Chambers Europe coverage 2017
Banking & Finance
Strengths Clients are impressed that the lawyers "get the deal done within the time – whatever it takes."
Clients underline: "They have been responsive, there has been engagement at partner level and we got the level of experience that was needed when issues arose."
Notable practitioners
Daniel Cashman is a "personable guy who breaks down lawyer's language into layman's terms to make issues easier to understand." Cashman acted for Ulster Bank Ireland on the acquisition financing of a UK food processing business. He advises clients on construction and project finance, secured lending, debt restructuring and the sale and purchase of loan portfolios.
Corporate / M&A
Strengths Interviewees highlight the firm's "timely service," and add that "the firm understood what the client was looking for."
Clients describe the lawyers as "very approachable, pragmatic, quick to come up with practical solutions and very knowledgeable."
Máire Cunningham "is practical, approachable and good at arguing her client's point of view," according to clients. Cunningham assists investors with venture capital and private equity mandates, and has an increasing focus on the education and food sectors. Her recent work includes advising Godleywood on a funding round.
Clients like that Shaun O'Shea "explains everything, doesn't give ground easily and looks after your best interests." He represents clients from the healthcare and technology sectors in M&A, corporate restructuring and corporate finance.
John White advises on corporate governance, corporate finance and corporate reorganisation. His practice also extends to insolvency. Clients are delighted that he has a "brilliant intellectual capacity, is very responsive and downs tools to make himself available."
View our corporate & commercial practice page here and M&A practice page here.
Dispute resolution
Strengths Clients appreciate the firm for being "extremely responsive, and having a brilliant eye for detail." This sources goes on to say: "They always have a good handle on things, they are very proactive and I find them excellent to deal with."
Interviewees describe the lawyers as "clear-thinking," adding: "They seek to go the extra mile with good response times."
Notable practitioners
Claire Callanan is noted for her knowledge of commercial and financial litigation, particularly insolvency and debt recovery matters. According to sources, she is "very tenacious in her approach." She acted for the Turf Club on proceedings related to allegations of race fixing and constitutional challenges to the rules of racing.
Leading the team, Mark Heslin has "a good grasp on the details," according to clients. He assisted NALM as well as receivers George Maloney and Stephen Scott with matters regarding an application to acquire possession of licensed property and lands in Dublin. He deals with insolvency issues and enforcement orders on real estate, including commercial properties.
Emma Keegan acts for banks and insurance companies on contentious commercial cases, with one client saying: "In the financial services area, she is the go-to person - a very trusted adviser." She has also handled matters connected to arbitration proceedings and their awards.
Employment
Strengths Clients are quick to praise the user-friendly approach taken by the team, saying: "Beauchamps have always been very quick, clear and easy to use."
Sources appreciate the "excellent standard of work" produced by the employment department, adding that it is a "very efficient and responsive service."
Notable practitioners
Dermot Casserly assists employers and employees with a variety of employment law topics, including transfer of undertakings, redundancies and risk management. He acted for BDO Development Capital Fund on its investments with regard to potential exposure issues within employee contracts. Clients say that he "explains things very well and is knowledgeable in a lot of fields."
Claire Callanan handles contentious employment matters, often defending employers against claims of unfair dismissal. Sources describe her as "a good tactician and negotiator" who has a "pragmatic" and "balanced" approach. She has noteworthy recent experience in reviews and investigations.
Energy & Natural resources
Strengths The "proactive and client-friendly" advice is a strength, according to sources, who say that the lawyers "clearly understood our requirements and were instrumental in devising solutions to get us there."
One client comments: "Beauchamps handled the task in a prompt manner. Their main strength was their knowledge and experience of the small wind farm sector."
Notable practitioners
The "very energetic and approachable" Ainsley Heffernan offers a "wealth of experience" in the renewables sphere. He often acts for developers and lenders on wind and solar energy projects. He assisted Metro Energy with financing, construction and regulatory matters related to the construction of Kilberehert Windfarm in Cork.
Intellectual property
Strengths One client considers the group's offering to be "excellent: efficient and knowledgeable."
Notable practitioners
Maureen Daly receives plaudits for her ability to advise on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious IP matters. She recently acted for Motivation Weight Management on the settlement of an IP infringement matter. One client describes her as "very fair, communicative and easy to understand."
Real Estate
Strengths Interviewees say that the team "really impressed me in terms of responsiveness, commercial acumen and its ability to deal with complex issues."
Sources also report that the lawyers are "sensitive to the needs of the client, and good at assessing the issues and coming back with solutions rather than problems."
Notable practitioners
Aidan Marsh advises clients on construction and environmental law, lease negotiation and the acquisition and disposal of commercial property. Clients say he is "pragmatic, very commercial, a very good communicator and solution-focused." Marsh also assists with real estate tax law. He acted for PREM Group on the acquisition of several hotels and leisure facilities.
Clients say that Maitiu O'Donaill is "very efficient and able to get to the nub of the issue." He advises lenders, receivers and liquidators on real estate insolvencies. O'Donaill also acts for developers and lenders on real estate tax matters.
According to clients, Imelda Reynolds is "very approachable, efficient and a good problem solver." Reynolds advises clients on commercial property matters and often acts on planning law matters. She assisted UDG Healthcare with the lease negotiation for a property in Dublin.
Tony O'Sullivan acts for clients on construction law, lease negotiations, acquisition financing and real estate M&A. Clients report that "his attention to detail is excellent, he is very thorough and he keeps to deadlines." He advised Charlie O’Reilly Hyland and Aidan Farrell on the purchase of greenfield and housing developments.
Insolvency / Restructuring
Notable practitioners
Barry Cahir, partner and head of insolvency & corporate restructuring ranked as a leading lawyer in this area (Band 2).
TMT: Information technology
Strengths Responsiveness is repeatedly highlighted as a strength, with one client adding that they are "quick to pick up the phone if something is happening in the background I need to know."
Notable practitioners
Clients like that Maureen Daly is "able to explain legal concepts in layman's terms and always provides sound advice." She advises clients on both contentious and non-contentious matters including outsourcing, software licence agreements and IP. She has further expertise in compliance with consumer and data protection law and assisted the Charities Regulatory Authority with data protection and freedom of information issues.