ByrneWallace LLP > Dublin, Ireland > Firm Profile

‘Byrne Wallace are a superb team with remarkable bench-strength across a breadth of legal disciplines. The firm is hugely collaborative, seeking to find the best outcome and support for their clients.’

‘I deal with Deirdre Lynch. Deirdre is extremely practical, pragmatic and commercially minded. Deirdre had to deal with delicate and complicated issues with very tight timelines. All work was accomplished with the minimum of fuss and a genuine understanding of her client’s needs.’

‘Excellent firm with a broad range of experience and expertise. Adapted very quickly to the impact of COVID and always maintained full services to their clients.’

‘Diligence, experience and getting the “job done” with a positive attitude.’

‘Small, very personable, quick to respond and understands our business model.’

‘Relationship is personable and down to earth. Understands the real world and come up with practical solutions.’

‘Byrne Wallace has a highly competent team of legal professionals in the employment law arena. They provide excellent value for money relative to their peers and have a strong emphasis on collaboration and client focus. Their Employment Law Team is unrivalled with specialist expertise across all employment law disciplines. The customer service ethic and focus of Loughlin Deegan is fantastic.’

‘Loughlin Deegan deserves a special mention for his excellent legal mind and ability to complement legal theory and practice to deliver optimum outcomes in a range of third party forums for our business – High Court, Labour Court and the WRC. Loughlin Deegan is technically outstanding and is excellent in all aspects of employment law. There is a strong understanding of the operating context we manage and his ability to navigate successfully around complex legal matters has been very evident for the organisation.’

‘Excellent team – highly responsive, reliable and high level of expertise in the area of healthcare, particularly around capacity and mental disorder-related issues.’

‘Best in the country when it comes to Life Science and Healthcare legal matters.’

‘The Byrne Wallace team have excellent experience of the Life Sciences area. Particular experience in Licensing Agreements, and especially in finding creative solutions during the final stages of negotiations. Very good at working to deadlines for transactions. Documentation review and quality control strong, making client activities as straightforward and fool proof as possible.’

‘Colin Sainsbury is polite, friendly and highly professional in all matters. Colin’s experience in such negotiations was obvious from the outset. The deliverables speak for themselves. As legal counsel there is a clear recognition that we are seeking to build a long-lasting relationship.’

‘Patrick McLean – hardworking, reliable, efficient, accessible and excellent communicator. Olive Doyle – thorough and expert in her field of healthcare, particularly with regard to capacity and psychiatric disorder -related issues.’

‘Olive Doyle has a comprehensive knowledge of the broader legal and corporate environment in which healthcare decisions are made, and is very committed to guiding and advising clients to optimal outcomes. Patrick McClean has a particular ability in dealing with highly urgent complex cases, and manages to ensure that fully informed decisions are made in very short timeframes.’

‘Colin Sainsbury has very extensive experience in life sciences that has been invaluable in finalising negotiations.’

‘Catherine Dowling is great to work with.’

‘Market leading knowledge of the pensions sector; quick to respond and flexible to changing circumstances.’

‘Liam Connellan is a leading pensions expert who has a very easy to work with style. He is responsive, accessible, and able to break down complex topics for consideration by clients. He also has detailed knowledge of all elements of Irish pensions and can advise on a range of topics.’

‘Liam Connellan is very hands on and always makes himself available to provide partner support. His exceptional knowledge of pensions and associated legislation means he can get to the heart of issues easily and help clients come to practical solutions for their pension schemes.’

‘This practice has a thorough knowledge of local authority legal practice. This firm has provided excellent advice on procurement and contract law. There is a speedy turnaround on complex legal queries.’

‘ByrneWallace has exceptional knowledge and experience in advising the public sector. It seems like every problematic legal circumstance that we have encountered since engaging BW was a circumstance they had previously encountered with another public body and so they were able to draw on their experience in solving our predicament.’

‘I would highly recommend Martin Cooney. He immediately understands and appreciates the tight line public bodies have to tread in their legal affairs. Martin will present a number of potential courses of action to remedy a legal problem, which allows clients to explore more than one possible scenario. However, in doing so, Martin will never equivocate when advising his client on the optimal legal solution as he sees it, which greatly eases the burden on the client. On more than one occasion, Martin has provided novel solutions to legal problems where others had failed. He is also extremely cordial and personable and excellent at building and maintaining relationships over an extended period.’

‘Seán O’Donnell is a safe pair of hands on all matters. Fergal Ruane is a go-to person for procurement.’

‘Overall ByrneWallace provide an excellent service across many diverse areas. Together with responsiveness, this is their main strength. The different teams collaborate seamlessly and provide well-rounded, actionable advice.’

