Philip Lee LLP

Alice Whittaker

Alice leads the Environment and Climate Group at Philip Lee. This specialist team of highly experienced lawyers focuses on planning, housing and infrastructure, environment, energy and climate law. The team advises multinational corporations, European energy utilities, banks and investors on a range of renewable energy projects and investments, infrastructure developments, acquisitions and joint ventures in the sustainable development sector. The Group is well known for its experience in the offshore and marine environment, working on offshore renewables, subsea fibre optic networks, interconnectors, ports and harbours. Alice has advised on major projects including the successful applications for the new National Children’s Hospital and new National Maternity Hospital, pending applications for the Dublin Array offshore wind farm, the re-development of the Port of Cork, and one of the first re-powering applications for a large onshore wind farm. Alice is a key part of the firm’s Planning Team which acts as lead advisor to the Irish Planning Board, defending planning judicial review proceedings in the Irish and European Courts. Alice acted for the Board in the High Court and Supreme Court challenges to the grant of planning for Apple’s proposed large-scale data centre development, successfully defending the Board’s decision in both courts.

Andreas McConnell

Andreas has acted as lead partner on a broad spectrum of transactions including venture capital investments, project finance deals, joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions, IPOs, MBOs and restructurings. He leads the firm’s Foreign Direct Investment practice and assists foreign companies often backed by IDA Ireland expand their businesses into Europe through Ireland. He has written and spoken extensively on Brexit and has developed strategies to assist companies mitigate against the impact of Brexit. He is a member of the Multilaw Executive Council (one of only 10 legal networks to receive Chambers ranking of Elite). He has considerable experience in transactional and advisory matters with particular specialism in corporate/ commercial, corporate recovery/ debt restructuring and insolvency, project finance/ capital market and corporate governance matters. His expertise spans many sectors including not-for-profit, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, logistics, energy, media, entertainment, franchising and investment services.

Andrew Tzialli

Andrew is a partner specialising in corporate and technology matters and he advises on both English and Irish law. He is head of the firm’s Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Group. Andrew’s practice primarily involves working on corporate transactions, including private equity and venture capital investments, mergers and acquisitions, corporate re-structuring, corporate finance and banking. Many of the transactional matters Andrew works on are for clients that are involved in disruptive technologies, including blockchain/ cryptocurrencies and eSports. Andrew advises a broad range of clients from angel investors, investment funds and leading individuals involved in technology and media, to international corporations, SME’s and startups. Andrew has also advised on a number of high-profile ICO’s.

Angelyn Rowan

Angelyn advises public and private sector clients in the areas of Construction, PPP and Public Procurement Law. PPP Angelyn advises both the public sector and private sector, including advising on the NDFA on the €300m Social Housing PPP Programme, the Grangegorman Campus PPP and the Primary Care Centres PPP. Procurement Angelyn advises clients on all aspects of the Irish and European public procurement rules. She advises on the conduct of tender procedures from inception to appointment of the preferred tenderer across a variety of sectors including large construction projects, IT and education services. She advises on procurement challenges and the rights and obligations of contracting authorities and tenderers under the Remedies Regulations. Construction Angelyn advises funders, developers, employers and contractors on all aspects of construction law, specialising in non-contentious areas. She advises on many standard form contracts including RIAI, IEI, FIDIC, MF1, NEC and others, in addition to drafting and negotiating bespoke construction contracts. She works with the Energy Group advising on the construction aspects of projects, including windfarms, battery storage and biomass CHP plants.

Anna Hickey

Anna is a partner in the corporate group of Philip Lee. Anna advises Irish and international clients in relation to a broad spectrum of transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, investments, joint ventures, project finance, reorganisations and strategic matters. Anna’s expertise spans many sectors including technology, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, real estate and not-for-profit. She has a particular interest in our infrastructure and healthcare practices. She is a member of the firm’s Foreign Direct Investment practice and US business group, regularly advising companies on doing business in and into Ireland. Anna has considerable experience in drafting and negotiating commercial contracts including service level agreements, supply agreements, purchase contracts and terms of business. Anna is part of the firm’s immigration and not-for-profit practices, with a focus on advising foundations, semi-state entities and NGOs on corporate governance matters.

