Tughans > Belfast, Northern Ireland > Firm Profile

‘We found Tughans to be hugely professional and competent. They approached our project with transparency, specialist expertise and commitment and delivered the key objectives. The corporate team drove the project forward and called on the depth of experience within the firm, notably banking/finance, property and employment to fulfil the goal.’

‘John McGuckian is fantastic to work with. His knowledge, perspective and commitment were admirable. In addition to a very pragmatic and measured approach, John has a wonderful ability to get the deal over the line. He is very personable and brings a great sense of calm and confidence to his clients. We found his attention to detail, availability, and communication outstanding.’

‘I have worked with a number of the Corporate and Commercial team in Tughans and every member of the team is exceptionally approachable, knowledgeable, responsive and professional. They efficiently ensure any issue is addressed promptly, clarifying any requirements upfront to ensure any terms of engagement accurately reflect your needs.’

‘Very strong relevant experience.’

‘Tughans bring a deep knowledge and insight of Northern Irish commercial practice, which ensures their clients get to put their best foot forward in any dispute process.’

‘This is the strongest litigation team in Belfast. The firm is particularly known for its ability to take on and run the largest litigation cases. They tend to be retained in all of the most complex and difficult litigation before the Commercial Court in Belfast. They are market leaders in this field.’

‘Toby McMurray is a standout performer, particularly in insolvency-related litigation. Michael McCord is the market leader in construction litigation. He is second to none, particularly known for getting stuck into cases and being over the detail. Patrick Brown would be a market leader in procurement.’

‘Tughans have an enviable track record in dispute resolution in Northern Ireland, most especially in commercial law. Their team are experienced, commercially astute and pragmatic. These qualities are key in guiding their clients’ interests and facilitating mutually agreeable settlements and agreements.’

‘Patrick Brown leads from the front and is the driving force behind the success of the firm as managing partner. Patrick is hugely respected in the business and legal circles in Northern Ireland and has extensive experience in both litigation and dispute resolution, which is of huge benefit to the firm’s clients.’

‘Very professional and knowledgeable in the subject areas.’

‘Anna Beggan is personable and easy to work with.’

‘The individuals I’ve interacted with within this practice very much have a can do attitude and have gone out of their way to assist in identifying, and fighting for, the right solution for us as a business. Their focus is on timely problem resolution, rather than ongoing engagement and enhancement of billing hours, as is the case with some other practices I’ve worked with previously.’

‘The attention to detail, knowledge base, partner availability (at all times of the day and evening) and determination to act in the best interests of their clients clearly uniquely identifies the individuals I’ve dealt with at Tughans as standouts. In particular, Anna Beggan expressed such qualities during my interaction with her.’

‘The team are responsive and always willing to give advice tailored to our business needs.’

‘The employment team is corporate and sophisticated, and usefully part of a larger organisation which works with business and industry.’

‘Anna Began is a safe pair of hands. A busy in-house lawyer can be confident that Anna will take on and run a process and provide sound advice to assist with decision making. Good experience and knowledge of the market means that Anna can provide a well tuned-in opinion.’

‘The employment team is very professional and comes with a real heavyweight reputation, yet the team are all very approachable and great to work with.’

‘I think Tughans’ strengths very much revolve around their staff in terms of the range of services that they offer and the experience that they can demonstrate. They are very client focused; responding quickly to enquiries and providing advice that is always practical.’

‘They had a very sound grasp of what we, as a public body, required and they demonstrated innovative thinking to deal with and resolve a number of issues.’

‘Excellent level of service. Very good experience in all the major streams of the firm (and it is the depth of experience and the delivery of this to clients that sets them apart. I would also say Tughans are far more proactive than a lot of firms out there, and proactively find solutions rather than problems, which is something that is really just something that other firms say, but Tughans actually do.’

‘Tughans is our “go-to” law firm for Northern Irish banking deals. The team consistently delivers high quality legal advice, often on tight timelines.’

‘Fearghal O’Loan is a very experienced and very responsive point of contact for us on Northern Irish deals. He knows the market very well, quotes reasonably and leads a team of excellent associates.’

‘The relationship with Tughans feels more like a partnership than a client/lawyer relationship. We feel valued and we have access to a partner as and when needed .The team are attentive, efficient and knowledgeable and I have utmost faith in their advice and support.’

‘The team within Tughans are extremely knowledgeable and always go the extra mile to ensure best value for their clients. All cases are progressed in a timely manner and the client kept informed at all times of any changes or relevant information – as a client we feel part of the process and are consulted at every stage.’

‘The personal touch with their clients, bringing the clients into and part of the process. Tughans’ staff go out of their way to involve all at all times and after a case is closed they host a review of all claims to ensure we understand the actions taken and why etc. In addition to regular reviews with cases we sit down every 6 months and review all cases collectively.’

‘A first-class defendant firm in Belfast, one of the two leading firms acting for medical defence organisations with strength in depth, handling both claims, regulatory and inquiry work.’

‘Andrew Anthony is Head of Department and an outstanding defence solicitor with excellent judgment and knowledge of the sector. He is highly-regarded and trusted.’