‘The team  were very accessible and had an excellent work ethic.’

‘The team are very experienced in various areas of public sector law, and knowledgeable and detailed in their advice.’

‘Good-quality team, available and experienced. Provide practical solutions to legal matters.’

‘The team at ByrneWallace deliver an exceptionally professional service. In both real estate and banking they have both the experience and market knowledge to offer a premium service. Through portfolio deals and complicated title structures, they are able to cut through the complexity to offer clear advice that greatly assists us as their client.’

‘Byrne Wallace are leaders with proven capability and competencies aligned in their field. From a client perspective they have the capacity to integrate their specialisms with a team approach, combining effective and efficient application within a high-performance culture. This in turn reflects a learning organisation, where their individuals are assured, engaging and solution oriented, based on informed knowledge and experience. Very importantly their people are accessible, make themselves available, return calls and communicate by email in a timely and professional manner. Their service has demonstrated great versatility, resilience and high levels of performance during Covid-19.’

‘We have found them responsive and flexible. They have been innovative in delivering results that enable us to move quickly and no issue is met with a stopping mentality. There have been good conversations on issues that are high risk and need careful thinking but they have delivered in all cases.’

‘The ByrneWallace practice proved to deliver excellent and efficient assistance in complex contract matters. Their multi-domain expertise matched perfectly the needs of a complex, trans-border real estate deal. The practice was very well prepared for online collaboration with the client.’

‘The real estate team at Byrne Wallace are top class. Neil Dunne and Alison O’Sullivan are standouts. Their commitment and hard work is exemplary.’

‘Neil Dunne is always on hand to help. He has a can-do attitude and goes beyond the day job to help.’

‘Alison O’Sullivan offers exceptionally good service, often working extremely hard with difficult counterparties and on very complicated deals. Overall, it is a pleasure to work with her as she provides the reassurance that is such a rare and valued quality in a partner.’

‘Michael Walsh is well respected with in-depth knowledge of his subject matter.’

‘Excellent accessibility.’

‘Paraic O’Kennedy – His ability to break down a transaction from a legal perspective and provide direct advice.’

‘Triona Ryan handled a venture debt loan deal. She was very thorough and professional throughout the whole process, and especially patient with a difficult other side.’

‘We have used the M&A team in BW over the years and they would be our go-to firm for transactions above a certain level. They have a high level of competence and terrific attention to detail. We found them strong on cross-border deals especially.’

‘Responsiveness and prioritisation of client needs. The firm takes the time to gain an understanding of the client’s business, opportunities and challenges. The senior members of the team remain consistent which allows strong and enduring client relationships to be built.’

Gavin Blake. Stand out service provided. ByrneWallace’s in depth understanding of the overall transaction, goals and knowledge of the business allowed them to play such a successful role for mainstream.’

‘Led by Colin Sainsbury, the Byrne Wallace team provided exceptional support to our recent M&A transaction. The transaction was managed in-house so the ByrneWallace support was more extensive than would be normal. The ByrneWallace team gave the transaction top priority and were integral to the transaction closing on schedule.’

‘Daniel Holohan – associate – detail focused and keen to progress matters quickly and efficiently.’

‘Martin Cooney and his team provide concise detailed advice on any manner of complex issues in a remarkably quick manner. Whether it be a contentious issue on a difficult project or the best procurement and contractual path to undertake for a building or engineering project, they have the right answer.’

‘Martin Cooney is a classic all-rounder, a master of the construction process from the inception of the project to the tender stage, construction stage and, if required, the dispute stage. His deep knowledge of the industry and the many pitfalls and risks that parties must navigate is always impressive. His clarity of advice merits special mention. No less capable is Deirdre Hennessy, whose ability to get to grips with any commercial or contractual problem speedily is remarkable.’

‘I believe the construction practice at ByrneWallace have on numerous matters demonstrated a real commercial awareness and in-depth knowledge of the construction sector. These qualities combined with their proactive approach are unique and of fundamental importance to my department.’

‘Martin Cooney is a highly knowledgeable lawyer with an excellent understanding of the development and construction sector. He demonstrates significant expertise in transactional matters, drafting and negotiating a wide range of contracts. Deirdre Hennessy is extremely knowledgeable and has continuously demonstrated her extensive experience as a highly competent and skilful contentious lawyer. Lisa Maloney is an extremely focused lawyer who has continuously demonstrated significant expertise in both contentious and non-contentious matters.’

‘Martin Cooney is tenacious, sensible and very client focused.’

