William Fry LLP > Dublin, Ireland > Firm Profile

‘WF have some outstanding individual partners who provide best in class service as banking lawyers. Jason Hollis is a great example of a lawyer we trust and like working with. He not only has good legal technical knowledge, but is able to clearly communicate the risks and mitigations of a situation and advise on the best course of action. He has a risk-based approach and focuses on the key material items rather than getting caught up on non-material points.’

‘William Fry’s banking team have consistently provided my team with exceptional service and expertise. Throughout my time working with them, I have consistently been impressed by their proactive approach to every aspect of our business dealings.’

‘Padraic Kinsella, in my opinion, is one of the strongest banking lawyers I have worked with in the Irish market. Padraic demonstrates a deep understanding of the commercial landscape and tailors his advice to meet the unique needs of each transaction. His attention to detail, combined with a forward thinking mindset, has proven invaluable in helping me navigate complex financings with confidence.’

‘Padraic Kinsella is my go to person. Even if not his area of expertise, he will ensure he connects me with the right person and I can tell he has made them aware of the value of the relationship as the service is as if coming directly from him.’

‘Lyn Brennan is one of the best lawyers in Ireland with the right mix of aligning all work with client requirements and then delivering expert legal advice. She is incredibly committed to her clients. Another major skill of Lyn’s is her ability to draw on expertise across William Fry as required to deliver superior client outcomes.’

‘Ciarán Herlihy, in particular, was available, responsive and had a great commercial knowledge of the industry.’

‘Ciarán Herhily’s ability to engage with clients, address concerns and lead the deals is outstanding.’

‘Jason Hollis – gifted lawyer and knows his stuff; easy to get on with and has great client engagement. Ciarán Herlihy – great client relationship partner and excellent to work alongside. Padraic Kinsella – very knowledgeable and great to work with on transactional matters. David O’Shea – exceptional senior associate – one to keep an eye on.’

‘The team’s knowledge is based on a deep understanding of the construction world. They are always at the other end of the phone if you have a query.’

‘I have the pleasure of dealing with Jarleth Heneghan and Cassandra Byrne. They are friendly and always available. The depth of their knowledge is unsurpassed.’

‘The William Fry construction team have consistently demonstrated exceptional expertise and professionalism in the construction law field.’

‘Deep understanding of complex construction contracts, coupled with a pragmatic and solution-oriented approach.’

‘Jarleth Heneghan is always accessible, providing clear, concise advice, even in the most challenging cases.’

‘The team is dedicated and committed to carrying out due diligence and providing diligent research. Their commitment, dedication and resilience are obvious. The team operates in a very flexible and collaborative way.’

‘Liam McCabe’s breadth of knowledge on the matters at hand was unsurpassed in my experience.’

‘I valued Bryanna Ryan’s attention to detail and willingness to fully explain and be practical in the negotiations on the client’s behalf.’

‘Mary Cooney is superb. She is knowledgable, wise and empathetic. She responds immediately to queries and deals with matters efficiently and expertly. Compared to my experience with other solicitors (in other firms) she stands out. Highly recommended.’

‘Gerard James is extremely proactive and his willingness to go out on the ground to determine the realities of situations is very valuable to us as a client. He is determined to thoroughly understand the situation in order to provide the best advice he can.’

‘Margaret Muldowney, Mary Cooney and Barry Murphy collaborate very well together, which collaboration translates into an excellent service for clients. A standout feature is their ability to promptly devise a strategy by which they can achieve their client’s needs.’

‘Owen O’Sullivan is a master strategist who keeps his eyes on the prize and does not lose focus.’

‘Paul Convery is a highly respected and experienced litigator. Very calm under pressure. Paul is always focused on achieving the best commercial result for the client.’

‘Garrett Breen is hugely experienced and a pleasure to work with. Laura Murdock, partner, and Adele Hall, senior associate, are both excellent, always on top of their files, very responsive and highly effective in their roles.’

’‘William Fry’s dispute resolution team is a highly impressive team of experienced lawyers who know how to cut through the issues and find strategies and resolutions that best serve their client’s interests. ’

‘Deirdre O’Donovan of William Fry is a stand out solicitor. Her ability is immense. I have seen her remain calm, focussed and think strategically even under the greatest pressure. A client would be lucky to have Deirdre on their side. ’

‘William Fry have an excellent understanding of the complex regulatory landscape and a commitment to delivering strategic, results-oriented advice.’

