Davidson McDonnell

Directors: Ross Davidson, David McDonnell, Vicky Dummigan, Barbara Creed, Raymond Duddy, Alastair Keith

Partners: 11

Other Lawyers: 14 qualified lawyers and 6 legal executives/ trainees.

Banking & Finance: Aisling Owens, Lindsey Harten, Rowan Gibney

Corporate/ M&A: Vicky Dummigan, Raymond Duddy, Alastair Keith, Christopher Bullock

Litigation: Barbara Creed, Elise Quigley, Shane McVeigh

Licencing: Christopher Bullock

Private Client: Victoria Sterritt, Sara Ord, Rachael McKee

Real Estate: Ross Davidson, David McDonnell, Michaela Kilpatrick, Emma Robertson, Ben Fraser

Restructuring/ Insolvency: Lindsey Harten, Shane McVeigh

Davidson McDonnell is regarded as one of the leading independent commercial law firms in Northern Ireland, handling some of the highest value, most complex mandates in the local market and regularly acting on cross-border and international transactions. It has departments and individual lawyers recognised as market leaders in the UK’s top independent legal directories. The firm is also ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 accredited.

The hallmark of the firm is its degree of specialism within its core practice areas of real estate, corporate/ mergers & acquisitions, banking & finance, litigation, restructuring/ insolvency, licencing, and private client.

Davidson McDonnell is also regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and regularly advises on matters in both Northern Ireland and England & Wales. The firm is also often instructed by top tier firms in GB, Ireland and internationally to act on the Northern Irish aspects of multi-jurisdictional transactions.

Banking and Finance:

The banking and finance team has extensive experience of high value and complex debt and mezzanine finance structures, project and asset finance and all types of secured and unsecured lending. The team acts on behalf of corporate and individual borrowers, banks, and other financial institutions and lenders. The team is qualified to practise in Northern Ireland and England & Wales and delivers an exceptional client service with a strong commercial focus.

Corporate/ M&A:

The corporate team provide specialist corporate and commercial advice to local and international clients across all sectors. The team is qualified to advise in both Northern Ireland and England & Wales and regularly advise on high value, complex deals in both jurisdictions. Widely regarded as leading advisors in the Northern Ireland market, the corporate team at Davidson McDonnell offer pragmatic, commercially focused advice, drawing on their wealth of experience and technical excellence. The team’s collaborative style, extensive transactional experience and independence make them particularly suited to supporting large GB, Irish and international firms who require transaction support in Northern Ireland.

Litigation:

The litigation team is highly experienced at providing litigation and dispute resolution advice on contentious and non-contentious commercial matters. They are regularly instructed on complex high value cases acting for a wide range of clients across corporate, real estate, professional negligence, product liability, IP, data protection, confidentiality, judicial review, procurement and construction matters. They are qualified to act in Northern Ireland and England & Wales and are known as a pragmatic, commercially minded team who seek the best outcome for the client on every matter.

Licencing:

The licencing team gives in-depth advice in respect of all licensing applications, including Intoxicating Liquor Licences, Bookmakers Licences (both personal and office) and Bingo Club Licences in Northern Ireland. The firm provide professional insight into the statutory framework covering each application which includes establishing title, consideration of planning and building control matters and all requisite compliance issues.

Private Client:

The private client team at Davidson McDonnell advise on a range of private client services, including family matters, wills & estate planning and residential conveyancing. They are dedicated to providing the highest quality legal advice and service levels to private clients. The team regularly interfaces with financial advisors, accountants and other professionals to ensure that a holistic service is provided, and to conclude matters as efficiently as possible.

Real Estate:

The real estate team regularly advise on high value, complex deals in Northern Ireland and England and are regularly instructed by other top tier firms in GB, Ireland and internationally to act on the Northern Irish property aspects of multi-jurisdictional transactions. Their core practice areas are the sale and purchase of all types of commercial property, lease transactions acting for both landlords and tenants, development and joint venture arrangements, property-based secured lending transactions, property management, construction, and the effect and implications of Northern Irish business tenancies legislation.

Restructuring/ Insolvency:

The restructuring/ insolvency team at Davidson McDonnell has a wide range of experience in all areas of restructuring and insolvency law, including corporate and personal insolvency. Providing clear and practical advice on areas such as the appointment and duties of office holders, recovery of assets, reviewable transactions, title and possession claims, directors’ duties to creditors, restructuring strategies, pre-pack administrations, security reviews, security enhancement and enforcement options, and the sale and purchase of distressed businesses.