‘The partners and associates are extremely friendly and make themselves available whenever needed. They have an in-depth knowledge of their individual specialisms and work very hard on your behalf to achieve the optimal outcome.’

‘Martin Cooney and Lisa Maloney are the standout people for us. Their combined legal skills and deep knowledge of construction contracts and practice make them a formidable team, the best we have engaged with in fact. We wouldn’t go anywhere else.’

‘The most impressive characteristic of the Byrne Wallace team, and in particular Martin Cooney and Deirdre Hennessy, is the breadth of experience they bring to the table. They clearly have the most up-to-date information and case law available, and the ability of Martin and his team to grasp the relevant facts of a dispute is excellent. The subsequent advice provided is clear and concise.’

‘I have found the initial conversation from seeking advice to the actual advice is extremely well thought out and makes life easier from client strategy and viewpoint. The speed of understanding of the issues is what made me choose BW team.’

‘I find Byrne Wallace great to deal with. They have a decent breadth of knowledge in a lot of different areas that allows them to cater for a complex organisation like ours. Their approach is one that works, they meet to get a full understanding of the issue and to clarify exactly our expectations. Keep it simple – not full of technical jargon.’

‘Mark O’Shaughnessy is the primary contact and his ability to understand thoughts, provide practical yet strategic advice is exemplary. He is also ultra transparent in all dealings, and even working remotely in no way impacted on service.’

‘My main point of contact is with Mark O’Shaughnessy and I find him very efficient to deal with. He’ll put you in touch with the appropriate person depending on our issue. He understands the importance of value for money in a NFP organisation and they always do their best fees wise. I always get a feeling they genuinely want to help and protect us as best they can. I’ve also had dealings with Patrick McClean – very professional and no issues with my encounters with him.’

‘Attention to detail particularly from Sean O’Donnell was second to none, especially when it came to the important time towards the end of the case.’

‘I dealt specifically with Valerie Hourigan and Grainne Murphy. Both worked well as a team to deliver an excellent service. Both were very accessible.’

‘Valerie Hourigan, partner, is highly experienced and very competent. She was directly involved at all stages of the litigation and was always contactable when I needed her input. She has excellent strategic insight and a strong knowledge of her clients and their businesses, which I found invaluable in representing their interests.’

‘Sound experience. Capable and friendly team.’

‘Proactive, pragmatic and practical.’

‘Availability to discuss issues is extremely good. Turnaround time equally so. Great breath of experience and knowledge.’

‘John Fitzgerald has very strong experience in the field of insolvency/restructuring. He is looking for practical solutions. Responsive and very easy to communicate with.’

‘John Fitzgerald is readily available, responds quickly and provides clear advice.’

‘John Fitzgerald is an outstanding partner for the firm. John has an excellent understanding of the law and this coupled with his excellent commercial acumen ensured that we had a thorough understanding for our complex matters and how these would progress. Various scenarios setting out risk etc greatly enhanced our decision making.’

‘I have also worked closely with John Fitzgerald, Sean Neville and the insolvency team on various transactions. They are proven experts in their area and have also provided high levels of service.’

‘John Fitzgerald, Partner – calm unruffled during engagement and when providing advices. Sean Neville, Senior Associate- Knowledgeable, personable.’

‘Martin Cooney is knowledgeable and personable and I would have confidence in his advice. Fergal Ruane has extensive experience of dealing with the public sector and understands very well the issues impacting public sector clients.’

‘ByrneWallace’s practice delivered excellent and efficient assistance in complex contract matters. It provided not only excellent and reliable advice on all the legal aspects relevant to the deal but also excellent insights into its commercial context. The practice was well prepared for online collaboration with the client.’

‘Fergal Ruane’s experience and understanding of the specificity in assisting public entities bound by the procurement rules proved extremely helpful. His advice and readiness to explain and educate us as a client with respect to complex legal and contractual matters were greatly appreciated. His well-established knowledge and experience relative to construction project contracts gave us confidence that our interests in the deal have been well protected. He made himself available to all our requests, even at short notice.’

‘Martin Cooney provides excellent advice on contractual matters, providing insight and experience into negotiations and strategy. Martin is very responsive to the client’s needs. Fergal Ruane has wide and varied experience in the procurement of major contracts and provides excellent advice on procurement issues arising in complex projects. Fergal is able to break down complex issues and explain them clearly and concisely, and he provides good insight into strategy.’

‘Fergal Ruane is extremely committed and responsive to client needs, with considerable experience in advising on data centre construction projects and colocation agreements.’

‘Fergal Ruane is a trusted adviser and we highly value his strategic and commercial legal advice. He is someone you want in your corner.’

