15 New Partners

The partners practice in a wide range of specialisms including corporate, financial services, dispute resolution and competition. The appointments reflect the demand for legal services in key sectors where the firm is dominant such as Technology, Built Environment, Health and Life Sciences.

Commenting on the appointments, Declan Black, Managing Partner, said “It’s very pleasing to announce so many promotions to partner, reflecting the talent and opportunity at MHC. What unites all our partners is a deep commercial understanding of the business sectors in which they operate, and a practical approach to giving clear legal advice.”

New Partners

Áine Quigley

Áine is a Partner in the Real Estate and Built Environment teams. She has broad experience advising corporate clients on all aspects of commercial property transactions. She leads the team that advises a number of State utility providers on all real estate matters and acts for corporate clients on the management of extensive and high profile portfolios of Irish assets.

Áine also acts for numerous lenders on the financing of commercial real estate, and more recently the financing of social housing developments. She is advising Ulster Bank on the real estate aspects of its €7.6 billion asset sale to PTSB, including the sale of 25 branches.

Anne Harkin

Anne is a Partner on our Corporate team. She advises both Irish and international businesses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings and reorganisations. She has particular expertise in Capital Markets and advises listed and unlisted corporate clients and financial advisers on public company transactions and governance.

Anne is the author of the firm’s annual publication on the AGM season of Irish main-market listed companies. Recently Anne acted for LetsGetChecked in its Series C funding. LetsGetChecked was confirmed as a tech ‘unicorn’ with a valuation in excess of $1 billion.

Catherine Kelly

Catherine is a Partner in the Employment and Education team. She has deep expertise in all areas of employment law from breach of contract to actions for stress and bullying.

Education is a core speciality and she works closely with hundreds of schools and other associated providers in Ireland. She regularly appears before the High and Circuit Courts as well as a host of other official forums when matters become contentious.

Recently she successfully acted for the Board of Management of a School in a High Court judicial review of a decision to overturn the school’s decision to expel and order the school to readmit the student.

Colm Farrell

Colm is a Partner in our Dispute Resolution and Built Environment teams. He advises on commercial disputes and specialises in property litigation, and landlord and tenant law.

He provides strategic advice and risk analysis on contentious property issues and acts for a wide range of property clients. He also advises large scale institutional landlords, on a variety of issues including breach of obligations and terminations. He has extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

Recently he advised a property developer in a dispute concerning a contract for sale valued at in excess of €10m.

Cara Cooke

Cara is a Partner on our Corporate and Built Environment teams. She advises on a range of corporate matters including private mergers & acquisitions, equity investments and fundraisings. Cara also acts for a broad range of Irish and international clients across different sectors, particularly those in the healthcare and life sciences and technology sectors. She has deep experience working with complex corporate structures and investment models for clients.

Recently, Cara acted for Tetrarch Residential Investments in relation to its multi-million Euro joint venture, focusing on developing social and affordable housing, with leading European investor, Revcap.

Cathy Grant

Cathy is a Partner in our Financial Services team. She acts for private equity sponsors, corporate borrowers and financial institutions on a range of multi-jurisdictional debt financing transactions.

She has particular expertise in acquisition finance and leveraged buy-outs and acquisitions. Cathy has represented a number of major private equity sponsors on their financing of multi-jurisdictional leveraged buyouts with an Irish nexus.

Cathy spent three years with Kirkland & Ellis in London. Recently she advised a global private equity firm on the financing aspects of their acquisition of a global data protection provider.

Eimear Lyons

Eimear is a Partner in our Corporate and Health teams. She advises on a range of complex matters from investments to mergers and acquisitions. She is recognised for her significant experience acting in the sale and purchase of healthcare assets, particularly in the nursing home sector.

She has extensive experience advising on renewable energy transactions and worked for a number of years as in-house counsel in a well-known renewables energy company.

She acted for DomusVi, the major international nursing home operator, on its acquisition of the Trinity Care group of nursing homes.

Gearóid Carey

Gearóid is a Partner in our Dispute Resolution and Technology teams. He specialises in commercial litigation, with an emphasis on contractual and technology disputes.