Anne Bateman

Anne is a recognised expert in intellectual property, technology and privacy law, and in the areas of pharma, medtech, healthcare, regulatory and administrative law, for both contentious and non-contentious work. She is also a well-known commercial, competition and regulatory litigator. Anne has acted for and advised a large number of international businesses whose key assets are intellectual property and technology. She also advises multinational pharmaceutical and medical device companies. She is a qualified Irish and European Trade Mark Attorney and a member of the Irish Association of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys. She is also a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and is an IAPP-Certified Information Privacy Professional for Europe (CIPP/E).

Bernard McEvoy

Bernard, a senior partner with Philip Lee, joined the firm in August 2020. Bernard, whose contact base in Dublin and the wider Irish market is second to none, is a keen and skilled negotiator always driving to look for solutions as opposed to problems.Prior to joining Philip Lee, Bernard was the managing partner and founder of McEvoy Corporate Law, and before this was a partner in an international law firm based in London where he set up and managed the Irish team of that firm. During his years of practice Bernard has built up extensive experience, skill and know-how in all areas where business and law interact.

Brian Gormley

Brian specialises in advising on film and television financing and production, acting variously for production companies, financiers, banks, distributors and investors. He has significant experience in advising on large international feature films, animation series for the global market and domestic television programmes from conception through to development, production, financing and distribution. Brian also advises clients on intellectual property, information technology and broadcasting law matters. He advises technology and gaming companies and provides ongoing advice in relation to the promotion and advertising of consumer products.

Clare Cashin

Clare is a Partner in Philip Lee. She specialises in dispute resolution, construction disputes and health and safety law. Clare has over 15 years’ experience in high value complex disputes.

Damien Young

Damien heads the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution group, handling commercial disputes across a broad range of areas including data protection, public procurement and construction law. He has acted for a large number of public and private sector clients in High Court judicial review proceedings involving challenges to the award of public contracts. Damien advises on all aspects of EU and Irish data protection law, privacy and defamation matters. He acted for Ireland’s Data Protection Commission in the Schrems I and Schrems II litigation that resulted in decisions of the European Court of Justice setting aside the “safe harbour” and “privacy shield” regimes for EU/US data transfers.

Eimear Fitzgibbon

Eimear is a partner in the real estate department and advises both international and domestic clients. She specialises in commercial property law, acting variously for development companies, institutional clients, funders and investors. She has worked in the sector for 16 years and has advised a wide variety of high profile clients on the purchase, acquisition, leasing and disposal of commercial property for development such as hotels, residential housing estates, office blocks, petrol filling stations and golf courses. Her work also involves advising large institutional clients on the property related aspects to key infrastructural projects such as the construction of various schools throughout the country by way of PPP. Eimear acts for a number of clients in the renewables sector in areas such as windfarms, waste water treatment plants, hydropump stations and electric charging stations. She has also advised on the various options open to windfarmers in the event of re-powering a plant. In tandem with her property work she regularly advises on the commercial lending aspects to the various deals and would frequently advise funders on taking security over property assets within the State. She has acted for both receivers and liquidators in disposing of land and would regularly advise clients on property related aspects to corporate restructure deals.

Eoghan Doyle

Eoghan is a partner specialising in corporate, commercial and technology matters. Eoghan’s key practice areas include corporate transactions, corporate re-structuring, corporate advisory, commercial contracts and data protection. Eoghan advises Irish and international clients on General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance matters and is CIPP/E certified (Certified Information Privacy Professional) (GDPR included). Eoghan has extensive experience advising on a range of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, project finance, private equity and venture capital transactions, corporate re-organisations and management buy-outs. He also works with companies setting up in Ireland as part of our foreign direct investment offering. Eoghan regularly advises clients on corporate governance and compliance matters.

