William Fry > London, England > Firm Profile
William Fry Offices
17TH FLOOR
110 BISHOPSGATE
LONDON
EC2N 4AY
England
William Fry > The Legal 500 Rankings
Offshore firms in London > Irish firms in London Tier 1
William Fry has an ‘excellent’ practice that is singled out for its strength in sustainable financial disclosure regulations (SFDR) and handles a steady stream of corporate mandates. Overseen by Ivor Banim, who has a transactional record spanning over two decades, the team has demonstrable strength in M&A, ECM, IPOs and asset management matters for major financial institutions and private equity houses. Brian Butterwick advises on public and private mergers while Matthew Cahill, who heads the structured finance practice, excels in capital markets transactions and securitization work. Also of note is Lorena Dunne, who has expertise advising on EU sustainable finance regulation for both domestic and international asset managers. ESG work is also a main area of activity. The team further bolstered its senior headcount in London with the hire of Liam Arthur, who joined from Proskauer Rose LLP.Practice head(s):
Ivor Banim
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘William Fry are always available and provide a dedicated team to our business. They are excellent at keeping us informed of upcoming regulations and I think they are particularly strong on the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulations (SFDR) which is a significant piece of regulation for the industry.’
‘The attention to detail is excellent and we can be confident in the advice we receive. The team are always responsive to any ad hoc queries we may have. Lorena Dunne is particularly strong – we value her contribution to our business.’
‘Ivor Banim is extremely responsive and commercial. Lorena Dunne is utterly charming and smart to boot.’
‘We work principally with Matthew Cahill and his team and highly value the depth of knowledge and experience that Matthew brings coupled with his pragmatic and commercial approach.’
Key clients
Smurfit Kappa
AIB
Tesco
DCC plc
Edwards Lifesciences plc
Glanbia
York Capital Management
Lazard Asset Management
Mayfair Equity Partners
Value Retail
Phoenix Group
Barclays Bank plc
Uniphar plc
U and I Group PLC (formerly Development Securities plc)
Sands Capital
Davy Group
Goodbody
RBC Capital Markets
Yew Grove REIT
Pollen Street Capital
Towerbrook Capital
August Equity Partners
Gresham House Asset Management
Medivet Group
Clayton Dubilier & Rice
New Mountain Capital
Aceto Group
Wealth at Work Group
Kyndryl Group
Nordic Aviation
Mercer
Work highlights
- Advised IBM on the Irish aspects of its $19bn reorganisation and spinout whereby IBM separated its Managed Infrastructure Services unit of its Global Technology Services division into a new public company.
- Advising Irish headquartered NAC Group in relation to its restructuring of its $6.8bn debt.
- Advised CD&R, the US private investment firm, on all Irish law aspects of its recommended cash offer for UDG Healthcare plc, a global leader in healthcare advisory, communications, commercial, clinical and packaging services.
William Fry > Firm Profile
As one of Ireland’s largest law firms, William Fry offers unrivaled legal and tax expertise across the full breadth of the business sector.
The firm: William Fry advises leading Irish and international companies, covering both the public and private sector. It operates a large international practice and regularly acts in cases involving other jurisdictions, including the UK, the US, Asia, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland and Eastern Europe.
Strong client relationships and high-quality advice are the hallmark of the business. William Fry is acknowledged by clients and market commentators alike as being a leader in its main areas of work: corporate / M&A, banking and finance, litigation and dispute resolution, asset management and investment funds, real estate, corporate tax, technology, insurance, employment and benefits, EU and competition and projects and construction.
Types of work undertaken
Asset management and investment funds: William Fry continues to be the firm of choice for significant and complex funds work in Ireland, consolidating its work with large global players and increasing the number of large asset manager clients, and having been ranked as the most innovative Irish law firm in the legal expertise category by the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Report 2019.
Banking and finance: the department is acknowledged as a leader in the Irish market and provides legal and regulatory advice to domestic and international financial institutions, NAMA, corporates, issuers, treasury vehicles, arrangers, dealers, monolines, rating agencies and governmental bodies.
