A&L Goodbody - The Who's Who Legal 100 2012

What is the Who's Who Legal 100?

Managing partner of the firm, Julian Yarris “smart and responsive” in his advisory practice. He deals principally with public takeovers and has acted for Ryanair, Elan and The Royal Bank of Scotland Group. David Widger is head of A&L Goodbody’s corporate department and a key player in the corporate Irish market. He has represented Allied Irish, Morgan Stanley and Campari on big mergers and acquisitions.

Mark Ward provides advice to leading domestic companies, both private and public limited, on compliance, governance and contract arrangements. He has worked on such notable deals as Capita Group’s acquisition of AIB and AIBIFS.

Head of corporate finance, Eithne FitzGerald has extensive experience leading corporate ventures, such as AIB’s acquisition of capital from Anglo Irish Bank and BUPA’s spin-off of BUPA Ireland. She practices in numerous areas but has a particular focus on the insurance industry, for which she earns a mention in the corresponding chapter.Head of the insurance practice group, James Grennan has been a consistent inclusion in our research and is highly regarded for his work in this area. A “standout name”, he has played a pivotal part in the development of Ireland’s financial regulator and the International Financial Services Centre. Margaret Stack specialises in all areas of insurance and has advised Zurich Insurance Group on its reorganisation and expansion in Ireland and Ballantyne Re on its insurance portfolio.In the insolvency chapter, two lawyers are featured: David Baxter, the head of the firm’s restructuring and insolvency practice, focuses on restructuring and liquidation for distressed companies, while Mark Traynorspecialises in insolvency matters for clients such as Setanta Sports and IPOS Pharmacy group.

On the competition and IP side, Anna-Marie Curran received numerous votes for her knowledge of EU competition law, enforcement and immunity applications. She works on public procurement matters and enjoys an additional listing in that chapter. Alan McCarthy appears before the Irish Competition Authority and European Commission on merger control, enforcement and regulatory matters, mainly for distressed companies. Vincent Power is a specialist in Irish competition and transport law. He heads the EU and competition group and has been involved in hundreds of merger filings for multinational companies and individuals. John Whelanco-heads the Palo Alto office and spends time with clients in Silicon Valley, the broader Bay Area and Seattle, and throughout the West Coast. He features in the patents and the internet and e-commerce chapters as head of the firm’s IP and technology department and its outsourcing group. He principally counsels IT and communications companies, advising on various IP matters, but is also an adviser to the Irish government on the International Content Services Centre Taskforce.

The firm is also praised for its tax expertise; noteworthy lawyers include John Hickson, who advises on all aspects of corporate and business tax, with a focus on cross-border ventures and asset holding structures, corporate income tax and indirect charges. The “excellent” Peter Maher is the co-chair of the taxes committee of the IBA and the Irish chapter of the International Fiscal Association. He concentrates on tax relating to financial services operations – as does James Somerville, who also advises on property-related tax and tax implications during M&A ventures.In the property arena, three names stand out at the firm.

Tom O’Connor is a consultant and specialises in commercial property law. He is a recognised and experienced real estate lawyer and the director of a number of property companies. Stephen O’Riordan is “recommended” for his work advising developers and investors in the real estate field, and Niamh O’Sullivan covers the full range of real estate issues, with an emphasis on acting for public bodies on funding development projects. Similarly, in the construction chapter Eamonn Conlonhas extensive experience working on public projects and infrastructure in the energy and IT industry.

The firm garners further recognition in the private funds, aviation, capital markets, and corporate governance chapters, among others.

A&L Goodbody - Professional Notice

The firm advises a large international and domestic client base.The primary office is in Dublin, which with the Belfast office enables A&L Goodbody to provide a full service across the island of Ireland. It also has offices in London, New York and Palo Alto.

A significant proportion of A&L Goodbody’s advice is for the international business community. This includes clients establishing, acquiring or financing operations in Ireland and cross-border transactions and disputes. The firm has long-standing working relationships with all leading international law firms and other professional advisers.

Corporate

A&L Goodbody consistently advises on a large number of cross-border and domestic corporate transactions and other corporate finance assignments. This includes private equity investments, financing, public to private transactions, contested takeover bids, restructurings, state privatisations, private M&A deals, public offerings and fundraising. Clients include global multinational corporations, private equity houses, investment banks and domestic corporations, government and state agencies.

Corporate Tax

A&L Goodbody’s corporate tax department advises Irish and overseas companies on the taxation aspects of corporate deals and on corporate tax planning. The department also has a VAT service advising Irish and international companies and financial institutions on corporate VAT strategy.

Banking & Financial Services

The firm’s banking and financial services department is recognised as the leading player and provides a comprehensive range of banking and finance-related legal services, including structured finance, asset finance, restructuring, insurance, investment funds, securitisation and corporate lending.

Litigation & Dispute Resolution

A&L Goodbody has one of the largest, most experienced litigation and dispute resolution departments in Ireland. The department focuses on resolving disputes whether by way of litigation, mediation, arbitration or expert determination. The group represents clients in the Irish courts and the European Courts of Justice and is also particularly active in the commercial court.

Commercial Property

The firm’s commercial property department is one of the largest in Ireland and advises Irish and international clients on every aspect of the commercial property business in Ireland. The department’s services include investment property, property development, commercial leases, property financing, retail, leisure, corporate recovery and environmental law. The firm’s service encompasses the tax, financing, environmental and planning aspects of commercial property deals.

Inward Investment

A&L Goodbody advises on the full range of issues governing all aspects of inward investment work, including: negotiations with IDA Ireland, banks and other regulatory bodies; regulatory and competition matters; law issues; government incentives for overseas investors; tax planning and advice on corporate structure, company formation, employment law and employee benefits; pensions and share option schemes; and property matters, intellectual property and information technology.

Other Specialist Areas

The firm also offers the most extensive range of specialist services available in Ireland, including investment funds; EU, regulatory and competition; IP/IT; insurance; environment and planning; employment, pensions and benefits.