Eoin Brereton

Eoin is a partner in the corporate and commercial department. Eoin specialises in corporate advisory work leading the firm’s commercial contracts department. Eoin is an expert in corporate restructuring and insolvency law with extensive experience from acting for insolvency practitioners, companies and creditors in a number of high profile liquidations, examinerships and receiverships. Eoin advises domestic and international clients on all of their ongoing commercial contract requirements including distribution agreements, sponsorship agreements, franchising agreements, managed inventory contracts and contracts for the sale of goods/services including on consignment. Eoin’s expertise extends to corporate governance matters and advises the firm’s clients on all aspects of their requirements to include providing seminars and training. Eoin regularly works on corporate transactions involving the acquisition and/or sale of businesses. Eoin has broad experience in advising on regulatory matters across a number of sectors from the financial services sector to the insurance sector.

Hugh Cummins

Hugh is a partner and has considerable experience in a broad range of practice areas including projects and construction, energy & natural resources, Energy Performance Contracting, Local Energy Supply Contracts, procurement and alternative dispute resolution. Hugh has advised clients on the drafting, settling and procuring of the required contractual documentation on a wide range of complex, large-scale mixed use projects in Ireland both in the public and private sectors. Hugh is also heavily involved in the areas of energy performance contracts and local energy supply contracts and regularly advises clients on the procurement, negotiation, drafting and settlement of such contracts.

Inez Cullen

Inez is a partner in Philip Lee's corporate department. She focuses on advising domestic and international clients doing business in or through Ireland. Inez has wide ranging transactional experience across various sectors. She has represented clients on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, fundraisings, AIM admissions and placings, Takeover Code issues, start-up investments, corporate recovery/insolvency, development finance transactions, corporate governance, commercial contracts, employment law issues and general corporate/commercial law matters for Irish and international clients. Inez is a qualified Irish and UK lawyer. Her knowledge, together with practical experience, enables her to represent companies, directors, shareholders, debtors and creditors alike with a strong focus on commercial realism, flexibility and attention to detail.

Ita O'Sullivan

Ita is a partner-level Consultant in the Corporate and Commercial Department of Philip Lee. She has extensive experience advising public and private companies on a broad range of corporate and commercial matters, including mergers and acquisitions, fundraisings, commercial contracts and reorganisations. In addition, she has a keen interest in corporate governance and advises Boards of public and private companies and the not-for-profit sector on best practice guidelines and developments in this area.

John O'Donoghue

John is a partner specialising in real estate and leads the firms real estate group at Philip Lee. John advises leading property companies, investors, developers, local authorities, retailers and private individuals on the acquisition, development, management and disposal of commercial property. John has acted in many complex property transactions. He advises on all issues surrounding the acquisition, leasing and development of land and buildings. John also advises receivers and liquidators on insolvency related property issues and lenders and borrowers in real estate financing.

Jonathan Kelly

Jonathan was appointed as managing partner of Philip Lee in 2020. He continues to work on a range of corporate and financing transactions, with particular focus on the infrastructure, energy, media and real estate sectors. He has advised both public and private sector clients in relation to a number of the largest infrastructure projects in the State, including many public private partnerships (PPP). He is also recognised as a leading practitioner in the area of film and television finance. His uniquely diverse transactional experience ranges from the financing of “Braveheart” and “Game of Thrones” to numerous PPP transactions (in sectors such as education, health and transport) to advising lenders and borrowers on large debt financing transactions.

Kerri Crossen

Kerri specialises in projects, PPPs, procurement and construction and has practiced in the area for over 20 years. She advises on all aspects of the procurement and delivery of infrastructure projects for public and private sector clients in diverse sectors including transport, education, health and housing. Kerri advises on all forms of construction contracts from low value standard construction documentation to high value bespoke infrastructure and PPP contracts. She advises on EU and national public procurement law, in relation to running tender procedures for the supply of works, goods and services contracts, on risk mitigation measures in tender procedures and regarding procurement challenges for both public and private clients.

