Mills Selig > Belfast, United Kingdom > Firm Profile

Mills Selig Offices

Mills Selig
21 ARTHUR STREET
BELFAST
BT1 4GA
United Kingdom
Visit website 028 9024 3878 028 9023 1956

Mills Selig > The Legal 500 Rankings

Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate Tier 1

Mills Selig is active across Great Britain and internationally, on a broad range of work including succession planning, gifts and deeds, and living wills. The group is regularly active for high-net-worth clients, and are experienced in tax planning considerations. Fiona McFall, who leads the team, handles all areas of wealth management, including wills, trusts, and estate planning. Senior associate Paula Gibson, who joined the firm from Cleaver Fulton Rankin in 2021, has experience in mental capacity, controllership, and enduring powers of attorney.

Practice head(s):

Fiona McFall

Other key lawyers:

Paula Gibson

Testimonials

‘The team are very efficient, attentive and cost effective.’

Work highlights

Corporate and commercial > Corporate and M&A Tier 2

Mills Selig‘s large team of corporate specialists covers sales and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate reorganisations and private equity transactions, in addition to a range of other matters. Chris Guy, who leads the team, specialises in complex M&A and private equity transactions, and is noted for his experience in MBOs, investments, and shareholder arrangements and exits. Other core team members include Glenn Watterson, who has particular strength in the IT, energy, and hospitality sectors, and Darren Marley, whose practice includes equity investments, sales and acquisitions, and corporate restructuring. Solicitor Emma McCloskey is a key name.

Practice head(s):

Chris Guy

Other key lawyers:

Glenn Watterson; Darren Marley; Emma McCloskey

Testimonials

‘We have found them to be reliable, supportive, helpful, knowledgeable and deliver advices in tight timelines. But we expect that from all our advisors – what sets Mills Selig apart is the personality of every person we have dealt, the genuine enthusiasm and curiosity about our transactions and the calm and pragmatic way they deal with obstacles.’

‘We primarily deal with the corporate team, which is led by Chris Guy, who is hugely experienced and a steady hand steering the ship. We have also worked with Glenn Watterson – who is very calm, unflappable, commercial and willing to go above and beyond to get the deal done.’

‘I have found the Mills Selig corporate team to be personable, technically astute and very responsive.’

‘Darren Marley is a real stand out partner within the team. Not only is he able to very quickly come to terms with the issue(s) at hand, he has an assuring presence that gives you the sense no stone will be left unturned to get to the end position we desire.’

‘The team have a long-standing reputation for excellence and commerciality in an often crowded market. They are both personable and professional whilst bringing an excellent technical approach to any transaction.’

‘We have found that the team are well respected across the board and are able to manage often complex transactions with all clients and advisor alike.’

‘Chris Guy has continued to show he is a leader in the NI Corporate law arena by working on a number of key transactions throughout the year and by supporting his long-standing clients. He has a pragmatic and commercial approach to all transactions, which is valued and respected by clients and other advisors given his reputation in the market and technical competence.’

‘Glenn Watterson has continued to provide excellent advice and a professional approach to all transactions and engagements he has been involved with.’

Key clients

FD Technologies plc

Natural World Products Limited

AAB Group Ltd

Enisca Group Limited

Hospital Services Limited

Galgorm Hotel and Spa Group

Alpha Real Capital

Flogas

Mercedes Benz NI Truck & Van

UNRVLD HOLDINGS LIMITED

Work highlights

Northern Ireland > Dispute resolution Tier 2

Mills Selig fields a team with 'consistent expertise', with areas of strength including commercial litigation, media and defamation, shareholder disputes, and professional liability. Team lead Emma Hunt covers professional regulation and media litigation, and has particular strength in property disputes. Kirsten Magee focuses on intellectual property disputes, while Maeve Fisher is a key name for licensing matters. Senior associate Rebecca Logan is qualified in both Northern Ireland and England and Wales.

Practice head(s):

Emma Hunt

Other key lawyers:

Kirsten Magee; Maeve Fisher; Mark Thompson; Rebecca Logan

Testimonials

‘Consistent expertise across the firm and extremely responsive.’

‘All exceptional; clever and a pleasure to work with.’