‘Their ability to give sound practical advice taking into account all of the various stakeholders and nuances of our particular industry.’

‘William Fry has a diverse skill set and a highly capable team with years of experience across a variety of competition matters. They are an inclusive, collaborative group that works closely with clients, consistently striving to secure the best possible outcomes from regulators.’

‘Sheila Tormey is a recognised leader in the field, consistently demonstrating her deep expertise and strategic insight. She leverages her extensive experience to guide clients through complex and challenging situations, providing clear, effective solutions. Sheila is relied upon for her commitment and dedication, she always goes the extra mile to deliver exceptional results, ensuring that her clients are well-supported every step of the way.’

‘What makes this practice unique is that they are extremely knowledgeable and respond quickly and flexible with our queries on competition law matters, which suits our business. They are thorough, cover all the bases and our business appreciates this approach.’

‘The stand out partner is Cormac Little as he takes a very useful commercial approach as well as providing very valuable legal advice in a way that the business / commercial environment can digest and understand. Cormac is extremely collaborative in his style and our business enjoy working with him.’

‘Sheila Tormey, a partner in William Fry’s competition team, led the work. Sheila got to the bottom of the issues quickly and managed the matter with great efficiency. Her advice was clear, pragmatic and strategic.’

‘Cormac Little SC is one of the superstars of the Irish market who I would thoroughly recommend. Thoughtful yet commercial advice – delivered on time and on budget.’

‘John O’Connor is a standout individual on blockchain issues.’

‘Máire O’Neill goes above and beyond to provide an exceptional service to clients. I have found that Máire has an ability to break down issues and provide succinct advice which you are comfortable relying on.’ 

‘What sets this team apart is their ability to provide detailed, sound advice that is specifically tailored to the nuances of the Fintech sector. Their comprehensive knowledge of the intricate regulatory landscape allows them to offer valuable insights that are both strategic and compliant.’

‘Shane Kelleher, John O’Connor, and Louise McNabola are exceptional lawyers who truly stand out in the Fintech industry. Their deep wells of knowledge in both legal and regulatory matters within the Fintech space make them invaluable to their clients. What sets them apart is their ability to not only understand the complexities of the industry but to provide sound, practical, and detailed advice that is both pragmatic and actionable.’

‘William Fry have a depth experience and breadth of expertise that is unrivalled in the Irish market and provide a full end-to-end regulatory advisory service. Specifically in relation to regulatory authorizations and licences the firm helps client firms to understand the complexity of regulatory and legal requirements as well as regulators expectations. This helps their firms achieve trust with the regulator, speed to market and long term value.’ 

‘Louise McNabola (Partner) – Louise recently provided end-to-end support on a VASP submission for my firm to the Central Bank of Ireland and is now assisting in the MiCA application. Louise understands the regulatory burden on clients and helps firms to understand their compliance obligations and how rules should be applied. Shane provides a first-class client focused service; addressing our specific needs rather than applying “one size fits all” solutions.’

‘William Fry’s team is fantastic. We have relatively recently become a client of theirs and in short – they deliver. They understand not just the relevant law but have really ‘got a grip’ of our business, its key drivers and very able to convert all of that into deliverable commercial outcomes.’

‘Shane Kelleher, Louise McNabola and Máire O’Neill are a team that go the extra mile to achieve deadlines, ensure that we understand their advice and worked with us to achieve a welcomed outcome despite other external factors hindering pace.’ 

‘Efficient, responsive and empathetic.’

‘Mary Cooney is exceptional. She has been dealing with a complex, long drawn out series of medicolegal challenges, both civil and criminal. Her advice has been wise, knowledgeable, proactive and empathetic. She has always been prompt in response to my concerns and always available.’

‘William Fry is the go-to law firm for us when making investments in Ireland.’

‘Margaret Muldowney – fearless and tough, with considerable intelligence and deep insight. A steel hand in a velvet glove. Mary Cooney – smart, able, active, and strong. Great fun, while achieving great results. Barry Murphy – a tower of intelligence and insight, strength and hard work. All accomplished with humour and kindness.’

