The origins of McCann FitzGerald date back to 1947 in Dublin, but the firm has expanded internationally and now also has branches in Brussels, London and New York from which it advises on Irish law.
Focusses / specialisms
The firm provides high-quality legal advice across a range of practice areas on the Irish market, with key strengths in asset and structured finance, M&A and projects.
The firm has one of the largest and leading asset finance practices in Dublin that advises global leasing companies on acquisitions of portfolios, leasebacks and financing transactions.
The firm’s capital markets practice cover all areas of debt, equity and structured finance and securitisation work for domestic banks, international financial institutions, and corporations.
The financial services regulatory team advises banks and financial institutions on licensing and establishing lending platforms in Ireland.
The funds team’s expertise lies in the establishment and management of UCITs, ETFs, AIFs, hedge funds and REITs.
The M&A practice advises publicly listed companies on buy and sell side transactions. In private space it works for domestic companies in various sectors and private equity firms generally keep the team busy.
The firm’s projects team has wide-ranging capabilities but is especially active in social infrastructure and road projects advising public bodies, lenders, project developers and contractors.
In restructuring and insolvency work the firm acts on multinational restructurings advising a mix of custodians and distressed companies.
Key clients
Among its clients in banking are Citi Group, AerCap Holdings, Bellinger Asset Management, Sirius Aviation Capital Holdings., Montepico Investments and Marlet Property Group.
Among its clients in capital markets are AIB Group, Hammerson Ireland Finance, DEPFA ACS Bank, FMS Wertmanagement, Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Ireland and Intesa Sanpaolo.
Among its clients in corporate and M&A are OPKO Health, EirGen Pharma, Grant Thornton, NaviCorp, Ion Equity, Luminate Capital Partners and Hartley & Marks.
Among its investment funds clients are JO Hambro Capital Management, Ardstone Capital, Willis Towers Watson, UBS Wealth Management, Metzler Ireland, Peal Capital Partners Group and Emerald Technology Ventures.
In financial services regulatory it advised ISDA, Allied Irish Banks, Capitalflow Group, AerCap Holdings, Patron Capital Partners, Close Brothers and Bitpanda.
Among its clients in project development National Development Finance Agency, Dublin City Council, Primary Health Properties, Greenlink, Galway County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
Research period review: 33rd edition (2023/2024)
During the research period the firm was active in all areas of corporate law and project development.
In its highly successful asset finance practice, the firm provided expert guidance to aviation asset finance clients across a diverse spectrum of corporate law transactions, banking and finance, as well as restructuring and insolvency matters.
Within banking and finance, the firm showcased strategic counsel to both lenders and borrowers. Their expertise extended to direct financing, acquisition financing, and refinancing, fostering a comprehensive approach to financial transactions. Furthermore, their project financing practice demonstrated versatility in aiding lenders and borrowers with projects spanning energy, social infrastructure, and transport sectors.
In capital markets, the firm demonstrated its expertise across a broad spectrum of financial instruments, encompassing debt, equity, and structured finance. On the debt front, their advisory services predominantly catered to issuers, guarantors, and arrangers, offering invaluable guidance on various bond and note issues, such as unsecured bonds, long-dated covered bonds, medium-term notes, senior unsecured notes, and sustainability linked bonds.
For equity-related matters, the firm primarily assisted issuers in share placements and initial public offerings (IPOs), solidifying their commitment to supporting companies seeking public listings. In structured finance, the firm was proficient as they notably advised issuers on securities issues and Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs).
The firm excels in corporate and M&A, providing comprehensive counsel to acquirers, sellers, targets, joint-venture partners, and merger parties across diverse industries, including energy, insurance, healthcare, waste management, technology, telecommunications, banking, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences.
In investment funds, the firm offered expert guidance to asset managers, investment managers, and sponsors on fund formations and regulatory concerns, encompassing various funds such as QIAIF and ICAV.
Within financial services regulatory, the firm provided valuable counsel to clients in diverse sectors including FX trading and crypto services, payment services authorizations, derivatives, acquisitions, and banking regulatory issues.
In project development it advised mostly project developers on procurement, PPPs and projects in various industries, including social infrastructure, energy, healthcare and transport.
The firm's restructuring and insolvency practice offered strategic guidance to a wide range of stakeholders, including creditors, administrators, insolvent entities, liquidators, and bondholders. Their expertise encompassed examinerships, liquidations, restructurings, and insolvency proceedings, providing comprehensive support during these critical processes.