Capital markets: the department is consistently regarded as a market leader and advises on the full range of public and private debt and equity issuances in Ireland and internationally, advising Irish and international issuers, financial institutions, dealers, arrangers and rating agencies.
Commercial contracts: William Fry helps with strategic and commercial decisions with a variety of clients and commercial contracts, from domestic and international corporations to entrepreneurs and family businesses.
Competition and regulation: the competition department consistently advised on the most complex EU and Irish competition and merger control law issues arising in Ireland each year.
Corporate/M&A: this has always been the bedrock of the practice at William Fry. The firm consistently has a central role in the most sophisticated and complex corporate transactions and advisory work in Ireland, as well as in large cross-border deals with an Irish aspect.
Corporate restructuring and insolvency: the specialist team advises leading Irish and International Insolvency practitioners (liquidators, receivers, examiners, administrators and trustees) financial institutions, investors and shareholders in restructuring or business termination events.
Employment and benefits: the firm’s lawyers advise on employment law and on the specialist areas of whistleblowing, health and safety, pensions and employee incentives.
Environment and planning: the group excels in applying technical and commercial thinking to this extensive, complex and increasingly regulated area.
Financial regulation: our financial regulation unit brings together lawyers specialising in different areas of the financial services sector to provide practical and clear advice on all aspects of regulation and compliance to leading banks, investment firms and intermediaries, (re)insurance undertakings, collective investment schemes, fund service providers, regulatory authorities and investors in financial institutions.
Intellectual property: William Fry’s dedicated intellectual property lawyers deal with contentious and non-contentious cases for clients on a full-time basis. William Fry was awarded Ireland Trademark Firm of the Year at the Global IP Awards 2019.
Litigation and dispute resolution: the firm has a reputation as a market leader focused on delivering results for clients, representing them at all levels of the courts and dispute resolution whether by way of conciliation, mediation or arbitration.
Private client: the firm provides specialist legal and taxation advice to private, institutional and commercial clients, focusing on the creation and implementation of innovative and efficient arrangements for the preservation, management and transfer of wealth.
Private equity: the firm has a proven track record as a market leader advising on private equity and venture capital transactions in Ireland.
Real estate: the department is recognised as outstanding in Ireland and is consistently rated as a first tier practice. Clients include large institutional investors, international private equity funds, receivers, developers and major Irish, UK and US retailers.
Tax: William Fry is exclusively Taxand Ireland. With more than 400 tax partners and over 2,000 advisors in over 40 countries, Taxand is one of the largest organisations of tax advisers to multinational businesses. The firm was awarded Irish Tax Firm of the Year at the International Tax Review European Tax Awards 2019.
Other offices: Dublin, Cork, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate/M&A | Bryan Bourke | ||
| Chairman | Liam McCabe | ||
| Insurance & Reinsurance | John Larkin | ||
| Asset management and investment funds | Dan Morrissey | ||
| Competition and regulation | Cormac Little | ||
| Corporate/M&A | Stephen Keogh | ||
| Corporate restructuring and insolvency | Fergus Doorly | ||
| Employment and benefits | Catherine O'Flynn | ||
| Environment and planning | Conor Linehan | ||
| Intellectual property | Laura Scott | ||
| Intellectual property | David Cullen | ||
| Managing Partner | Owen O'Sullivan | ||
| Real estate | Edward Spain | ||
| Tax | Sonya Manzor | ||
| Projects & Construction | Liam McCabe | ||
| Financial Regulation | Shane Kelleher | ||
| Banking & Finance | David Maughan | ||
| Technology & Data Protection | David Cullen | ||
| Energy & Natural Resources | Fergus Devine | ||
| Healthcare & Life Sciences | Laura Scott | ||
| Debt Capital Markets | Matthew Cahill |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Mr Ivor Banim | Head of London Office, Corporate PartnerIvor is a Partner in the Corporate… | View Profile |
 | Mr Brian Butterwick | Brian is a Partner in our Corporate / M&A Department, advising on… | View Profile |
 | Miss Lorena Dunne | Lorena is a Partner in our Asset Management & Investment Funds Department… | View Profile |
- Offshore firms in London > Irish firms in London