William Fry LLP

Chairman: Liam McCabe

Managing Partner: Owen O'Sullivan

Number of partners: 78

Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish

Firm Overview: 

William Fry is a leading full-service Irish law firm with over 310 legal and tax professionals and 470 staff. The firm’s client-focused service combines technical excellence with commercial awareness and a practical, constructive approach to business issues. The firm advises leading domestic and international corporations, financial institutions and government organisations. It regularly acts on complex, multi-jurisdictional transactions and commercial disputes.

Strong client relationships and high quality advice are the hallmarks of the business. William Fry is acknowledged by clients and market commentators alike as being a leader in its main areas of work: corporate and M&A; property; banking and financial services; corporate tax; litigation and dispute resolution; projects and construction; employment and benefits; and technology.

Main Areas of Practice:  

Corporate & Commercial: The firm’s lawyers have excellent credentials, a wealth of experience and an impressive depth of expertise. They consistently have a central role in the most sophisticated and complex corporate transactions and advisory work in Ireland as well as in large cross-border deals with an Irish aspect.

Litigation & Dispute Resolution: The firm represents clients at every level in the Irish courts and before a wide range of tribunals. It covers all forms of commercial disputes including banking, crime, media law and defamation, insolvency, corporate recovery, arbitration and dispute resolution.

Financial Services: The firm’s lawyers are involved in all aspects of financial transactions for both Irish and international clients, including those based in Dublin’s International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). Areas of expertise include acquisition finance, aviation and asset finance, derivatives, securitisations, bond issues, lease finance, asset management, investment funds, PPP, insurance and banking.

Taxation: William Fry Tax Advisors is the correspondent tax practice of William Fry. It comprises tax lawyers, accountants and consultants advising a broad range of international and domestic clients. Areas of specialisation include capital taxation, stamp duty, trusts and estates, tax planning and tax defence.

Property: The firm advises landowners, developers, investors, retailers, and banks on matters such as commercial property purchase, sale and leasing, construction and development, planning and environmental law. William Fry also has significant experience in advising public bodies and private concerns on major redevelopment, regeneration and infrastructural projects.

Employment & Benefits: The firm provides employment and pensions advice to corporate clients and has particular skills in advising on employment terms, share options and incentives, statutory rights and obligations, unfair dismissals, redundancy, health and safety, and actions and appeals.

IT/IP/Telecoms: The firm handles all aspects of technology law and has experience in advising indigenous and international organisations, from start-ups through to large multinational companies in both corporate and commercial transactions. The firm also advises on intellectual property disputes, data protection and FoI, e-commerce, outsourcing, IT and telecoms.

Competition, Regulation & EU: The firm advises domestic and international clients on European Union Law, competition, e-commerce, regulatory, public procurement, merger regulation and trade law matters.

Corporate Recovery & Insolvency: The firm has extensive experience in advising financial institutions and companies on corporate recovery and protection of securities. It specialises in all forms of insolvency procedures including forensic investigations, corporate reorganisations, examinerships, bankruptcy, creditor arrangements, receiverships and liquidations.

International Work: William Fry operates a large international practice with offices in Dublin, Cork, London, New York and San Francisco and continually acts in cases involving all major European jurisdictions and the US. The firm has significant experience in takeover and cross-border activity as well as major financing, reconstruction projects and workouts. This provides the firm with a strong background in organisational liaison skills.