‘William Fry’s attention to detail and forensic analysis of very complex cases is exceptional. Another stand out strength and key capability is their ability to advise clients in a manner that is concise and germane to the relevant issues.’

‘Margaret Muldowney, Mary Cooney and Barry Murphy collaborate very well together, which collaboration translates into excellent service for clients. A standout feature from competitors is their ability to promptly devise a strategy by which they can achieve their client’s needs.’

‘William Fry is the stand-out firm for life-science work in Dublin with major-multinational client companies testifying to their all round abilities, knowledge and client care. ’

‘William Fry have an exceptionally talented team of individuals and Laura Scott is head and shoulders above her peers at other firms in Dublin; for good reason as she is second to none when it comes to patent litigation in Ireland with superb communication skills, knowledge base and determination to secure the best outcome for her clients. ’

‘Barry Scannell and Leo Moore are extremely competent and drive best practice in everything they do. They act in an extremely confidential manner with your information and are always solution focused.’

‘Barry Scannell is exceptional in his approach to our business challenges. Persistent in his pursuit of our interests and reliable in his availability and consistent support, I could not recommend Barry highly enough.’

‘Leo Moore – well-informed, practical, calm, professional, reliable, clear communicator.’

‘John O’Connor is head and shoulders over others in terms of expertise in the field of contracts and provides that outside the box thinking you require for industry.’

‘John O’Connor is our go-to for all questions related to EU and Irish technology law.’

‘Barry Scannell is a first class lawyer with tremendous technical and commercial knowledge of a new and transformative area of law. He is able to explain complicated and esoteric information that allows his clients to understand the issues and opportunities they are facing.’

‘Deep technical expertise from the partners while also providing appropriate support at all levels, including senior associate. We work exclusively on AI related matters and I really appreciate the understanding of the technology and how it works, and how we (as a client) should be thinking about implementation of our AI product in a way that is practical and compliant.’

‘To date, I have primarily worked with Barry Scannell. Great depth of understanding of how AI services operate – allows him to give nuanced advice. He is continually up-to-speed on the latest developments in the area, both technological and regulatory and I know he is extremely well-informed with whatever advice he gives.’

‘The restructuring team has a fantastic work ethic which you can really see when they are advising you. They can take instructions and have tailored solutions that really gives clients options. The wealth of experience across the team really shows in the work that is produced by the team. ’

‘Barbara Galvin is a joy to work with. Her wealth of knowledge is outstanding and gives you time and attention no matter how small the work. She is always available to her clients. She has a great attitude to not only her work and clients, but also junior members of staff and brings them on.’

‘Barbara Galvin’s strengths lie in her comprehensive understanding of both Irish and international insolvency law, and her ability to navigate complex, often contentious situations with a calm, solution-focused approach.’

‘Barbara Galvin is a strong technically able lawyer within the team and has been able to coordinate a number of firms across multiple jurisdictions with ease and calm – a great partner to work with.’

‘Ruairi Rynn – strong commercially and technically in providing restructuring and insolvency advice in complex situations.’

‘Ruairi Rynn – is a tenacious, proactive solicitor who is always available. He is highly knowledgeable and provides strong, clear opinions and expert guidance.’

‘Fergus Doorly is a commercially astute practitioner combined with fantastic technical ability, which makes him a standout lawyer.’

‘Fergus Doorly is an excellent litigation and insolvency lawyer. Knows his stuff inside out and thinks his way through things very very quickly. Head and shoulders above any other lawyer we work with.’

‘William Fry have a strong insurance team. They are very respected in the market and good to deal with. ’

‘We mainly deal with Ian Murray and Eoin Caulfield. Eoin is one of the biggest names in the market in this area and extremely knowledgeable and good to deal with. Ian is technically excellent and good to deal with as well. ’

‘Deep knowledge of the insurance sector in Ireland and the UK. Very pragmatic team that seeks out commercial solutions. Our business colleagues really value their input at all stages of the transaction.’

‘The two stars of the team are Eoin Caufield and Niall Campbell – both very responsive and knowledgeable, very user-friendly.’

‘A small but well resourced and experienced group of insurance practitioners. The Dublin market isn’t large, but this is the stand out firm. ’

‘Catherine Carrigy is exceptional; she is accessible, knowledgeable, and gives commercially sensible advice. ’

‘The IP team at William Fry is proactive and delivers on time. Of course, they know IP law inside out, but they have a unique ability to simplify and explain the law and its application to the facts to business colleagues, gaining their confidence and buy-in.’