Leonora Mullett

Leonora is a partner within the planning and environmental team at Philip Lee, providing an advisory, litigation and dispute resolution service to both statutory bodies and private clients in relation to public and administrative law, planning and development law, environmental law, statutory interpretation and litigation. Prior to joining the firm Leonora was legal advisor to Dublin City Council for 10 years where she was responsible for Local Government prosecutions, defence of judicial review proceedings, prosecution and defence of injunctions, statutory interpretation, and providing an advisory service to all Council departments. Leonora also worked in a large Irish law firm representing Irish and International companies and individuals in litigation in all courts. She also previously acted as legal advisor to the then Eastern Regional Health Authority. Leonora has lectured on the Planning and Environmental Law Diploma in the Law Society, has spoken at the Euro-just / Europol Conference on Environmental Crime in the Hague and at conferences of the Local Authority Solicitor Bar Association. Leonora was a member of the European Trans-Frontier Shipment of Waste working group which advised on the enforcement of the Regulation.

Louis Burke

Louis is a partner in the banking and finance team at Philip Lee with significant experience in advising institutional and private clients on a wide range of multi jurisdiction corporate lending matters, specialising in real estate finance, development finance, acquisition finance and asset-based lending, including factoring and invoice discounting. In addition to general transactional corporate lending, Louis has also managed and participated in multi-departmental teams on loan sale projects involving large portfolio sales and bilateral off market sales and acquisitions, acting for vendors and bidders/investors seeking to purchase new assets. In recent years Louis has advised numerous domestic and international clients in relation to some of the most high profile financing transactions completed in Ireland, a number of which have been awarded the prestigious “Deal of the Year” by Finance Dublin magazine.

Marie Kinsella

Marie is head of Philip Lee’s Healthcare Group and leads a team of highly experienced healthcare lawyers who advise on complex healthcare litigation and health and social care matters in Ireland. Marie specialises in healthcare and pharmaceutical law, public and administrative law, financial services regulation, statutory and non-statutory inquiries and regulatory and criminal investigations. Marie has been at the forefront in the development of healthcare and pharmaceutical regulation and healthcare jurisprudence in Ireland and the UK in both contentious and non-contentious matters for the last 20 years. Marie also has very broad experience and in-depth expertise in advising on the conduct of regulatory and enforcement investigations and statutory and non-statutory inquiries specifically relating to regulatory compliance, constitutional law, the right to fair procedures, reputation management, criminal sanctions and reporting obligations. She has advised on and represented clients in some of the most high profile and complex investigations and inquiries in Ireland including the Commission of Investigation into deaths in Leas Cross Nursing Home, the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, the Clinical Review of Portiuncla Maternity Services, the Portlaoise Inquiry and the ‘Scally’ Inquiry into CervicalCheck.

Michael Neary

Michael is an experienced commercial real estate partner at Philip Lee and has a proven track record in advising on every aspect of commercial real estate including retail, office, industrial, hospitality and leisure, multi-family, student housing, affordable housing, data centre, leasing transaction, healthcare and real estate investment finance. Michael and his team provide a comprehensive property asset management legal service which includes day-to-day management of large property investment portfolios, mixed-use schemes, shopping centres, office developments, retail parks, and hotels. He has advised and continues to advise owners and developers on some of the largest mixed-use developments in Ireland and due to his vast range of practical property experience, he maintains an asset management role in many of these schemes. Michael offers practical advice that draws on his extensive industry experience, creative solutions to challenges and a fee model that delivers efficiency and transparency for his clients. His clients include institutions, private investors, developers, investment funds, asset managers, retailers, banks and private equity.

Murrough McMahon

Murrough is a partner specialising in litigation with a particular emphasis on resolving disputes before litigation. Murrough has developed extensive and broad-ranging expertise across all areas of commercial litigation and dispute resolution procedures including conciliation, mediation and arbitration. He has considerable experience in handling complex commercial cases within the expedited case management procedures of the Commercial Court in Ireland. He has a particular expertise in the areas of professional negligence, banking and financial services, defamation, employer’s/public/product liability, injunctions, Norwich Pharmacal type orders and personal injury.

