Cleaver Fulton Rankin > Belfast, Northern Ireland > Firm Profile

‘Broad sector experience and the ability to manage numerous cases, ensuring case deadlines and court appearance dates are met. ’

‘This teams’s innovation (especially tech-related) means a higher quality of service for less time and money on our part. They really are determined to disrupt the market to make their service better and it’s great to be involved when working with them.’

‘There is a culture of working together with their clients – their approach is really constructive in getting to where we need to be, with our needs always coming first.’

‘CFR develop relationships with their clients, get to know their clients’ businesses and provide advice based on this knowledge. Their procurement expertise is of the highest calibre – they keep themselves up to date with case law and are then able to provide up-to-date advice based on the latest case law.’

‘I have worked closely with Lisa Boyd. Lisa is a very personable individual and has always gone the extra mile to provide the required advice, even when that meant working out of hours to achieve tight deadlines. I have valued Lisa’s commitment to the relationship we as an organisation have with CFR, her prompt responses, her attention to detail and her preparation for meetings. Lisa is a solicitor of the highest calibre who is the consummate professional.’

‘Lisa Boyd has been our main contact. She has been very responsive, working lengthy periods out of hours to meet urgent needs. She demonstrates extensive knowledge and commercial awareness.’

‘Professional and responsive. This team has your back. They provide professional advice in simple terms and go out of their way to protect your interests. I really feel that this team has provided us with excellent advice, without raising expectations, and has offered solutions as to the best outcomes.’

‘Johnny Forrester is a clear communicator who acts at all times in the best interests of his client. He communicates legalese in simple and understandable terms, and is responsive and always on hand to offer advice and support.’

‘The team have good expertise in the fields of property development and finance and the ability to complete large complex transactions in an efficient manner.’

‘Their legal expertise combined with lengthy experience in dealing with us makes them invaluable. ’

‘Excellent at detail and seeing upcoming potential issues. Worked well to a tight and changing deadline. Understood the issues that I would need to be contacted about, rather than having to feedback on every point. Overall, understanding how the transaction was likely to ‘play out,’ added value and reduced stress. Worked well on Zoom by phone last year.’

‘Caroline MacLaughlin, excellent overall knowledge’

‘The practice is one of the leading firms in Belfast and justifiably so. ’

‘The banking team are proactive in managing workload and following up with bank client legal teams. Proactivity is a key feature we look at when appointing a legal team.’

‘The team have also proven themselves knowledgeable and creative in mitigating risk for the bank whilst ensuring relationships remain positive with our clients’ legal teams.’

‘Family firm with which my family has worked for three generations. In all respects reliable and wise.’

‘Michael Graham is an excellent and well informed advisor in family matters.’

‘Timothy Rankin has been very knowledgeable and helpful on tax queries and setting up enduring Powers of Attorney and the service has been excellent.’

‘Knowledgeable and approachable team who work well together.’

‘Michael Graham – top of his field – very professional and well informed. Excellent presenter to large groups. Tim Rankin – wide knowledge and very easy to deal with.’

‘The team at CFR are extremely professional, and knowledgeable, they are well informed on any legal changes that are happening in NI.’

‘Cleaver Fulton Rankin have one of the few dedicated private client departments in Northern Ireland and have other dedicated departments to cover every legal need. All solicitors are approachable and personable. They have shown initiative being able to work and deal with clients remotely and set safety measures in place when face to face visits have been necessary.’

‘Alan McAlister has a wealth of experience, gleaned over many years. His legal knowledge is excellent and we know he has been involved in some very significant retail investment deals in recent years.’

‘This practice provides an excellent service meeting our requirements and during the current pandemic have provided innovations in place to continue to service our needs.’

‘CFR offer a good solid real estate team to deal with our acquisition and management requirements.

‘Their approach is uncomplicated and enables us to ensure our expansion in Northern Ireland is managed with certainty and little risk.’

‘Patrick Fleming has a wealth of experience and knowledge of construction law.’

‘CFR deliver high quality strategic advice at all stages of the construction cycle, from project inception right through to final account and operation of an asset. Their team is (by local standards) young, extremely motivated and led by some of the best local lawyers in the business.’

‘Their extensive knowledge of the construction market has been invaluable to us as an organisation. Their procurement expertise is of the highest calibre, they keep themselves up to date with case law and are then able to provide up to date advice based on same and pertinent to the case they are advising on.’

‘Lisa has always gone the extra mile to provide the required advice, even when that meant working out of hours to achieve tight deadlines. I have valued Lisa’s commitment to the contractual relationship we as an organisation have with CFR.’