Key clients

Warrenpoint Harbour Authority

Twitter International Company

DCC Energy Limited

Mannok Holdings DAC

The Lotus Group

Sir Van Morrison

McCausland Group/ Value Cabs Limited

Ammann Czech Republic AS

Hagan Homes Limted

Associated Newspapers Limited

Work highlights

  • Acting for a manufacturer of a pneumatic roller which crushed an individual during a workplace fatal accident.  We have represented our client, designated as a Properly Interested Person, at preliminary hearings, and managed the disclosure process.
  • Represented a large, local pig producer, in their successful claim for breach of contract against the national food producer, Karro Food Group Limited.
  • Advising a large independent local hotel group on an appeal of a decision of Belfast City Council.

Real estate > Commercial property Tier 2

Mills Selig acts for a broad range of clients including landowners, funders, institutional lenders and developers, and is particularly active in the energy sector. Team lead Anne Skeggs specialises in property finance, distressed property, and securitisation. Anna-Marie McAlinden, who is qualified in Northern Ireland, England and Wales, and the Republic of Ireland, handles acquisitions, lettings, and disposals. McAlinden has expertise in the energy sector, and leads the firm’s climate and energy department.

Practice head(s):

Anne Skeggs

Other key lawyers:

Anna-Marie McAlinden; Nick Nolan

Testimonials

‘While Mills Selig is not the largest firm in Northern Ireland by head count, they undoubtedly punch above their weight when it comes to commercial property/real estate. In my experience, they are a top ten Belfast law practice.’

‘Anne Skeggs, partner in the commercial property team, is acknowledged as an expert in her field, using the experienced gained with a top London firm and her excellent local knowledge of the Northern Ireland market to deliver the best outcomes for clients.’

Key clients

Ducales Capital

Alpha Real Renewables/Elm Solar Limited

Bamford Bus Company

Euro Garages

Hagan Homes

Glenmayne Group

Galliard Homes Limited

Total Produce Limited

Waterways Ireland

ITV Group plc

BSI Wind Limited

Natural World Products Limited

Dunmore Financial

Work highlights

  • Acting on the acquisition by share purchase of a portfolio of 27.45 MWp Wind Assets in England Wales and Scotland. This is a repeat instruction from London investment group Alpha Real Capital.
  • Refinancing two large 10MW wind farm sites with DLL Group Finance.
  • Acting on a number of large housing development sites for a Northern Irish Housing Association, including sites at Loft Lines Titanic Quarter, Evish Road Strabane, and Carrick Fergus.

TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property Tier 2

Mills Selig advises clients in relation to a diverse set of intellectual property matters, including copyright, trademarks, and patents, in addition to protection of IP through non-disclosure agreements and employment contracts. Commercial litigator Emma Hunt co-leads the department alongside Kirsten Magee, who has experience advising private and public sector clients. Corporate partner Glenn Watterson is a key name for non-contentious matters, and focuses on advising technology and start-up companies.

Practice head(s):

Emma Hunt; Kirsten Magee

Other key lawyers:

Glenn Watterson

Testimonials

‘The practice is full of really talented people. Any of our dealings with Mills Selig have felt competent, organised and confidence inspiring.’

‘Despite the fact that the work was difficult and very detailed, Glenn handled it with great care and expertise and walked us through a difficult point in a very calm and organised way.’

Key clients

Valsoft Corporation, Inc

FD Technologies PLC

Work highlights

  • Instructed by a Northern Ireland based manufacturing company in patent infringement proceedings threatened by their competitor.
  • Instructed by Northern Ireland’s two leading taxi operators, Value Cabs and FonaCab, in respect of a joint passing off and trademark infringement dispute against recently registered company FondaValue and 7 Seater Taxi Limited.
  • Acting for Hannaway CA Limited, who received cease and desist correspondence from solicitors acting for the Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland.

Northern Ireland > Employment Tier 3

Mills Selig‘s team covers all areas related to employment, and specialises in advising large companies and SMEs on complex TUPE arrangements. Team lead Kiera Lee, described by clients as ‘friendly, professional and knowledgeable’, is experienced in restructuring and redundancies, and assists with strategic decisions. Solicitor Andrew Edwards covers both contentious and non-contentious matters.

Practice head(s):

Kiera Lee

Other key lawyers:

Andrew Edwards

Testimonials

‘Personal and professional.’

‘Kiera Lee – Friendly, professional and knowledgeable and most importantly factual. Has always made time to discuss the situation and was extremely patient.’

Key clients

First Derivatives Plc

DCC Plc

Virgin Media Plc

Golf Holdings Limited

Bamford Bus Company t/a Wrightbus

Dunnes Stores Limited

Van Werven Holdings Limited

Galgorm Hotel Group

Savage and Whitten Wholesale

Ulster Shredders Engineering

Board Failte

Work highlights

  • Advised Board Failte on the cross border implications of employees in the Republic of Ireland working from home in Northern Ireland, while employed under an ROI contract.
  • Advised a recruitment client on sabbatical policy after the client received an application from a long term employee.
  • Advised a logistics and supply client on the application of TUPE to employees carrying out a contract in change of a service provision situation.

