.

Matheson LLP stands out for its ‘immense strength and depth‘ in the transport sector, with a sizeable cross-departmental group that works alongside the firm’s transportation tax team to advise on aviation, shipping, road and rail matters. The firm houses a particularly strong offering in the aviation sector, where Rory McPhillips, Stuart Kennedy, Yvonne McWeeney and Stephen Gardiner are frequently called upon to handle complex financial transactions in addition to providing M&A and regulatory advice; the team is also experienced in the financing of rail and shipping assets. In the transport infrastructure space, Nicola Dunleavy SC, Garret Farrelly and Rhona Henry advise on planning and environmental, projects and construction issues, respectively.

Matheson LLP‘s ‘highly skilled‘ construction team has considerable strength in advising major contractors, but its broad client base extends to developers, technology and pharmaceutical companies, and funders. The team has an excellent reputation for advising on the development of large-scale projects across the residential, hotel, office and technology sectors, and also handles a steady stream of construction dispute mandates. ‘Industry expert‘ Rhona Henry and Nicola Dunleavy SC, who leads on contentious matters, head the practice. The ‘excellent‘ Alison Bearpark, who joined from RDJ LLP in April 2023, and Ruadhán Kenny, who was promoted to partner in January 2024, are also noted.

Matheson LLP fields a substantial team of dispute resolution specialists with large numbers at every level of seniority. It has a major market share of commercial cases before the High Court. The firm continues to be recognised for financial services disputes, regulatory enforcement cases and investigations. The firm is also noted for technology and data privacy disputes. It remains active in competition follow-on damages actions and insurance coverage disputes. Deirdre Crowley has transferred from the technology and innovation group into the regulatory investigations team to focus on technology and privacy matters. Nicola Dunleavy has a huge reputation in the market and Julie Murphy-O’Connor is a prominent name in banking-related asset recovery and enforcement matters, along with commercial court disputes. Karen Reynolds is a leader in financial services regulatory investigations. April McClements specialises in insurance litigation, and Michael Byrne in technology and data-related cases. Ruadhán Kenny and Connor Cassidy were promoted to partner in January 2024.

Matheson LLP’s regulatory investigations and corporate crime team handles prevention, detection, reporting and risk management of white-collar crimes. Practice head Karen Reynolds has longstanding experience advising financial institutions on a wide range of regulatory issues, including insider dealing, anti-bribery and corruption, fraud, and cyber security breaches. Nicola Dunleavy SC and Deirdre Crowley regularly assist clients with internal corporate investigations and investigations brought by external regulators. Senior associates Deirdre Crowley and Connor Cassidy are also noted.

Matheson LLP continues to handle the full range of contentious and non-contentious environmental law matters, defending clients against regulatory prosecutions and advising on environmental risks and liabilities arising from large-scale infrastructure projects. Practice head Nicola Dunleavy SC is the go-to advisor for clients seeking advice on the climate change and planning and environmental aspects of new projects. Recently promoted partner Ruadhán Kenny regularly represents clients in judicial review proceedings, while Jill Hurley provides able assistance with planning applications.

Matheson LLP‘s practice stands out for its vast expertise in advising foreign and domestic clients on all areas of the energy sector, including electricity projects. The team has in-depth knowledge of the renewable energy regulatory framework, onshore and offshore wind projects, and corporate PPA and data centre operations. The practice is headed by Garret Farrelly, who has extensive experience handling renewable energy innovation and compliance, having worked on wind, solar, and hydro energy projects. Nicola Dunleavy is particularly adept at handling energy and utility disputes, along with infrastructure and PPP projects. Conor Blennerhassett is active on project financing transactions. Seán Scally left the firm in early 2024.