Deal highlights: 33rd edition (2023/2024)
AerCap Holdings $30 billion acquisition of Celestial companies and NAS Aviation services
AerCap Holdings $21 billion notes issue
Bellinger $893 million asset backed securities
KKR Altitude Holdings $800 million acquisition of portfolio of aviation loans from CIT Group
Ornua Co-operative €580 million refinancing
Montepico Investments €530 million notes loan
Client feedback: 33rd edition (2023/2024)
Asset finance
"The McCann team managed the process well, were very efficient in turning around drafts, provided excellent advice and negotiation tactics, understood timelines and made themselves available accordingly. Excellent team."
"The partners at McCanns were very knowledgeable and experienced. The team demonstrated a deep knowledge and experience in their practice areas. They were also very responsiveness and able to turn things around in a timely manner."
"The McCanns team has a world-class service and knowledge and experience with regards to aviation leasing transactions. The team is very focused and dedicated and able to work to tight deadlines."
"McCann FitzGerald consistently provide first-in-class service. They have a deep knowledge of the sector and a very experienced team. They are extremely efficient, while not compromising on quality. The team are commercially focused while ensuring legal requirements are met at the highest standards."
"McCann FitzGerald's in-depth industry knowledge helps them provide tailored and effective legal advice, they are also technically excellent."
"Responsiveness is beyond compare."
"Very professional, responsive. Experts in their field."
"The asset finance team in McCann FitzGerald provide an excellent service and are always very responsive. Legal advice and technical drafting are of the highest standard while also being mindful of our commercial aims. There is good depth of market knowledge across the team. Very good access to partner-level input where required."
"They are always very proactive, responsive and very competent."
Bank lending
"Alacrity, informative and proactive."
"McCann FitzGerald have a team of highly experienced and capable partners which quickly grasps the requirements of any instruction and leads an internal team of people to deliver the required solution."
"Having worked recently with Fergus [Gillen] on the Covid-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme, he brought a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the department's needs. McCanns provided strong support in our development of the primary legislation in emergency timelines. They knew where to update and strengthen due to previous experience. Very strong voice in negotiations with lenders."
Banking and finance
"Key understanding of the bank's requirements, ability to advise and help in decision-making as opposed to just providing a template, availability of partners throughout."
"Clear, no-nonsense advice with a commercial approach to problem-solving. Partner involvement throughout the deal and a clear understanding of the client's needs."
"McCann Fitzgerald provides reliable advice in supporting us in meeting our regulatory and legal obligations."
"Very commercial, efficient and helpful. Turn queries, drafts around in a very timely manner. On this deal in particular, I felt the borrower and ourselves received very good value for money."
Capital markets
"The firm was very knowledgeable on the matter and were very responsive to queries and in actioning the document reviews required of them."
"Ability to think outside of box and suggest solutions to complex problems."
"Pragmatic advice – very commercially-focused. Client knowledge – a deep understanding of our structure and transaction history."
Financial services regulatory
"Clear thinking and generally responsive. Very detailed and considered advice but neatly summarised in a digestible format. Pragmatic approach. Very familiar with their subject matter. Clear identification of risk."
"McCann Fitzgerald are an excellent firm, and market leader. Their advice is always thorough yet practical and given their depth of experience they are able to provide exceptional market insight to help steer us in the right direction."
"MCF always find the ability to take a call on the same day you request it. They also have assigned specific associates and partners to our account, meaning we get the same people helping us each time we request it. MCF are open to estimating costs for work ahead of time so that cost elements of a project (e.g. securitisation transactions) can be planned for. The quality of outputs are always very high and it is evident that materials coming back to us go through rigorous governance and quality assurance before they reach our inbox."
"Safe pair of hands that free the client up to work on internal matters. Provides comfort."
"Prompt responses, expert advice, commercially focused."
"Prompt and well-considered advice. Deep sectoral knowledge."
"Extremely knowledgeable on very complex areas of law. They are very professional and always seek a good understanding of our business so they can closely apply the law and regulation to our specific business."
"McCann's have consistently provided accurate advice in a timely manner. Their people are approachable, available and very easy to do business with and understand the needs of the company. Furthermore, over many years working together their personnel remains consistent, facilitating a good working relationship. We have great faith and trust in their counsel."
Investment funds
"Responsive, high level of partner time where appropriate, good value for money."
"McCann embodies the concept of 'counsellor'. They provide not only excellent technical legal services, but they are also our go-to source for advice on thorny matters."
"Very engaged, always willing to help, excellently efficient."
"McCann’s has a deep understanding and knowledge of the regulated investment funds space and has built a strong understanding of our firm and its needs."
"Timely. Personable. Professional."