Finance > Insolvency and corporate recovery Tier 3

Mills Selig's restructuring and insolvency group specialises in acting for insolvency practitioners. The team additionally advises accountants, businesses, and private individuals in respect of all matters relating to insolvency. Team lead Richard Craig is regularly before the high court in insolvency proceedings, and is praised for his 'sound knowledge and judgment.' Former team lead John Kearns remains active, and contributes expertise in restructuring matters.

Practice head(s):

Richard Craig

Other key lawyers:

John Kearns; Kathryn McIvor

Testimonials

‘The team have massive experience, and an excellent balance of technical and practical advice.’

‘John Kearns has significant experience and knowledge of the area. Richard Craig has sound knowledge and judgment.’

Key clients

Teneo

FPM AAB

Gildernew & Co Accountants

Keenan CF

Grant Thornton

Hannaway CA

Cavanagh Kelly

Rachel Fowler Advisory

Arthur Boyd & Co

McKeague Morgan

HNH Group

Work highlights

Projects, energy and natural resources > Energy, project finance and PFI Tier 3

Mills Selig has a strong focus on renewables, particularly wind, solar, anaerobic digestion and battery storage. The group covers investment, acquisitions, and disposals. Real estate specialist Anna-Marie McAlinden leads the team, and is regularly active for landowners, funders, institutional lenders and developers. Glenn Watterson leads on corporate transactions.

Practice head(s):

Anna-Marie McAlinden

Other key lawyers:

Glenn Watterson; Emma McCloskey

Testimonials

‘This practice are a team that focus on the client’s success. They spend time getting to know you and your business. This reaps benefits when things get complicated or contentious, because they then are able to adapt and anticipate the assistance we require.’

‘The individuals are evidently skilled, knowledgeable, clear and succinct. They have no airs or graces about them. The professionalism is clear and, most importantly, acknowledged by their competitors and other businesses.’

Key clients

Natural World Products Limited

Power On Technologies Limited

Girona Energy Limited

BSI Wind Ltd

3T Power Limited

Alpha Real Renewables (England)

Rengineers (Dutch)

Work highlights

Real estate > Construction Tier 3

Mills Selig is a prominent name in the residential sector, and is highly active for housing association clients. The 'approachable and helpful' Adrian Kerr leads the practice, and covers the full range of contentious and non-contentious construction matters. Associate Conor Mulligan has experience in construction, engineering and procurement disputes.

Practice head(s):

Adrian Kerr

Other key lawyers:

Conor Mulligan

Testimonials

‘Sound understanding of construction related legal matters. Contactable and available to discuss matters – time spent to understand nuance of the client and approach is adapted to meet specific client requirements – that is important to ourselves.’

‘Adrian Kerr – approachable and helpful. Will make self available to support client approach.’

Key clients

Clanmil Housing Association

Radius Housing Association

Belfast International Airport

Choice Housing Association

McAdam Design Limited

Mott MacDonald Limited

Glenfort Timber Engineering

Habinteg Housing Association (Ulster) Limited

Urban Pulse

Braidwater Homes

Work highlights

  • Acting for Clanmil Housing on all construction matters.
  • Acting for Choice Housing Association in relation to its extensive, ongoing construction project portfolio.
  • Acting for Habinteg Housing Association Limited on all construction aspects of a new 150-home housing development at the Old Adria Factory Site in Strabane.

Mills Selig > Firm Profile

The firm: Mills Selig is one of Northern Ireland’s most innovative and progressive corporate and commercial law firms. It acts for leading plcs, private equity funds, entrepreneurs, private companies and businesses, property developers, leading retailers and national and international media organisations.

Its expert lawyers also advise on English law and are regularly involved in high-level property, corporate and commercial transactions in Ireland, Great Britain, mainland Europe and worldwide.

Notable clients include First Derivatives plc, Bank of Ireland, Devenish Nutrition, ITV, DCC Energy, Murdock Group, Hughes Insurance, Wine Inns, SDC Trailers, and White Rock Capital Partners. The firm has experienced considerable growth over the past few years in restructuring, liquor licensing, banking, construction, energy and environment.

Principal areas of work
Banking and finance: Mills Selig advise borrowers and lenders on property and corporate finance transactions across many different sectors and can assist individuals and businesses as well as banks on all aspects of financing transactions. The firm’s experienced team have expertise in advising on recovery of secured debt and fixed charge receiverships.

