Mason Hayes & Curran Reports 4% Rise in Revenue

Irish business law firm Mason Hayes & Curran last year recorded a 4 per cent rise in revenue to €85 million.

The Dublin-based firm, which is 50 years old, said the main drivers for its “solid” growth were demand in technology and data privacy, energy, financial services and litigation. It appointed 12 new partners, to bring the total to 90.

Managing partner Declan Black said the firm was optimistic about this year, with a “positive” outlook for its clients given the strength of the Irish economy.

Mr Black, who was recently reselected as managing partner for the third time, said the firm was likely to add another 50 staff to its existing 500-plus headcount. The firm increased its international presence last year, adding staff in San Francisco to accommodate increased demand. In the tech sector, the firm’s clients include Facebook, Airbnb, LinkedIn, Adobe, Slack, Strava and WhatsApp.

It acted for Facebook in the Schrems II litigation, in which the Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) is considering the validity of standard contractual clauses through which data is transferred from the European Economic Area to the US.

It also advised ComReg on the design of its next big multiband spectrum auction and, as sole legal advisers, to the Department of Communications on the implementation of Ireland’s National Broadband Plan.

In financial services, it advised AIB’s real estate finance team on the financing of Carysfort ICAV’s €101 million acquisition of 6 Hanover Quay in Dublin 2. It also acted for Permanent TSB on Project Glas, its €2.2 billion residential loan portfolio sale, and for Bank of Ireland on its acquisition of Project Tara 2, a €260 million portfolio of commercial real estate loans from Belgian lender KBC.

In terms of property, the firm acted for US real estate investment group Kennedy Wilson in the sale of the Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links to Northland Properties for €50 million.

It also acted for Ires Reit, the State’s largest private residential landlord, in its €285 million acquisition of the Marathon XVI Portfolio totalling 815 residential units.

This article was first published in The Irish Times on 31 January 2020 by Ciarán Hancock