"McCanns are very responsive and consistent in advice provided to the IM and to the AIFM board. While their role is largely in relation to fund advice, the transactions late last year also required strong M&A advice and a relevant partner was brought into the process and added great value."
"Very knowledgeable team lead by Mark White and Anna Moran."
"They understand well the needs of the client and are very good at providing legal advice and documentation that solve the issues at hand."
"Very responsive and clear in the advice they provide."
"The presentation was current and gave a good overview of the process, cost and timing of the overall exercise."
"Very responsive and pragmatic; excellent technical ability; friendly and approachable."
"Very responsive and knowledgeable in Irish funds law."
"Extremely knowledgeable and experienced team; thoroughly reliable; very professional."
"Professionalism, knowledge and know-your-client is key and McCann Fitzgerald tick all those boxes."
"This process is complex in terms of managing various stakeholders and potential conflicts of interest. McCann F consistently provide clear-sighted advice, clearly presented and articulated. This is assisting the board and investment manager to navigate this process."
"Always responsive, well prepared, extremely professional, high competence, very concentrated working and reliable teamwork."
M&A
"Understanding the client's needs. Developing a personal relationship with clients. Ensuring the best result is obtained. Top-class professionalism at all times."
"They are very pragmatic, knowledgeable and responsive."
"Very engaged. Constructive advice."
"Very knowledgeable, competent and measured."
Project development
"Knowledge of the sector and problem-solving."
"Overall expertise in the area of planning and environmental legislation."
"They are very responsive and cooperative. Always available to discuss challenges."
"McCann FitzGerald have provided an excellent service to our organisation, delivering the appropriate breadth of skills to deal with the various issues we required assistance on. They have a very good understanding of the area in which we operate and provide clear, and beneficial, advice and assistance across many complex areas."
"Their personnel are highly trained, very professional and thoroughly diligent. Overall, they provide a very high standard of service."
"McCann FitzGerald has provided an excellent service to our organisation, delivering the appropriate breadth of skills to deal with the various issues we required assistance on. They have a very good understanding of the area in which we operate and provide clear, and beneficial advice and assistance. They provide an excellent online 'Knowledge Hub' portal, with client access permitted, informing of the latest important developments in legislation, case law and other significant items. They are particularly effective at providing additional sector-specific updates and analyses, which we find highly valuable."
"Expertise, knowledge, pragmatism."
Restructuring
"Extremely knowledgeable on subject matter and best practice. Always available, personable and easy to deal with."
Hugh Beattie
"Hugh was both very responsive and also proactive in terms of following up on various loose ends with other legal counsel and transaction parties. He has notable knowledge and experience in capital markets transactions and was able to address queries quickly and find solutions to issues that arose. He is also very commercially minded."
Eamon de Valera
"A very hands-on, highly experienced and efficient partner. Great individual to deal with. He is exceptionally commercial and is able to explain complex issues simply while coming up with creative solutions to get things done."
Laura Deignan
"Laura has a deep knowledge of the aviation sector, which has been evident from the quality of service which she consistently provides. She is extremely responsive, commercially minded and an excellent lawyer."
"Laura is technically excellent, great communication skills, detailed-orientated."
Michelle Doyle
"Michelle's knowledge and expertise in the area of planning law is second to none and she is also very approachable and a good communicator."
"In the area of project development, the effort and approach provided by Michelle Doyle, the main partner working with us, was of a superb standard – dedicated, resolute, thorough, comprehensive and forensic. The strategic advice, knowledge and capability of Michelle was excellent and we were always confident in our position when they were involved. Her dedication, experience and professionalism ensured that complex and difficult issues were brought to successful conclusions."
"Michelle Doyle has supported us on large, complex and challenging projects and programmes. Her dedication and thoroughness are excellent. She has a comprehensive level of knowledge and experience that has proved invaluable in progressing major infrastructure developments. She is excellent at foreseeing potential future problems and providing solutions to avoid those problems."
Morgan Dunne
"Morgan has great client communication skills and brings a level of reassurance to clients that is worth the costs. He can be trusted to navigate you through tough transactions and his technical skills and expertise come to the fore."
"Responsive, hard-working, technically capable, personable."
"Morgan has a wonderful and rare ability to get right to the heart of the issue at hand. He uses his deep industry knowledge and business-friendly approach to provide clear, practical guidance. He has helped us navigate many complicated issues with his unerringly calm, collected demeanour."
"Excellent lawyer, always willing to go the extra mile."
"Approachable, uses plain English, very supportive and has a total command of the field we use him for."
"He is a well-rounded individual, great interpersonal skills and recognises the need or urgency in a particular situation. Always well prepared."
