Arthur Cox

One of the foremost full-service law firms in Northern Ireland; strengths include company and commercial law, M&A, banking and finance, projects and procurement, commercial property and construction, environment and planning, commercial and finance litigation, energy, employment, licensing and information rights.

The firm: With over 350 lawyers in Belfast, Dublin, London, New York and Silicon Valley and almost 100 staff in Belfast alone, Arthur Cox provides a comprehensive service to an international client base, ranging from multinational organisations, banks and financial institutions and established global industry leaders, to government agencies and new players in the technology and media sectors. The firm’s authoritative reputation is based on proven professional skills, a thorough understanding of client requirements, sound judgement and a practical approach to solving legal and commercial problems.

Types of work undertaken
Company/commercial: the firm has a strong reputation for corporate finance and M&A, and acts in all company/commercial law matters, including private equity, joint ventures, venture capital, and agency and distribution agreements. It regularly acts on cross-border, all-Ireland transactions and inward investments.

Commercial property: the firm has Northern Ireland’s leading commercial property practice (by both value and volume) with very significant experience of the local market. It has been involved in most of the major commercial property projects carried out in Northern Ireland in recent years and the firm’s clients span the entire property spectrum, from private developers to government departments.

Litigation and dispute resolution: the team has long-standing experience in commercial litigation, personal injury defence litigation, insurance litigation, banking litigation, construction disputes, professional negligence including medical defence, intellectual property disputes and product liability. The firm has a dedicated banking litigation team with a volume of work so substantial that it is the number one ranked legal firm by volume across the whole of the UK for secured recoveries for at least one major high-street lender.

Energy: the firm acts for government departments and major private sector clients and has been involved in the restructuring and financing of energy infrastructure and markets across Ireland. It advises on all financing, trading and regulatory matters relating to the energy industry.

Projects and construction: Arthur Cox’s all-Ireland projects team has more than 30 specialist lawyers and is a market leader. The dedicated projects team in Belfast has been the firm of choice for the public sector in Northern Ireland in recent years, advising awarding authorities on virtually all significant infrastructure and ICT projects.

Public procurement: the firm has a team of specialist public procurement lawyers in Belfast, with unrivalled experience advising the public and private sector on all aspects of public and utilities procurement law. It is the ‘go-to’ firm for complex project procurements in Northern Ireland; procurement litigation is also a key strength.

Banking/financial services: the firm has one of the leading banking and financial services practices in Northern Ireland. It is regularly instructed by lending institutions in Ireland and the United Kingdom, and for international lending institutions in banking transactions involving cross-border elements.

Public and administrative law: the firm acts for commercial and public sector clients, providing advice on a range of public and administrative law issues including freedom of information and data protection. The team has represented clients in a number of high-profile judicial review applications and one of the first cases under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Employment and pensions: the firm advises private and public sector clients on all aspects of employment law, including fair employment, discrimination and equal pay. It also advises on all aspects of termination of employment (including redundancy, collective redundancy, unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal and constructive dismissal) and supports corporate clients on employment issues arising in the context of mergers and acquisitions.

Other offices: Dublin, London, New York, Silicon Valley.