‘Always helpful and pleasant.’

‘As a client, I have been very satisfied regarding the service offered to me. All emails are answered promptly and I have received regular updates on any developments in my case.’

‘Very commercially-minded people that deliver their legal advice in a straight forward but personable way.’

‘Worked with Joe Moore as partner on a number of things and find that the advice is sound, and is delivered in a straight forward understandable way. I can be confident that if he says its going to be done, it will be done.’

‘Hands-on approach, thorough review and pushed the matter through to completion. Took the burden off in-house counsel and delivered on time. Joe Moore is a lawyer that every in-house legal team needs to work with to get your work done and on time!’

‘Accessible, strategic and strong legal advice.’

‘Tim Kinney – Detailed legal advice with a strategic edge.’

‘Tughans have a leading construction team. They have strength in depth and experience of all sectors. They act for both developers and contractors and are familiar with all the main forms of construction litigation. They handle many adjudications, arbitrations and commercial litigation.’

‘Michael McCord is simply the market leader in construction claims in Belfast.’

‘Excellent industry knowledge and experience, which is leveraged to provide better value for money on new instructions.’

‘Tim Kinney has extensive knowledge of construction law with particular expertise in non-contentious matters. He is responsive, considered and gives significant thought to any query put to him.’

‘During the pandemic, I found the process of working with Tughans seamless. They had a work from home policy which did not restrict my access to my contacts and the response times were not affected. An organisation of their size must be congratulated on being forced into a work from home policy without impact on their clients. To me this shows strong management, an in-house IT team that can react quickly and a staff that can embrace change.’

‘Toby McMurray is one of the best insolvency lawyers in Northern Ireland. He is technically brilliant and is well known by all of the main insolvency practitioners. Tughans can handle all aspects of the largest insolvencies and Toby is particularly skilled at getting commercial resolutions of the most intractable disputes.’

‘Experience, client service and competence.’

‘Fiona Kirkpatrick – excellent legal expertise in the private client arena. Approachable and empathetic.’

‘I have worked with Fiona Kirkpatrick in a professional manner for a few years now. I have recently asked her to complete my own will and POA as I have great belief that she does a fantastic job for her clients. She is conscientious and very knowledgeable and a real pleasure to deal with.’

‘I believe Tughans Private Wealth Law team offers a very high standard of expertise in private client matters. In my opinion, their strongest points would be their knowledge in specialist private client areas eg trust work and high level of client service.’

‘I have worked with Fiona Kirkpatrick who is personable, compassionate, knowledgeable and diligent. She also reports back in a timely and efficient manner. Overall, a truly excellent solicitor!’

‘Fiona Kirkpatrick is highly responsive, excellent with clients and communicates in a clear and concise way. Fiona makes complex matters simple.’

‘Andrew Kirke is technically excellent in terms of legal advice and knowledge and also has a strong commercial and practical outlook which is hugely helpful in terms of reaching solutions which are legally compliant as well as business focused. Andrew has excellent client management and communication skills, particularly in terms of his responsiveness and his ability to communicate legal advice to people with non-legal backgrounds.’

‘Chris Milligan brings experience and knowledge to the team, he’s very approachable, diligent.’

‘I have worked with Chris Milligan during the delivery of a national infrastructure project, the project had a unique and sometimes complex structure. Chris brought a depth of knowledge in a particular from the perspective of land and financier requirements.’

‘Good knowledge of Northern Ireland property related matters.’

‘My experience with Tughans is very positive, with Maria O’Loan showing genuine enthusiasm for the campaign and she appreciates the knowledge and input from the community.’

‘I have only worked with Maria O’Loan, with the phrase “worked with” giving a hint as to how great she is.’

‘The team are well organised, diligent, professionals with specialisms in all the appropriate areas. There is a complementary mix of lawyers who assist in providing an effective, efficient and quality service to me and my organisation.’

‘Personal service. Friendly and approachable. Work like an extension of our own business. Really care about our business. Expertise in all areas.’

‘Personal attention. Great attitude and always timely with activities.’

‘The team were exceptionally efficient and knowledgeable, ensuring the issue was fully understood and researched thoroughly. Your input (as the client) is listened to, considered and valued, and it feels like you are working as part of the team. My knowledge and understanding of this area was much improved and I learned a significant amount from liaising with the team at Tughans.’

‘Andrew Kirke provided exceptional advice and service. He is extremely responsive, summarising the issues and articulating potential responses in a clear, concise and ‘user-friendly’ way. The options were considered and most importantly he advised on how best to proceed alongside the pros and cons of the proposed course of action.’

‘The partner we work with is Andrew Kirke – Andrew is very knowledgeable, transparent, personable, and has been pivotal to major deals we have secured over the last year. ’

‘Highly versatile business that can facilitate all of my business needs within one group. Knowledge on all fronts and have helped us to agree successful terms on many contracts and trade mark issues.’

‘Overall a very friendly bunch and make the whole process painless for me, the customer. Knowledge in each given area is fantastic and I trust all the info that they provide me with. Honest and willing to go over and above to ensure our best interests are at the heart of their operation.’