Patrick Walshe

Patrick heads the employment law group in Philip Lee. He is recognised as a leading expert in Ireland and regularly features in national press coverage on employment issues. His team acts for many of Ireland’s largest and most significant private and public employers. He recently represented a major public body in the highest-value employment claim in the history of the State. Patrick is an accredited mediator and is regularly asked to mediate in employment disputes. Patrick’s role as the Law Society of Ireland’s In-House Counsel employment law lecturer means our clients stay up to date with the latest developments.

Philip Lee

Philip is a leading expert in the area of procurement, competition, trade and construction law. Philip advises clients in relation to the largest public utilities projects in the country. His extensive PPP experience includes roads, waste, waste water and electricity PPP projects where he acts for both public and private bodies. As an expert in European and Irish competition law, Philip has used his specialist knowledge and his expertise as a litigator in a variety of sectors including the construction, health, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, transport and energy sectors.

Rachel Minch

Rachel is an experienced litigator with particular expertise in planning, environment and public law. She also advises public and private sector clients on non-contentious issues in these areas.Rachel has handled the defence of numerous judicial reviews of decisions relating to the planning and licensing of development including strategic transport, waste and energy infrastructure.She has extensive enforcement experience including criminal prosecutions in the District Court for breaches of environmental licences and planning law, injunction proceedings in the High Court seeking the remediation of unlawful waste disposal sites and general advisory work on the exercise of enforcement functions.Through her work for public authorities, Rachel has acquired in-depth knowledge of public and administrative law and the principles applicable to sound public body decision making, the conduct of investigations and appeals and the provision of access to information under FOI and AIE. She regularly advises in these areas.

Rebecca McEvoy

Rebecca is a partner in the corporate department at Philip Lee. She represents domestic and international clients (including start-ups) on a broad range of commercial and corporate matters. Rebecca focuses mainly on mergers and acquisitions, shareholder arrangements, commercial contracts, corporate restructurings, corporate governance and commercial advisory matters. Rebecca joined the firm in August 2020 following the merger of McEvoy Corporate Law with Philip Lee. Rebecca previously trained with one of Ireland’s top five law firms where she qualified as a solicitor in 2013.

Ronan Dunne

Ronan leads Philip Lee’s Competition, Regulated Markets and EU Law group. He advises a wide range of clients, in both the public and private sectors, on contentious and advisory questions of EU law, competition law and regulatory law. Ronan has particular expertise in merger control and the application of EU State aid rules and has significant experience dealing with the European Commission and Irish regulatory agencies in this context. Ronan’s practice includes advising on commercial vertical agreements (particularly in the automotive and pharma sectors), as well as regularly presenting to clients on competition law compliance matters. His sectoral-specific regulatory work tends to primarily relate to issues affecting the telecommunications industry, broadcasting, media and the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. Ronan regularly presents at conferences and publishes in journals on competition law related matters. He is the Irish correspondent for the European Competition and Regulatory Law Review and contributes to the European State Aid Law Quarterly journal.

Rosemarie MacGuinness

Rosemarie MacGuinness works as a consultant from our San Francisco office. Rosemarie specializes on all aspects of joint ownership of property, as well as land use issues involved in subdividing property and the creation of new condominiums.

Ruairí Mac Cumhaill

Ruairí Mac Cumhaill is a partner in the banking and finance department. Ruairí has extensive experience advising in relation to secured and unsecured lending transactions, bilateral loans, real estate finance, syndicated loans, debt restructuring, receivables finance, project finance and fund finance. He currently acts for several leading Irish and international banks and financial institutions, non-bank lenders and a wide range of corporate borrowers.

Sean McElligott

Sean is a partner with Philip Lee and head of the Technology Group, advising on complex and large scale technology and outsourcing transactions, intellectual property, ICT procurement, data protection and privacy law. On the technology side, he advises clients in relation to IT outsourcing, systems implementations and cloud computing. His practice involves advising on the supply and implementation of new IT systems (including large scale ERP systems), the licensing of software and the ownership and licensing of intellectual property rights. In addition, Sean regularly acts for companies in disputes relating to screen-scraping, misuse of Google search rankings and of Google AdWords, trade mark infringement and passing-off. Sean also has significant experience of public procurement specialising in ICT projects and acts for both public sector contracting authorities and private sector bidders. Sean’s unique background gives him an edge as an advisor in ICT procurements as he is not only an expert in the applicable law, but he also fully understands the technical requirements of his clients. Sean’s practice also includes advising on privacy, data protection and cyber-security law.