"Excellent technical ability; pragmatic; commercial; understands our business extremely well; friendly and approachable."
"Very responsive and makes himself available as required. Very knowledgeable."
"Excellent communication, commitment to deliver, depth and breadth of knowledge, accessible and responsive. Always personable and pleasant to deal with."
Colm Fanning
"Excellent communicator. Very attentive."
Adrian Farrell
"Very responsive and great ability to think outside of the box and solve problems."
"Very commercial, efficient and helpful. Turns queries, drafts around in a very timely manner. On this deal in particular, I felt the borrower and ourselves received very good value for money."
Iain Ferguson
"Iain has a deep knowledge of regulated funds and of the Irish and European investment funds landscape. Having had experience both in private practice and in-house means he is able to see projects from the client’s perspective, which is extremely valuable. Iain is very responsive and well connected within his firm and the wider industry."
"Attentiveness. Knowledge of our business and the industry. Energy and direction. Availability."
"Very knowledgeable and accessible."
Rachel Fitzsimons
"A safe pair of hands. Takes initiative. Very responsive."
Alan Fuller
"He's responsive, knowledgeable and pragmatic. Trustworthy and nice to work with."
Stephen Fuller
"Highly capable."
Fergus Gillen
"Authoritative on the subject matter. Calm and very able to deal with multiple stakeholders. Strongly aligned with clients but able to react and adapt to alternative suggestions."
Josh Hogan
"Josh has in-depth knowledge of the legal and regulatory framework in Ireland which serves us well when seeking advice on various legal and regulatory matters. His ability to understand the requests from us and respond accordingly is commendable. This gives us confidence that we can rely on the advice being provided and take action accordingly."
"Easy to deal with. Pragmatic. Commercial. Clear advice and good on risk assessment and how to address challenges practically. Seems to have a good team around him with good sectoral knowledge."
"Josh's regulatory knowledge and market insight is second to none, he not only provides the legal and regulatory insight, but is also a great problem-solver."
"Josh is a pleasure to work with and treats everyone at the table with the same respect, whether they are the CEO or a junior taking notes. He appears to have endless knowledge and works 25 hours a day while maintaining an excellent standard of output. Josh can often make himself available for calls at short notice which gives us the feel that we are always his most important client and no ask is too big or small."
"Good commercial focus, expert knowledge."
"Expert in his area and a great ability to provide concise and considered advice that applies to the facts at hand."
"Good communication and understanding of the regulations."
"His knowledge, his understanding of regulatory matters, his communication skills, his willingness to find solutions for his client."
"Ability to listen, to understand the question, to provide a considered answer and to deliver outstanding service."
Aidan Lawlor
"Knowledgeable and measured. Provided good counsel throughout our transaction."
Hilary Marren
"Incredibly knowledgeable and commercial. Hilary has a practical approach to getting the transaction done."
Stuart McCarron
"Stuart is a highly experienced and capable partner who quickly grasps the requirements of any instruction and leads an internal team of people to deliver the required solution."
"Availability, strong understanding of the sector. Strong communication throughout."
Anna Moran
"Experienced, professional, reliable."
Philip Murphy
"Responsive, problem-solver, organised and provides suggestions for the efficiency or our business."
Éamon Ó Cuív
"Éamon is an exceptionally talented lawyer whose deep technical knowledge is matched by his understanding of the intricacies of his client's business needs."
Garreth O'Brien
"Garreth has a complete understanding of his clients' needs from day one and strives to deliver the best result for them. His professionalism and technical knowledge are second to none, while he also has the rare ability of developing a positive relationship with all types of individuals."
David O'Dea
"Highly knowledgeable, experienced, practical approach and responsive."
Georgina O’Riordan
“Extremely proactive, on top of things and very competent.”
Ian Payne
"Proactive, extremely knowledgeable, excellent negotiator, understands his documents inside and out, cuts to the chase and always provides practicable advice. Very deal-focused and wins key points."
"Great to deal with and very smart. Fast thinking and efficient."
"Ian is a fantastic lawyer to have in your corner on a deal. He is a commercially minded lawyer who also possesses excellent drafting skills and attention to detail. Great negotiator who consistently meets agreed closing deadlines."
Stephen Proctor
"Stephen is very practical and has great knowledge in his area. He likes to solve problems quickly. Very good at negotiations."
"Knowledge, pragmatism, expertise."
Tony Spratt
"Highly competent and intelligent, always responsive and quick in execution, finds a solution or suggestion for everything, very trustworthy, very good team player."
Mark White
"Very personable and professional. A very strong understanding of our fund structure and in quickly identifying issues and suggesting resolutions. Works very well with the AIFM board."
