Transport

Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Hilary Marren
Hall of fameMcCann FitzGerald LLP
Hilary is a partner in the firm’s Finance Group, specialising in asset finance and leasing transactions. She has acted for many of the leading operating lessors, financiers and export credit agencies in the aviation industry. She has extensive experience of diverse international aviation transactions, including portfolio acquisitions and disposals, secured and unsecured lending, leveraged leasing, portfolio securitisations, aviation-related joint ventures and cross-border financings. Hilary has also advised clients on the acquisition and disposal of operating leasing companies.
David Maughan
Hall of fameWilliam Fry LLP
David is a Partner and Co-Head of the Banking & Finance Department and Head of Aviation & Asset Finance. He advises on financing transactions for many different classes of assets, particularly aircraft and on a variety of structures including debt and equity investments, operating and finance leases and securitisations.
Eamonn O’Hanrahan
Hall of fameMcCann FitzGerald LLP
Eamonn leads our Projects Group, and has particular experience in project finance, with an emphasis on public transport. He has advised numerous statutory agencies and private sector entities in relation to PPP and other projects. He also handles more general banking and financial work for a variety of financial institutions, including secured and structured lending. He has advised across a range of sectors, including roads, rail, waste, energy, renewables and technology. As an experienced projects and banking lawyer, Eamonn brings particular capability and a proven history in terms of managing and delivering projects with diverse strands and inputs through to completion. He is also recognised as a leading adviser in relation to legal issues affecting public entities, having advised a range of statutory agencies.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Aaron Boyle
Hall of fameArthur Cox
Aaron’s practice is focused on the areas of infrastructure, procurement, PPP and project finance. Aaron heads the Public Law, Procurement, Transport and PPP and PFI Groups in Arthur Cox.
Joe Fay
McCann FitzGerald LLP
Joe specialises in banking and asset finance transactions and has advised many of the main participants in the aviation finance industry. He advises on the structuring and financing of the acquisition, ownership and leasing of aircraft and aircraft portfolio securitisations. He also involves advising foreign and domestic aircraft owners and lessors on all aspects of registration of aircraft on the Irish register, operating aircraft in Ireland and establishing aircraft facilities in Ireland. In the course of this work Joe advises on the Irish and EU regulatory framework for the operation and ownership of aircraft and airlines. He also lectures regularly at the aviation law masters programme at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands, and at the aviation finance masters programme at the Smurfit School of Business, UCD.
Stuart Kennedy
Matheson LLP
Stuart is a partner in the Finance and Capital Markets Department and advises on all aspects of aviation, shipping, rail and other asset financing, trading and leasing matters on a daily basis.  Stuart has gained considerable experience in advising on the structuring of aircraft purchase, sale, financing and leasing transactions and acts for a number of aircraft lessors, financiers and airlines in leveraged, syndicated and export credit agency backed financing facilities.  Stuart also has considerable experience in advising on structured finance, ABS (asset-backed securities) and repackaging transactions relating to all such asset classes including the establishment of special purpose companies funded by public and private issuances. Stuart also regularly advises Irish airlines and leasing companies on airline licencing and registration issues with the Irish Aviation Authority and Commission for Aviation Regulation in addition to all aspects of the Cape Town Convention and Aircraft Protocol. Stuart regularly presents to aircraft and aircraft engine lessors on all aspects of the Cape Town Convention and Aircraft Protocol and to company directors on their duties and responsibilities under Irish law. Stuart is also a lecturer and tutor on the Law Society of Ireland’s Diploma in Aviation Leasing and Finance.
Rory McPhillips
Matheson LLP
Rory McPhillips is a partner in the Finance and Capital Markets Department. Rory has considerable experience in advising financial institutions, equity participants, export credit agencies, commercial and investment banks, airlines, aircraft leasing companies and others in a wide range of matters over a number of years. He represents clients in the financing and leasing of aircraft, railcars, engines, simulators, trucks and industrial equipment, and routinely handles all Irish aspects of financing structures established across multiple jurisdictions with aircraft and other assets deployed globally.
Marie O’Brien
A&L Goodbody LLP
Marie O'Brien is a partner in the Finance Department, and Head of Aviation and Transport Finance. Marie is highly experienced in advising in relation to the acquisition, leasing, financing and trading of a variety of asset classes including aircraft, engines, helicopters, ship, rail, machinery and equipment. Marie is also Head of A&L Goodbody's Chinese Lawyer's Placement Programme and China Business Group. Marie was listed in the 2020 Top 100 Elite Lawyers in Foreign Firms by China Business Law Journal.
Séamus Ó Cróinín
Hall of fameA&L Goodbody LLP
Séamus Ó Cróinín is a Partner in A&L Goodbody's Finance Department and specialises in asset, property and structured finance. Séamus has a particular focus on aviation finance and his clients include European and US credit institutions, private equity investors and aircraft lessors. Séamus also advises European and Irish credit institutions and large corporate borrowers in relation to Irish corporate lending transactions. He has acted for a number of private equity investors in connection with Irish loans/asset portfolio disposals.
Georgina O’Riordan
McCann FitzGerald LLP
Georgina is Head of our Finance Group and her practice focuses on banking and asset finance transactions. She advises leading aircraft lessors, lenders and arrangers on all aspects of aircraft financing and leasing. This includes cross-border leasing transactions, sale and leaseback transactions, secured lending, portfolio acquisitions and disposals and the establishment of leasing and financing platforms in Ireland. She also advises clients on aircraft repossessions, the registration and operation of aircraft in Ireland and the establishment of Irish joint venture vehicles for the acquisition and financing of aircraft.