Commercial: Well-drafted commercial agreements are fundamental to successful business. Robust terms and conditions and distribution agreements are imperative in today’s competitive environment. Mills Selig’s commercial contracts team are experts at striking the balance in their advice so that client contracts are both workable from a day-to-day business perspective but also offer all appropriate safeguards to limit the risk of contract disputes.

Commercial property: Mills Selig’s dedicated commercial property team have the technical edge to offer sound and decisive commercial property advice in Northern Ireland, England and Wales. The team works closely with clients and their agents to deliver effective, business-minded solutions in all areas of commercial property law.

Construction: Mills Selig is a market-leading construction specialist employing a dedicated team focusing entirely on construction-related issues — the team has a proven track record of dealing with high-value and technically complex cases. The firm sets itself apart by providing solution-focused advice in relation to live construction projects and provides the full construction legal package.

Corporate: Mills Selig’s corporate team is made up of market-leading specialist corporate lawyers and solicitors who combine superior technical expertise with substantial transactional experience of high-value, complex transactions both nationally and internationally. The team’s approach is based on clear, direct, problem-solving advice driven by business needs and objectives to get the deal done.

Dispute resolution and litigation: Mills Selig has a highly successful, market-leading team adept at handling all types of litigation — with notable experience in managing high-value and complex cases. The litigation team is particularly skilled at adopting a trusted advisor approach and providing not only commercial but strategic advice.

Employment: Mills Selig’s highly regarded employment team is recognised for its experience in all types of employment matters. In this specialised and complex area of law, the firm’s dedicated team focus on delivering expert advice with a strong commercial focus.

Energy and environmental: Mills Selig’s energy and environmental team draws on key sector knowledge from across the firm’s practice areas, including corporate, commercial and property. The team has advised a wide range of clients involved in the generation of energy from renewable and non-renewable sources, as well as businesses operating in the supply chain.

IP and technology: Mills Selig offers legal expertise across all aspects of IP. The firm advises businesses on strategies that enable their intellectual property assets to be fully protected and commercially exploited – this includes copyright, trademarks and design rights through to joint venture collaborations, franchising and licensing.

Licensing: The licensing team at Mills Selig are recognised market leaders, combining detailed knowledge and practical experience of a wide range of licensing applications. Chambers and Partners ranks the Mills Selig licensing team Band 1. The team’s services include; applications for new licences for public houses, hotels, off licences and restaurants, all types of renewal application, transfers, sale and purchase transactions, protection orders, amendments/additions to licence terms, objections to applications and social club applications.

Media and defamation: Mills Selig’s media and defamation team are recognised experts, representing national newspapers, broadcasters, book and online publishers as well as high-profile individuals. The team enjoy longstanding recognition in Chambers UK legal directory as a leader in defamation and reputation management and have been involved in many of the major libel and media cases in this jurisdiction— including Northern Ireland’s first-ever State Immunity case.

Private client: Mills Selig’s specialist private client team assists individuals and families for whom wealth preservation is a fundamental objective. The team is trusted locally and throughout the UK and Ireland to handle all private client matters sensitively, professionally and with unparalleled expertise. The team has extensive experience in a range of private client matters including wills, trusts, business succession, estate planning and creating bespoke structures to protect personal and family wealth.

Residential property: Mills Selig’s restructuring and insolvency team advises debtor companies, secured and unsecured creditors, financial institutions, banks, insolvency practitioners and failing businesses needing support on all aspects of recovery, turnaround and insolvency. The team is highly regarded for its expert, timely guidance, which has on several occasions helped businesses avoid formal insolvency arrangements.

Main Contacts

Department Name Email Telephone
Senior Partner - Restructuring and Insolvency John Kearns
Partner - Head of Property Anne Skeggs
Partner - Head of Construction Adrian Kerr
Managing Partner - Head of Corporate Chris Guy
Partner - Head of Litigation Emma Hunt
Partner - Head of Employment Kiera Lee
Partner - Property / Head of Climate & Energy Anna-Marie McAlinden
Partner - Head of Private Client Fiona McFall
Partner - Restructuring and insolvency Richard Craig
Partner - Corporate Glenn Watterson
Partner - Corporate Darren Marley
Partner - Litigation Kirsten Magee
Partner - Litigation / Head of Licensing Maeve Fisher

Meet The Team(s)

Staff Figures

Number of UK Partners : 13
Number of other UK fee-earners : 16