‘The team are knowledgeable, and have a great reputation in construction law as well as projects and PPP. The team’s collaborative approach makes all negotiations more straightforward. They constantly seek to problem solve and are diligent, ensuring a comprehensive and timely turnaround on legal transactions.’

‘Michael Walsh is extremely knowledgeable, commercial and a great problem solver. He takes a very collaborative approach and is extremely approachable!’

‘BW knows our business and retains a great deal of ‘corporate memory’ of our company and its transactions over the years. It is sensitive to costs and timing of payment which is a great benefit to us.’

‘Competent and prompt service. Client friendly approach.’

‘Aislinn Cullen is dedicated and hardworking. She is always careful and considered in her responses and advice. Aislinn allows me to bounce ideas off her and talk through theories I have or proposed plans. I always feel I can rely on what she advises.’

‘The team explained how they were prepared to invest in us and be part of our growth story. These are not just empty words – they’ve been very good. They spent a lot of time up front getting to know us, and getting to understand our business.’

‘We have worked with a number of law firms over the years but we have been blown away by BW. They are extremely professional and know their subject areas. They just didn’t give us documents, they gave us a fantastic legal framework to scale. Our best investment in 2021.’

‘The data privacy and data protection practice instituted a really useful DPO club function for clients which ran monthly and provided an opportunity to discuss hot topics and receive presentations from members of the BW team. I found this additional element of the service very valuable.’

‘As well as being highly knowledgeable on the issues, the team are highly attentive and respond quickly and efficiently. They are alive to nuance and to specific client demands rather than proffering stock advice or answers.’

‘Kelly Mackey was a standout adviser for us in 2021 on data privacy issues.’

‘Sean O’Donnell provides expert practical advice, drawing on significant experience working on some of the most complex data protection issues in the jurisdiction in recent years.’

‘I have found Zelda Deasy’s expertise in the area to be of the highest level and she always makes herself available to us, sometimes at very short notice. She brings in additional resources where required and can look at things both from a purely legal perspective and with a business understanding. We have also dealt with Sean O’Donnell and found him also to have a very high level of expertise, very good availability and a clear business understanding. All the associates have been very knowledgeable and great to deal with.’

‘Byrne Wallace provide a compelling blend of energy industry experience with a commercial and cost-effective approach that sets them apart from their peers in the Irish market.’

‘Gavin Blake brings great enthusiasm and sector insight to the BW energy practice. Neil Keenan is a corporate heavyweight with an impressive track record of advising prominent clients in the sector.’

‘Gavin and his team are very pragmatic, hands-on and always available in case legal support is needed. A real pleasure to work with.’

‘The team possess the strength in depth you look for when dealing with commercial transactions whilst managing to keep the point of contact consistent. This helps keep a clear focus on the end goal when dealing with many moving parts.’

‘The key points of differentiation between ByrneWallace and other firms that I have worked with are their attention to detail, their responsiveness and general advice.’

‘Gavin Blake is a first-class lawyer with a proactive approach to problem solving and works to minimise the time to completion for complex legal negotiations and transactions.’

‘My experience of BW hinges around Gavin Blake. His timely advice and commercial acumen guided us through a drawn-out process at a very busy time for us.’

‘Gavin Blake has been consistently supportive to our ongoing requests for advice, whether it be assistance with complex legal documents or candid advice to steer us in the right direction at critical project and transaction junctures. His prompt advice has always proved to be a very useful sounding board and critical to the timely and successful progression of our work.’

‘Mark O’Shaughnessy was excellent. He was fully on top of his brief, had clearly researched in advance of calls and meetings and although our industry is a niche one, we didn’t have to waste valuable time bringing him up to speed. There was a need for a quick turnaround on some material and documents and this happened seamlessly and efficiently and to a very high standard.’

‘Mark O’Shaughnessy has a very strong ability to communicate effectively. He is very engaged and comfortable with the subject matter of social media and the law. Mark is accessible and very pleasant to work with.’

‘The team stands out for its client focus and attention to detail – two things you expect but are not always a given. The team at ByrneWallace have lived these qualities in all our dealings.’

‘Mark O’Shaughnessy has been an exceptional support on an extremely difficult, contentious and time-limited matter. He demonstrated exemplary practical knowledge and awareness in guiding us through a difficult matter. I would have no hesitation in recommending the work of him and his team.’

‘Colin Sainsbury is personable and very easy to engage with.’

‘Colin Sainsbury was excellent at cutting through some of legal content and clarifying IP cost impacts and possibilities. I believe we concluded with a fair win-win agreement.’