Tax

McCann FitzGerald LLP

McCann FitzGerald LLP has a large and established team with partners that have diverse experiences, from large plcs to banks and leasing companies. The firm is noted for tax matters relating to structured finance and securitisation, investment platforms and Irish funds, along with corporate transactions (including M&A and private equity), and real estate and construction. The firm has further developed its standing in transfer pricing, tax disputes and funds tax. Financial services tax adviser Deirdre Barnicle and corporate transactions specialist James Quirke, who has a legal and accounting background, were promoted to the partnership in June 2024. Alan Heuston has an extensive background in M&A, reorganisations, restructurings and migrations, and is key to the firm’s growing tax disputes practice. Consultant Eleanor MacDonagh (‘provides a level of service that is beyond exceptional and on a different level to any other tax advisor’) is a vastly experienced financial services tax specialist.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘Strong team across all specialisms’
‘Eleanor MacDonagh and Deirdre Barnicle are very responsive and provide strong technical but commercial advice.’
‘The McCann Fitzgerald team is very quick to mobilise when a request is received by them. Depending on the scale of the request they are also quick to introduce regular updates on the issue at hand. They are able to both comment on the impact of proposals, but also offer insights into alternative approaches.’
‘I find the McCann Fitzgerald team that I deal with very approachable, quick to act and keen to support any transaction/issue at hand.’
‘McCanns can cover all aspects of our legal and tax requirements without the need for any other firm. From a tax perspective, they are experts in their field covering all our tax compliance and tax planning needs. We are provided with experienced and dedicated resources who are always willing to go that extra step to ensure our tax needs are met. A key point is the experience of the individuals. Unlike other tax practices where junior members of staff complete the work, with McCanns we work exclusively with the tax partners and senior associates. ’
‘Eleanor MacDonagh provides a level of service that is beyond exceptional and on a different level to any other tax advisor I have worked with. Her tax knowledge and planning skills are outstanding, she is super responsive, efficient and cost aware. Most importantly her tax skills ensure we operate as tax efficiently as possible. I have worked in finance and tax for 20+ years and dealt with all the large tax firms and many tax partners, but Eleanor MacDonagh is by far the most skilled and trusted advisor I have come across. ’

Key clients

WestRock
Allied Irish Banks
Standard Chartered Bank
SC Holdings I Limited
Direct Selling Acquisition Corp
Electricity Supply Board
Twin Ridge Capital Acquisition Corp
Pfizer
Greencoat Renewables
Coillte
Deutsche Bank ALG London Branch
Magnetar Financial (UK)
Aercap
No Limit Capital
Investcorp
Urbeo Residential ICAV
WeWork
AXA Real Estate Investment Managers UK
Nordic Aviation Capital
BWG Group
Pollen Street Capital
An Post
Lioncor Developments
Citibank
Arrow Global Limited
Primary Health Properties REIT
Ardstone
Irish Life Investment Managers
Electricity Supply Board
Housing Finance Agency
Viva Aerobus
SMBC Aviation Capital Limited
Central Bank of Ireland
Hammerson
Willis Tower Watson
SSEF
Peal Capital Partners Group
Harvest CLO Platform
Tiger Infrastructure Partners
Andorra Banc Agricol Reig (Andbank)
BNP Paribas Securities Corp
ING Financial Markets

Work highlights

Advised WestRock on the tax aspects of its agreed combination with Smurfit Kappa to create Smurfit WestRock.
Advised the ESB Pension Scheme and its in-house pension group that supports the scheme on a wide-range of issues on an on-going basis.
Advised Standard Chartered Bank on the $3.6bn disposal of the Standard Chartered global aviation leasing business to AvilLease by way of share sale of 100% of the issued share capital of relevant subsidiaries.