About

The relatively small legal team at Topaz Energy, one of Ireland’s leading fuel and convenience brands, is comprised of two lawyers and one non-lawyer. Recently, the team has had particular successes in competition law matters, supporting the expansion of the company’s business. Both lawyers in the team have qualified in separate jurisdictions to ensure they can meet demand for services relating to interests in the United Kingdom, as well as Ireland. The legal team was essential during the acquisition of Esso Ireland by Topaz Energy Group, and also during the subsequent sale of Topaz to Alimentation Couche-Tard in 2016. These deals posed the legal team with a number of obstacles that had to be dealt with in a particularly tight timeframe. Due diligence was completed on 150 properties, and a Competition and Consumer Protection (CCPC) mandated requirement to divest three Esso sites to a competitor was successfully achieved. In the last two years the Topaz team has advanced the legal function by implementing a comprehensive claims management training workshop for all retail site management, leading to a significant improvement in how incidents are managed from time of occurrence, with the result of strengthening the company’s position in the event of litigation. Legal work closely with the CEO and senior management on a one-to one and daily basis. ‘Our team adds a tangible value to the business. We perform functions in-house which would add significant cost to the business were they to be outsourced’, says Bobby Kennedy, a legal advisor within the team.