William Fry today announced the appointment of nine new Partners across four key departments: Asset Management & Investment Funds, Litigation & Investigations, Real Estate, and Technology.
The firm also appointed two new Consultants and 13 Senior Associates in the promotions round. These appointments follow on from the recent senior appointments of Colin Bolger, a Partner in the Tax department and Derina Bannon, a Consultant in the Asset Management & Investment Funds department. William Fry employs over 470 legal and tax professionals at offices in Dublin, Cork, London, New York and San Francisco.
In Asset Management and Investment Funds Clodagh Ruigrok, Elena Canavan-Young and Nessa Joyce have been appointed as partners. Clodagh specialises in advising asset managers in relation to the establishment, regulation and ongoing management of a wide variety of investment funds. She advises some of the largest global asset managers which provide a broad range of institutional products, together with niche advisers creating bespoke offerings. She currently has a particular focus in the evolving areas of artificial intelligence (AI), data protection and environmental, social governance (ESG), and their impact on asset managers. Elena advises leading global asset managers and service providers in relation to the structuring, establishment and regulation of Irish-domiciled investment funds and management companies. Elena’s experience includes advising a broad range of clients on the authorisation of AIFs and UCITS. Elena has particular expertise in relation to ETFs, having advised some of the largest ETF providers in the market in relation to the authorisation of active and passive ETFs offering exposure to a variety of investment strategies. Formerly a policy specialist with the Central Bank of Ireland, Nessa advises on the establishment and ongoing management of regulated and private fund structures in Ireland. She is also head of our ESG & Sustainability group, a multi-sector team of highly experienced lawyers advising across the rapidly evolving sustainability regulatory and legal framework.
In Litigation & Investigations Barbara Galvin and Deirdre O’Donovan have been appointed as partners. Barbara specialises in corporate restructuring and insolvency. She has particular expertise in advising on all aspects of examinership, liquidation and receivership processes, acting for creditors, shareholders and directors as well as insolvency practitioners. Barbara’s more recent experience includes advising on a number of significant cross-border insolvency and restructuring processes. Deirdre advises a range of clients on all areas of commercial litigation, and has extensive experience in complex, high-value disputes before the Commercial Court. Deirdre is part of our White Collar Crime & Investigations team and has recent experience advising clients before high-profile statutory inquiries and inspections. She is also very experienced in alternative dispute resolution, particularly mediation, including in an international context.
In Real Estate Aisling O’Gorman and Tiernan Diamond have been appointed as partners. Aisling advises on all aspects of real estate transactions with a particular emphasis on commercial leasing, acquisitions and disposals and renewable energy transactions. Aisling also regularly leads on the commercial real estate aspects of corporate transactions. Tiernan practices in all areas of real estate law, including advising clients on property acquisitions, disposals, investments, development, real estate finance and landlord and tenant matters. Tiernan has significant experience in the renewables sector, having acted for a number of clients in relation to the financing, development and operation of energy projects throughout Ireland, and also advises clients in the healthcare and industrial sectors.
In Technology Barry Scannell and Rachel Hayes have been appointed as partners. Barry is internationally recognised as a leading expert in the area of AI law and is a member of Ireland’s AI Advisory Council. He advises clients on issues relating to text and data mining, AI copyright infringement, data protection and AI, machine learning, and AI rights ownership. He has expertise in AI specific contracts, licences, and dataset agreements, and is very involved in AI product advisory work. Barry specialises in advising on the AI Act and other legislation such as the DSA and GDPR from an AI compliance perspective. Rachel specialises in privacy & data protection matters, and by extension, the ever-evolving areas of cybersecurity, AI, data and content regulation. Rachel works closely with indigenous and multinational clients on all matters concerning data protection & privacy: ranging from global projects, advisory work, data breaches, regulatory investigations, individual complaints/rights requests, data subject claims and general compliance matters.
Commenting on the news, Owen O’Sullivan, Managing Partner of William Fry, said,
We are delighted to announce the appointment of nine new partners. They are all trusted legal advisors who are committed to delivering the highest levels of service and expertise to our clients in Ireland and internationally. Each new partner has earned their promotion through hard work, collegiality and dedicated client service over the last number of years. This is a key milestone in their careers, and we look forward to seeing them achieve great things for our clients and for the firm in the years ahead.