‘Very engaging staff and a willingness to accommodate client requirements at all times.’

‘Strong, well-resourced firm with solid relevant experience.’

‘Patrick Fleming – clear thinker and strong communicator.’

‘The team at Cleaver Fulton Rankin handled our recent investment and made the whole process very straightforward. They explained all of the legal paperwork so that it was easy to understand and made sensible, workable suggestions.’

‘Both Hilary Griffith and Kathryn Laverty are extremely knowledgeable in what they do and have great experience behind them to guide us in the right direction. We found them very approachable and easy to work with.’

‘I was impressed with the team at Cleaver Fulton Rankin, who had all the skills to help our company complete the business transaction in a timely manner. Advice was co-ordinated in an efficient way to achieve the best outcome. My engagement with CFR was very positive’

‘My engagement with CFR was mainly with Hilary Griffith. Hilary was very professional and logical in her approach and kept me informed at all times. Despite the challenges of the Covid pandemic, Hilary managed all the communications and document exchanges in an efficient manner. I had a high degree of confidence in her analysis of the priorities. Hilary employed the skills of her team to the company benefit. She provided her personal contact details and was available at all times to take a call to help maintain momentum in the deal.’

‘They are large enough to cope with any project and have the appropriate individuals to cater for my needs. They differ from others as it’s not always about how much they can charge, they thrive on building relationships – the bottom line is they care!’

‘They are all commercially focused and make me feel at ease when going through commercial legal issues.’

‘ Kathryn Laverty has grown with our business – she did the paperwork on our first VC investment and now leads our VC investments. She does an outstanding job’

‘Hilary Griffith is very grounded and keen to understand what is going on in the business behind the legal matters at hand. She is much more approachable than the typical partner at a big law firm. Kathryn is extremely responsive to our questions and issues. No matter how big or small the request, it never seems too much trouble. Both ladies seem to enjoy what they do and this comes across in their day to day interactions with clients such as myself.’

‘We have received excellent legal advice relating to employment law. The staff are very approachable, knowledgeable and extremely professional. Many of our staff have attended training provided on a variety of employment issues and have found the training excellently presented and very informative.’

‘I would particularly like to mention Michael Black. He has guided us through tribunal hearings and employment disputes and helped with a variety of HR queries. His advice is always excellent. Emails are replied to promptly, often out of business hours. He is very professional and has also made our staff feel welcome at training events.’

‘The support and guidance given by the employment practice to our organisation has been exceptional. The extremely difficult and sensitive challenges the board has faced could not have been resolved without the help of Michael Black and his team.’

‘Apart from excellent support through some difficult employment issues, the team also run very helpful, innovative lunchtime briefing sessions for local businesses on a variety of hot topics relating to employment issues, including updates on legislation and how this impacts in practice.’

‘Michael Black takes the time to fully understand each situation and give great clarity on potential issues from both the employer and employee perspective, providing both a ‘letter of the law’ view and also a common-sense approach to understanding possible personnel attitudes and potential outcomes. His advice has rarely failed to hit the mark and has been invaluable on many occasions.’

‘CFR has a strong multi-jurisdictional team allowing them to act as a one-stop shop for any employment law enquiry. Their retainer billing system allows for peace of mind in terms of cost and transparency.’

‘Michael Black is an excellent advocate who presents a calm assurance when dealing with contentious circumstances. He always considers the commercial implications for clients when navigating the legal matters under dispute.’

‘Nathan Campbell assisted us with defining our employment contracts and policies relating to employment law. He has first-class knowledge of employment law and is also very responsive.’

‘Jeanette is a stand out solicitor in the field of insolvency. Her focus is on solutions for borrowers, directors, shareholders. She always aims to drive commercial solutions. She is pragmatic, knowledgeable and patient; a results-driven professional in every respect. Jeanette is one of our ‘go-to’ insolvency solicitors.’

‘Jeanette Donoghue – very experienced, great ability to summarise processes into understandable language.’

‘ Cleaver Fulton Rankin are pragmatic and easy to work with. A straightforward approach and a highly professional service. We feel well guided and reassured at all stages. A very personal service.’

‘ Jeannette Donohue and Maria McNally stand out by virtue of their attention to personal service. They respond quickly and make themselves available at short notice.’

‘I have found working with the Insolvency and Business Restructuring department of Cleaver Fulton Rankin a very positive experience. They were able to understand my requirements and explained the process and outcome in a clear and concise manner.’

‘Jeanette Donohoe is someone you want on your side. Her passion for client service is clear and there is confidence that the best case will be put forward.’