‘Laura Scott is my go-to contact on all patent litigation matters. She gives great confidence and reassurance to clients on the matters under her control. Colette Brady is very fast-acting and responsive. John Sugrue interacts wonderfully with all legal and business colleagues in our company. He is dedicated and pro-active, knows when to seek partner input and is a great asset to the team.’

‘Leo Moore can combine deep legal knowledge with a practical, client-focused approach.’

‘My go-to person is Leo Moore. Leo is personable and gets on well with people, which I value as I know my clients will be well looked after. He brings a real sense of the deal and commercial realities, seeing the solution and working to achieve the best results for the client. He delivers effective solutions. He displays professionalism, innovative thinking, and unwavering commitment to client satisfaction.’

‘Incredible team with excellent skill levels on all professional levels. Very responsive, Leo Moore is a great team leader.’

‘Leo Moore is outstanding, attentive, responsive and smart.’

‘William Fry is the gold standard in Ireland. Strong partner-led team supported by talented associates. Pragmatic, approachable, commercial and knowledgeable.’

‘Charleen O’Keefe is on the rise for handling complex disputes commercially and pragmatically. Laura Scott is commercial, knowledgeable and able to explain complicated issues clearly. Colette Brady is a talented lawyer with a real flair for trade mark disputes. Leo Moore is arguably the best commercial IP lawyer in Ireland.’

‘The team are subject matter experts and have ears to the ground on the latest thinking and views of the Central Bank. The practice was able to call in their in-house AI expert to update the board on the area.’

‘James Phelan (partner) is a fantastic support to our business from a day-to-day perspective and in higher level, more strategic matters. He is extremely responsive, practical and solution orientated, and always available to engage on priority matters.’

‘Nessa Joyce (partner) is excellent technically and always a pleasure to deal with. She will get things done in a pragmatic manner. ’

‘The team is extremely knowledgeable with respect to both Irish legislation and the broader EU legislation governing our funds. The team is proactive and engaged fully with our business. ’

‘Clodagh Ruigrok is a first class lawyer with a comprehensive knowledge of Irish and EU fund laws and the workings of the the fund management industry.’

‘Positive, responsive, experienced and great to work with.’

‘Vincent Coyne heads up a market leading funds practice that has seen significant growth in the last number of years. We have experience of Vincent advising clients objectively and diligently and steering them through complex and often difficult challenges. A particular characteristic of the William Fry funds practice is the scale and variety of their business and there is considerable strength in depth across the board, reflecting the broad spectrum of work they do.’

‘Vincent Coyne is a commercially astute and technically excellent practitioner.’

‘Colm Manning has been an incredible resource to our company both in terms of his professional expertise and exceptional support on an ongoing basis. He has always maintained a friendly and supportive manner, regardless of the request or level of work being delivered.’

‘Their up-to-date knowledge and practical application to our business was key. They were proactive on all issues, and had great collaboration across other teams in their firm to ensure they fully understood our business, and took other industry-specific issues into consideration.’

‘We dealt mainly with Ian Devlin, partner. He was very personable and knowledgeable and explained the complexities of the pension laws and processes clearly to allow us to deliver a good outcome for our company. He was available as required and proactive in responding to queries.’

‘Strong, deep knowledge of the subject.’

‘Ian Devlin – practical, plain speaking with the ability to translate complex matters in to easily understood terms. Very responsive.’

‘A very talented team with many strengths. Whatever the query or problem that we take to the pensions team at William Fry, they have a team member that specialises in that particular issue and the team appear to collaborate very effectively to deliver a solution.’

‘We value the depth of knowledge on the pensions team and their commitment to delivering the right outcome.’

‘Their empathy and immediate understanding of our situation which resulted in the appropriate Chinese Walls being put in place quickly and efficiently. Lead partner Ian Devlin and his associate Ciara Kelliher were very diligent and supportive of our position. Their recommendations were clear and concise which resulted in a much more favourable outcome than anticipated by us.’

‘Jarleth Heneghan – excellent specialist knowledge. Cassandra Byrne – thorough detail.’