Simon O'Neill

Simon is a partner in the banking and finance team advising on all aspects of corporate banking, focussing on secured and unsecured lending transactions, property and project finance. Simon advises on the sale, acquisition and management of loan and asset portfolios, debt restructuring, work-out arrangements and negotiations.Simon has extensive experience advising on and drafting facility and security documentation for financial institutions and borrowers and has advised corporates on funding agreements and the provision of security as collateral for regulatory or other funding shortfall arrangements, including under the Environmental Protection Agency’s scheme of financial provision for environmental liabilities. Simon has extensive experience in the area of tobacco regulation having advised the national regulatory authority for a number of years in relation to the legislative framework for the regulation of tobacco products, during which time he was involved in many leading cases concerning the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts.Simon has an interest in the ethical finance sector and has advised a number of micro-finance institutions and social lenders and has expertise in relation to Islamic finance/Shari’ah compliant finance structures. Simon is the secretary of the Islamic Finance Council of Ireland, a not-for profit organisation supporting the development of Islamic and ethical finance in Ireland.

Siobhan McCabe

Siobhan McCabe is a Partner and heads up the energy team at Philip Lee. Siobhan specialises in renewables, energy and natural resources law. She has an in-depth knowledge of the complex regulatory and legislative frameworks applicable to the Irish energy market. Siobhan has extensive experience advising developers, lenders and sponsors on acquisitions, project development and regulatory matters. She advises on I-SEM, RESS, ECP-1/2 Grid Connections, DS3 System Services, Corporate PPAs, Capacity Market Auctions and Renewable Energy Communities. She has particular experience advising on renewable energy projects: onshore and offshore wind, solar, battery energy storage and biomass projects. She also advises on energy efficiency, district heating, electric vehicles and other novel renewable energy offerings. Siobhan has advised on numerous large energy M&A transactions, joint ventures, co-developments and infrastructure projects, including grid and interconnector projects. She also has experience advising on gas and electricity contracts for the wholesale and retail markets.

Thomas O'Malley

Thomas O’Malley is a partner within the Real Estate Department specialising in commercial real estate with a focus on social housing and development land. Thomas acts for property developers, housing and government bodies on large-scale, mixed retail, commercial, and residential projects. Additionally, he advises on the property elements of renewable energy projects. Thomas works closely with colleagues in the Construction Law Unit at Philip Lee advising on development agreements which provide for design and build of “turn -key” projects to be leased to meet social housing needs. He also has wide experience in putting in place agreements for lease with local authorities in respect of new developments. Thomas has over 30 years’ experience in advising clients on site assembly and development agreements, high-value property acquisitions and disposals, complex title structures, joint ventures /collective property investments, and business leases. He also advises funders on taking and enforcing security over real estate assets.

Tom Conway

Tom is a partner within the real estate and planning department. He specialises in advising on investment and real estate finance, acting for national and international investment funds across a broad range of asset classes, pillar and US / UK banks, private equity investors and institutional landlords and tenants. Tom advises property developers in site assembly, development finance, asset management and disposal. Tom has varied transactional experience in advising on real estate aspects in loan book sales. Tom also advises receivers and liquidators on asset disposal. Working across all aspects of real estate investment Tom specialises in advising lenders and borrowers in traditional and alternative real estate finance transactions. Tom has significant experience in advising on real estate financing. He has been involved in a wide range of projects including significant international restructurings, State infrastructure project financing, borrower refinancing across varied property portfolios and bridging finance. Tom has particular expertise in advising on the acquisition and disposal of significant shopping centres in both Dublin and the regions together with advising on a wide range of hospitality sector business and asset sale transactions.

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