Vincent Power SC
Hall of fameA&L Goodbody LLP
Dr Vincent Power is a partner in A&L Goodbody specialising in EU law, EU and Irish competition/antitrust law, merger control, regulatory law and transport law for national and international as well as public and private clients. He is Head of the firm's EU, Competition & Procurement Group which is consistently ranked at the forefront of Irish law firms and he is seen as the most experienced competition lawyer practising in Ireland. Vincent won the ILO Client Choice Award for the category of "EU Competition and Antitrust" across the entire European Union in 2017 and he has won the same award for Ireland in 2018 and 2021 – these awards are made by The International Law Office in recognition of a partner who excels across the full spectrum of client service. In 2019, he was elected Chairman of the European Maritime Law Organisation. He is listed in the Lloyd's List Top 10 Maritime Lawyers 2019 worldwide and in the 2022 Who's Who Legal: Transport. Vincent has advised on most of the leading competition, merger control, EU law, cartel, abuse of dominance, State aid, joint venture, pricing, refusal to supply, competition investigations, dawn raids, Competition Authority / CCPC and competition litigation cases in Ireland over the last 20 years. He has been involved in several hundred merger filings in Ireland and the EU and has experience and expertise in all of the issues involved. He has developed a particular expertise in regard to Brexit Law.
Mary Ward
William Fry LLP
Mary is a Partner in William Fry's Banking & Finance department with a particular emphasis on Aviation and Asset Finance. Mary advises on a broad range of banking and finance transactions with a particular focus on asset finance and structured finance. She also advises banks, funders, investors and corporates on all forms of investment and acquisition finance.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Stephen Gardiner
Matheson LLP
Stephen is a partner in the Finance and Capital Markets Department at Matheson. Stephen advises aircraft lessors, financiers and airlines on the trading, financing, leasing and repossession of aircraft. His practice includes the establishment of corporate structures in Ireland to facilitate the financing and leasing of various asset classes, including aviation, maritime and industrial assets. Stephen advises some of the world’s largest financial institutions and leading aviation industry participants on a variety of transactions and financing products utilising Irish corporate structures. These include joint ventures, operating leasing, orphan financings, sale and leasebacks, export credit agency supported financings, secured and unsecured lending, EETCs, JOLCOs, ABS and PDP financings, amongst others. Stephen is recognised as an experienced advisor in airline regulation and aircraft registration in Ireland, and has advised on the establishment of a major international airline in Ireland. Stephen was named as a key lawyer in transport in Ireland by Legal 500 in 2020 and as a Rising Star by Airfinance Journal in 2019. Stephen is faculty member on The Law Society of Ireland’s Certificate and Diploma courses in Aviation Leasing and Finance. He is also a licenced private pilot.
Ruth Lillis
Arthur Cox
Ruth has extensive experience advising the firm’s clients on all aspects of domestic and international finance across a variety of sectors with a particular focus on aviation, transportation and asset finance. Ruth regularly works on complex leasing and asset financing transactions and advises clients on a broad range of transactions. Ruth has advised extensively on loan and lease restructurings during the Covid-19 pandemic and this has provided her with unique experience in the market.
Niamh McGovern
Arthur Cox
Niamh advises a broad range of clients across the construction, energy, infrastructure, and PPP sectors. Niamh advises clients on a wide range of matters and focuses principally on construction law, projects and infrastructure (including public-private partnerships), and energy. She has acted for developers, contractors, and lenders on a wide range of construction projects, PPPs, development finance transactions (including the residential, leisure, and office accommodation sectors), and on the construction aspects of many project finance transactions (principally in the energy, transport and social infrastructure sectors). In addition, Niamh has recently advised on a number of large transactions in the pharmaceutical and telecoms sectors.
Yvonne McWeeney
Matheson LLP
Yvonne is a partner in the Finance and Capital Markets Department and advises on all aspects of aviation, shipping, rail and other asset financing, trading and leasing matters on a daily basis. Yvonne has gained considerable experience in advising on all aspects of the structuring of asset purchase, sale, financing and leasing transactions and acts for a number of aircraft lessors, financiers and airlines in leveraged, syndicated and export credit agency backed financing facilities. Yvonne also has considerable experience in advising on structured finance, ABS (asset-backed securities) and repackaging transactions relating to all such asset classes including the establishment of special purpose companies funded by public and private issuances. Yvonne has significant experience in advising on all aspects of the Cape Town Convention and in addition regularly provides advice on registration issues with the Irish Aviation Authority. Yvonne is also a lecturer and tutor on the Law Society of Ireland’s Certificate and Diploma courses in Aviation Leasing and Finance.
Jamie Rattigan
A&L Goodbody LLP
Jamie is a partner in the Construction & Engineering group at ALG specialising in construction projects in the property and infrastructure sectors, including property development, development finance, joint-ventures, PPP and concessions. Jamie has experience in acting for developers, funders, sponsors, public authorities and contractors on a number of significant Irish construction and infrastructure projects, including advising on a broad range of projects in the accommodation, transport, energy, water and telecommunications sectors in Ireland over recent years.
Leading associates
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.

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