He has extensive experience in a wide range of commercial matters such as warranty claims and jurisdictional issues for transnational litigation. Managing multi-party matters involving expedited case management in the Commercial Court is a core competency. Over the last few years he has developed unique expertise in the complex area of technology.

Recently he acted for Meta in judicial review proceedings against the Irish Data Protection Commission arising from the Schrems II decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union on data transfers from the EEA to the US.

Hannah Devoy

Hannah is Partner in our Construction and Built Environment sector teams. Her practice focuses on complex and high value construction disputes, often with an international component.

She has appeared in a number of the most significant construction cases in the Commercial Court in recent years. Alternative dispute resolution is a significant element of Hannah’s practice. She advises domestic and international clients in arbitration and represents clients in both making and defending multi-million euro claims in adjudication.

Recently Hannah represented an international construction joint venture in Commercial Court proceedings on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge.

James Morrin

James is a Partner on our Dispute Resolution team. He advises on all aspects of commercial dispute resolution and has a particular focus on insolvency law. He regularly acts for insolvency practitioners, companies and creditors on solvency issues and in formal insolvency processes, providing strategic and commercially orientated advice.

James is also experienced in high value, complex, and multi-jurisdictional commercial litigation arising from shareholder disputes, professional negligence and civil fraud.

James recently advised the shareholders of a major Irish based aircraft lessor on potential cross border restructuring options.

James Gallagher

James is a Partner in the Product Regulatory and Life Sciences team. He has broad experience advising clients in the medical device, pharmaceuticals and food sectors on a variety of regulatory compliance matters. He specialises in advising international businesses on their EU digital health strategies.

He works closely with companies on the application of regulatory regimes throughout the life cycles of their products and also represents clients in contentious product liability matters and regulatory investigations.

James has recently advised a number of high value US and EU-based start-ups on EU regulatory strategies for software medical devices and wearables.

Laura Durning

Laura is a Partner on our Competition & Antitrust team. She advises on all aspects of Irish and EU competition law.

She has particular expertise in complex merger control matters, anti-trust investigations and competition litigation. She also regularly advises clients on general enforcement, competition compliance, the impending foreign direct investment regime and matters at the intersection of data privacy and competition law.

Laura represents clients in a broad range of sectors and routinely acts for large private equity firms. Recently she acted for Ticketmaster/Live Nation on the CCPC’s 4-year investigation into the ticketing sector, likely the largest of its kind ever before the CCPC.

Liam Heylin

Liam Heylin is a Partner in the Competition & Antitrust team. He has first-class experience on all aspects of EU and Irish competition law. He has considerable expertise on competition litigation proceedings and routinely advises on other behavioural and regulatory matters. Liam also has extensive experience advising on all aspects of EU State aid law.

Prior to joining Liam gained invaluable international experience in Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

Recently he has been advising a global healthcare company on a competition law counter claim, arising out of IP patent infringement proceedings before the Irish Courts.

Muireann Hernon

Muireann is a partner in our Financial Services and Energy team. She advises Irish and international financial institutions, borrowers and investors on a range of domestic and cross-border transactions.

She has extensive experience in advising clients on commercial real estate finance, acquisition finance and project finance transactions. She has a particular emphasis on the renewable energy and healthcare sectors and is recognised as an exceptional talent in the market.

Recently Muireann advised Société Générale on the financing of the construction, development and operation of a portfolio of solar farms in Ireland. One of the projects that is part of this portfolio became the first ground mounted solar farm energised in Ireland.

Sarah Cloonan

Sarah is a Partner in our Financial Regulatory and Financial Services team. She advises a wide range of clients on licensing and regulatory issues, particularly those looking to operate in Ireland for the first time.

She provides clients with tailored advice on a host of issues dictated by the Central Bank. Over the last number of years, she has developed unique expertise in fintech and works with some of the leading companies in this sector.

Recently she advised one the biggest Fintechs in the world on a range of issues including new product launches, regulatory and AML compliance and Central Bank guidance.

Interested in Joining Our Team?

We are always interested in hearing from talented and experienced lawyers and business professionals.

See our current opportunities here.