William Fry LLP
William Fry LLP has an illustrious and fast-growing client base of global asset managers, as well as a sizeable market share of Irish-domiciled fund clients. It has a major presence in ETFs, private funds, regulatory and compliance matters, and the sustainable finance regime. The group has recently landed a series of big-ticket mandates from new clients including Colchester Global Investors and Gresham House. James Phelan, who impresses with his UCITS and regulatory knowledge, and Vincent Coyne co-head the funds practice, with John Aherne recognised for SFDR-related matters and Sergey Dolomanov continuing to stand out for his ETF expertise. Patricia Taylor leads the funds regulatory team, and Clodagh Ruigrok impresses at the senior associate level. Lorena Dunne has left the firm.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Clodagh Ruigrok does a fantastic job of proactively bringing relevant matters to our attention. She is also very responsive to ad hoc queries.’
- 'James Phelan is a vital resource who can provide a commercial perspective, combined with a deep understanding of the rules.'
‘James Phelan is always willing to go the extra mile and his advice is always sensible and on point. James has an exceptional understanding of the UCITS regulatory landscape and can be completely relied upon to steer you safely through any engagement with the Central Bank.'
‘John Aherne has a wealth of experience that he brings to bear in all advice he provides. Vincent Coyne is an accomplished lawyer and can be relied on for excellent guidance in all situations.’
‘The team at William Fry are fantastic to work with and are excellent at bringing in their best on specific topics to get the right results. They are always exceptionally responsive and friendly to deal with and always get the job done properly and on time. ’
‘John Aherne adds real value by bringing his technical knowledge to bear through his advice and support. John has worked across all types of fund structures and his breadth of experience provides clients with a broader perspective and insight.'
- 'Clodagh Ruigrok and Elena Canavan-Young are very responsive and client-focused. Always finding time to allocate and provide effective, rapid solutions. ’
'Nessa Joyce is an industry leader in ESG and SFDR matters. Felipe De Oliveira is at all times extremely personable to deal with and responsive. The quality of the William Fry associates is impressive.'
Key clients
- Bank of America
- Barclays
- Bank of America
- BlackRock
- City of London
- Colchester Global Investors
- Comgest Asset Management
- Davy
- Emerald Fund ICAV
- GA Development
- Gresham House
- Intertrust
- IQEQ
- Lazard Asset Management
- Legal & General
- Mercer Global Investments
- Milltrust International
- Natixis Investment Managers
- Otus Capital Management
- Parus Finance
- Sands Capital
- Towerbrook
- Blue Revolution Fund
Work highlights
- Advised Blackrock on the establishment of innovative strategies, including a blockchain technology fund and a metaverse fund.
- Advised Mercer on all aspects of its legal and regulatory obligations applicable to its full range of Irish UCITS and AIF products.
- Acted for Bank of America with the sale of its Irish-based funds depositary and custodian business, operated through Bank of America Custodial Services (Ireland) to the Apex Group.
Lawyers
Rising stars
Leading individuals
James Phelan is a Partner in William Fry's Asset Management & Investment Funds Department, specialising in advising asset managers in relation to the establishment, regulation and ongoing management of a wide variety of investment funds in both the UCITS and alternative arenas. He has specialist experience in advising in relation to the establishment of both physical and synthetic ETFs and has also been involved in providing detailed guidance to fund directors in relation to corporate governance standards and the Central Bank of Ireland’s fitness and probity regime.
Patricia Taylor is a Partner in William Fry’s Asset Management & Investment Funds Department. Her practice focuses on the establishment of Irish-domiciled investment funds of all kinds including "long only" funds, derivative funds, hedge funds and funds of hedge funds, multi-manager funds and exchange traded funds. She also advises the promoters of, and service providers to, investment funds including asset managers, fund administrators and trustees/custodians.
Next Generation Partners
Sergey is a Partner in our Asset Management & Investment Funds Department. Sergey specialises in the establishment and regulation of UCITS and alternative funds and has significant ETF experience. He regularly advises leading asset managers on the establishment of new product and has worked extensively on the establishment of physical and synthetic ETFs pursuing a wide variety of investment strategies including ESG and SRI strategies, thematic funds, factor-based investing and investment in mainland China. Sergey has advised on a number of major acquisitions of fund management businesses and consolidations of fund ranges. He also advises fund and management company directors on regulatory and corporate governance requirements.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Vincent Coyne, James Phelan