Carson McDowell's 'professional, knowledgeable, articulate' team is active on banking matters across numerous key sectors, including energy and renewables, manufacturing, healthcare and logistics. Team lead Sinead McGrath, described by clients as 'knowledgeable, responsive and efficient', has a broad practice which covers acquisition finance, real estate finance, and general corporate lending. Damian McElholm, who joined from Eversheds Sutherland in January 2022, has experience in debt restructuring, security enforcement strategies, and loan sale transactions. Associate Rachel Lewis acts for domestic and international clients.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Market leading commercial acumen and interpersonal skills make Carson McDowell a unique practice.’
‘Always available, willing to proactively solve complex legal problems whilst maintaining strong client relationships. Sinead McGrath and Damien McElholm are very strong.’
‘Sinead McGrath is exceptional - very knowledgeable, responsive and efficient.’
'The team are professional, knowledgeable, articulate and are easy to discuss complicated matters with. They get on with the job and are very responsive and only seek guidance where required.'
'They are very knowledgeable and know what they are talking about. They explain issues and discuss these in detail to ensure the best outcome. They are approachable, and their work is always of a high standard.'
Key clients
- The Governor and Company of Bank of Ireland / Bank of Ireland (UK) plc
- Northern Bank Limited trading as Danske Bank
- AIB Group (UK) plc
- Barclays Bank plc
- National Westminster Bank plc trading as Ulster Bank
- Santander
- WhiteRock Capital Partners LLP
- European Investment Bank
- JP Morgan
Work highlights
- Acted as local NI Counsel to Heitman, a global real estate investment management firm, in relation to its €125,000,000.00 investment in U Store It, the island of Ireland’s largest self-storage platform.
- Advised Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. in relation to the NI aspects of the funding of the acquisition by Cardinal Capital (an Irish private equity growth fund) of a majority stake in Uform (a Northern Ireland-based manufacturer of kitchen doors and furniture).
- Acted as NI advisers to Davidson Kempner in respect of a residential mortgage-backed securitisation, which was backed by a pool of buy-to-let, owner-occupied and right-to-buy mortgage loans from across the UK.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
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Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Sinead McGrath