‘The CFR team are diligent and effective in the Northern Ireland renewable energy sector. Very knowledgeable yet approachable regarding queries or guidance.’

‘Staff are always welcoming regardless of novel circumstances or a challenging environment. Special recognition must be awarded to Stephen Cross and Joe Marley who are exceptional assets for the CFR team. Their knowledge, understanding and approachability have been greatly appreciated during recent engagement.’

‘Good sector knowledge across the local industry including regulatory interfaces.’

‘Good knowledge of the peculiarities of the local market.’

‘A very professional Firm, which always gave a prompt reply to any query I may have had concerning my particular project. I found this firm very knowledgeable, and I had a first class service!’

‘It was Joe Marley I was dealing with. He did his utmost to get the best deal for me, I found him to be very dependable, thorough, very knowledgeable, and was always quick to respond to any query I had about anything. It was a real pleasure working with him, and he was always willing to go the extra mile to make sure I was happy with everything.’

‘In-depth knowledge of the area of expertise and attention to detail. The capacity for hard work and attention delivers outstanding benefit and value to clients. The firm has engaged in highly complex and multi-faceted planning and environmental maters that requires very considerable tactical awareness.’

‘Karen Blair remains a benchmark for excellence in the field. Brendan Martyn has been a critical addition to the senior team and that has added significantly to the strength of the group. He has proved cool under pressure, providing sound direction and advice.’

‘All team members encountered were friendly, professional and had the ability to discuss matters in terms that were understandable to someone that does not have full knowledge of the law and its reference terms. Billing was clear concise and accurately laid out.’

‘We enjoy working with CFR because of the empathy they show through the different situations we are in when we call on them to help. Everything about them is considerate and reasonable.’

‘Kathryn Laverty is our prime contact, engaging, empathetic, sympathetic, responsive, and understanding of our priorities, our needs, our timescales. It is like having our own inhouse legal counsel at a fraction of the cost! Equally anybody that she has directed us to at the firm have been of equal high standard.’

‘A good example of expertise and experience combining to create a friendly, knowledgeable legal team.’

‘Michael King – an excellent communicator with great knowledge and expertise within the field of Intellectual Property law.’

‘What makes this practice unique is its ability to organise and prepare for trial in a cohesive and comprehensive fashion with clearly defined timelines.’

‘The Cleaver Fulton Rankin team has a culture that is client-centric and upholds the highest professional standards. They offer clear guidance and assessment of risk put in clear terms and in a manner that is appropriate for each client to understand and to assess, based on their business.’

‘Michael King stands out for me as a commercial, time-efficient practitioner. He understands complex matters quickly and most importantly, he asks the right questions that drive to the heart of a matter quickly and efficiently.’

‘Michael’s knowledge of IP is superb and he works diligently to keep the wider context in view all the time so we don’t end up going down side tracks that are not relevant. Michael gives clear advice and looks at the bigger picture even when the level of detail could otherwise seem all-consuming to others.’

‘Joe Marley is vastly experienced in the telecommunications sector. He has acted in the acquisition and management of countless telecommunications sites throughout Northern Ireland. He is very experienced, very knowledgeable. Very few lawyers in Northern Ireland have the level of experience that Joe has in this space. He is skilled at navigating complex property cases involving telecoms.’

‘Shane Conlan is a rising star in this area. He has an impressive property management portfolio for very prominent telecoms companies.’

‘Aaron Moore is a skilled litigator of telecommunications cases. He is assured and knowledgeable and understands the complexities.’

‘I have dealt with Joe Marley for many years – there is no one I have worked with over the years who would have the depth and breath of knowledge has Joe. One of Joe’s strengths is his ability to expedite transactions. Joe can effectively can create solutions to any issues which may arise that always make both the landlord and tenant respectively feel that they got the better deal!, and that’s not an easy task.’

‘Cleaver Fulton Rankin’s team have acted in the telecommunications space for longer than any other firm in Northern Ireland. They have been consistently at the forefront of the roll-out and development of mobile technology in this jurisdiction. Their knowledge is unrivalled in this sector. They are the ‘go-to’ firm.’

‘The telecoms team whom I have dealt with for nearly 15 years have a collective wealth of knowledge both from the landlord and tenant perspectives which easily enables the resolution of any issues that arise.’

‘Very professional firm to work with.’

‘Michael King, very professional to deal with and lead us to a successful resolution of a case.’

‘Dedicated point of contact at all times. Quick response to any contact made and knowledge of our competitors. Strong advice given at all times, however will always respect the direction the client wants to proceed.’

‘Going above and beyond in many cases. Works very closely with our insurance company and with a single point of contact, means that knowledge of all open cases without delay.’