About

‘In-house legal departments have become a lot more popular in this jurisdiction over the past few years – it’s a growth industry in Ireland’. Just two years into his first in-house role, ‘highly creative business lawyer’ Michael Shanley has already made waves, drawing praise both inside Panda and from the firms he instructs. In Shanley’s view, a core part of his effectiveness as GC, comes down to winning over the business. ‘My main shareholder and chairman is a bit like Alan Sugar – sometimes you need to take an unpopular position and defend it in the boardroom’. He has been heavily instrumental in the launch of Panda Power – a private equity fund focused on the electricity industry. Within Ireland’s highly regulated market, the project was a massive undertaking, requiring Shanley to draft a code of practice which could be applied easily by non-lawyers company-wide. Since his arrival in the role, Shanley has, in his words, ‘built on the good work of my predecessors’, heightening efficiency and focusing on making legal advice as accessible as possible. He has also handled major litigation and undertaken considerable competition work, ‘a significant issue for the waste industry’. When it comes to outside counsel, Shanley values a fast turnaround above all else. ‘We’re a fairly demanding client so we get the service we need from law firms’.