About

In a relatively short space of time at Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, Peter Gallagher has dealt with situations which were previously unheard of, in the jurisdiction. Sources particularly point to his effective management of first-of-its-kind disputes. He joined the institution shortly after its 2011 formation, through Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide Building Societys’ court-mandated merger. ‘It’s extremely fast-paced and unpredictable – you never know what legal issues you might have to consider on any given day’, Gallagher says. ‘There is also a sense of satisfaction that we are successfully navigating many of the complex issues which face a bank with such a complicated and at times difficult history, to the ultimate benefit of the taxpayer’. Joining a newly-formed entity in the throes of a turbulent transition was potentially a risky move, he concedes. ‘Many colleagues would have raised a quizzical eyebrow when I announced in 2011 that I was leaving a promising career in private practice to take up a role in a nationalised and universally criticised bank’, Gallagher says. ‘However, the complex back-story of IBRC, gave rise to a myriad of often unprecedented legal issues, which have challenged me to an extent that I could not have imagined’. Since his promotion to legal head in 2014, Gallagher has also been praised for the increased efficiency, he has brought to the function’s internal workings. As well as developing clearer processes and better communication within the team, he has also devised clear remits of responsibility to individual lawyers. When it comes to outside counsel, it is often the ‘understanding simple things’, he says, which can make a big difference to the service they provide.