‘The standout difference for me is William Fry’s ability to not only offer high-quality legal advice but to step back from that functional role, really understand the problem the client is trying to solve and effectively “walk in the client’s shoes”.’

‘Bryanna Ryan is a leader in the practice. Liam McCabe, Chairman is a very experienced advisor.’

‘The William Fry team are very knowledgeable about the industry we operate in, which is advantageous when contracts for large projects need to be negotiated.’

‘Fergus Devine is very knowledgeable about the industry we operate in, which is advantageous when contracts for large projects need to be negotiated.’

‘The team is at the top of the sector, with enviable project experience and practical knowledge. The advice is tailored, clear and commercially focused.’

‘Jarleth Heneghan (Partner) has provided excellent practical advice on difficult and novel projects for us. His advice and insights were central to a successful outcome and enabled us to proceed with certainty.’

‘Our partner, Liam McCabe, understands our market and issues inside out, and his advice has been invaluable.’

‘The real estate practice is strong in terms of resourcing. Their cross-collaboration with other teams in the firm, ensuring they were providing legal advice which took into account other considerations, was key to the work they completed for us. Their can-do and proactive attitude and practical issue management were very welcome.’

‘Tiernan Diamond and Conor Tracey: Their knowledge of our business was second to none, ensuring their legal advice was tailored and fit for purpose. They were very commercial, providing practical legal advice and solutions. Very approachable, available and responsive in their communications.’

‘Conor Treacy has an excellent approach to transactions and clients, providing a trusted service for complex real estate deals, efficiently resolving legal and tax matters.’

‘Conor Treacy is a stand-out, reliable and commercially minded legal adviser. Conor provides an experienced legal mind and leadership to ensure investors are efficiently informed to make decisions and be successful in their important projects.’

‘The property team (Brian O’Callaghan and Aisling O’Gorman) are brilliant. Their dedication and hard work is second to none. It’s always a pleasure dealing with WF as we know we will get the best in class service and expertise.’

‘Aisling O’Gorman is exceptional at what she does. She is dedicated and extremely efficient always and a pleasure to work with. I always look forward to working with her on deals. I find her trustworthy and knowledgeable and would be happy to recommend her and her team to any of my clients.’

‘The team is both exceptionally responsive and has a deep sectoral knowledge, which is invaluable to us.’

‘Tiernan Diamond and Lisa McCarthy are always at hand to provide their expertise and just deliver.’

‘They are a full service tax practice which can handle complex and sophisticated cross border work. They are responsive, practical and give advice in context. The team has a depth and breadth of knowledge which adds real value to projects. They are the best tax advisors in the Irish market by some margin, and are amongst the top tier of tax advisors I deal with internationally.’

‘Outstanding at handling complex, sophisticated matters. Given their deep knowledge and experience of handling complex cross-border tax issues, they have been able to anticipate issues before they arise which is of real benefit to us.’

‘Sonya Manzor is a standout advisor and a leader in complex international tax planning matters. Ted McGrath is superb on financial services tax matters.’

‘Sonya Manzor is one of the leading tax advisors in Europe and is our go-to tax advisor in Ireland. She leads complex international tax advisory projects, along with sophisticated high value transactions and can always be trusted to deliver. She adds value on every project and has a depth and breadth of knowledge that is unmatched in the Irish market.’

‘Shauna O’Brien is an excellent senior associate. She is highly capable and has an excellent understanding of complicated tax matters. ’

‘Sonya Manzor and Colin Bolger are our main points of contact in the William Fry tax team. They both deliver comprehensive advice in a clear format that is easily digestible by clients. They are able to analyse complex matters quickly and provide commercial solutions that help to get deals over the line. ’

‘Ted McGrath and Anne Tobin. Both are very responsive and knowledgeable, they are also proactive and are excellent at following up with me for information they need or where action is required on my part. ’

‘We mainly deal with Ted McGrath and his team. Ted has been a tremendous partner over the years. He has a fantastic ability to explain complex tax issues in a concise manner and avoids waffle. Ted and his team are always available at short notice to discuss any tax matters and are very responsive to our queries. All fees are agreed in advance and explained in detail before being agreed. We feel in safe hands with Ted and his team, as the level of service is incredible and we would not consider moving to another firm for tax advice.’

‘Expert at turning deals into contracts, developing strategies for successful outcomes and deals.’

‘An excellent team.’

‘Paul Convery is very client-focused, providing stellar advice and innovative solutions in complex litigation.’

‘We view William Fry as our go-to firm in Ireland, and they have always operated in a highly professional way.’

‘We work directly with Mary Ward, and she is always diligent, thoughtful and professional in her work. She is also a very pleasant person to work with as an individual.’

‘They provide commercially minded top quality legal advice. Their service delivery is always prompt and clear.’

‘Promptness and being commercially minded.’

‘Mary Ward and David Maughan are both very good.’

‘The new TechReg tool developed by the William Fry technology team was particularly innovative. We found this tool incredibly useful in helping us gain a clear understanding of the company’s obligations under the new EU Digital Reform Package legislation, in high priority areas like AI and data security. This tool assisted both the in-house team and key stakeholders in the organisation in quickly and effectively getting to grips with a vast range of new EU legal requirements.’

‘I work in an extremely innovative company that consistently launches new products and offerings that push boundaries in the retail utility space. WF are consistently able to advise us on our legal and data protection queries often on a very short deadline.’

‘Very experienced and successful with helping firms in obtaining licences from the CBI. Also, closely involved with new technology/sectors, e.g. digital assets.’

‘William Fry has extensive experience advising large data controllers on compliance projects which few firms can rival.’

‘Their approach is pragmatic but compliance focused, and their track record in regulatory engagement provides insights which are invaluable to businesses who wish to develop a productive relationship with regulators.’

‘Rather than simply restating the law, Leo Moore and Rachel Hayes focus on providing actionable solutions to compliance issues. They are diligent and conscientious in working to the brief provided.’

‘The Technology team in William Fry boasts a great culture and high standards of work produced. The individuals comprising the team work well together and are very focused on delivering high quality and commercially focused legal advice. The team is forward-focused and boasts with experts in areas intersecting with data protection, such as AI and Fintech, which makes the advice ever more valuable.’

‘Rachel Hayes is very smart, sharp and her ability to give relevant and business-focused advice is very valuable; her recent promotion to partner comes as no surprise. She truly is the data protection queen!’

‘In addition to being very knowledgeable and providing excellent practical advice, the team is incredibly responsive and active, allowing them to meet the fast-moving nature of projects, the changing regulatory landscape and the regular flow of stakeholder inputs.’

‘The team is very knowledgeable in relation to the intricacies of the Irish energy market. They are very client-centric and responsive.’

‘The strength in depth within the team stands out, offering significant levels of energy expertise and experience.’

‘All of the team have the ability to understand complex issues whilst explaining the legal and regulatory requirements.’

‘Fergus Devine is peerless within the area of energy and natural resources law. He provides timely, practical, and refined advice that sets him apart and manages do so efficiently, proactively and in a manner tailored to our particular needs and role. His manner and collegial approach enable us to achieve best results whilst maintaining and fostering relations with stakeholders and customers.’

‘Máire O’Neill is one of the most diligent lawyers that we work with. She is all over the detail and turns complex work around in a timeframe that would be challenging for virtually all other lawyers.’

‘Colm Booth provides excellent client service and a particular attention to detail. His level of sectoral knowledge is well beyond his years and we have comfort in dealing with him on all topics.’

‘The teamwork is very effective for heavy planning and environmental cases.’

‘Kate Abell is extremely bright and takes the initiative in identifying potential grounds of challenge in judicial review.’

‘This team hold their own with other similarly placed planning and environmental law teams operating in the Dublin and Irish market. The team possess a great knowledge of the legal code and, as such, are able to advise clients in a strategic, solution-oriented manner. Their approach to detail is impressive’

‘Michelle Martin is particularly impressive. She understands the system inside out. She brings a practical, no-nonsense approach to litigation and to providing strategic advice to clients. Kate Abell has developed an in-depth knowledge of the planning system and is an innovative thinker and always extremely well prepared in terms of the advice she provides to clients.’

‘The practice has a long history and in-depth experience of construction law which they apply to their planning and environmental practice. This gives them a much greater understanding of projects from inception to completion.’

‘Personal interest shown in client projects and accessibility of the partners on fast-moving projects where time is of the essence.’