Dispute Resolution Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Gleeson McGrath Baldwin LLP

Eileen O’Gorman

Partner

eogorman@gmgb.ie

Eileen is Managing Partner and head of the Commercial and Corporate Law Team at Gleeson McGrath Baldwin LLP. With over 20 years of practice with the Firm, Eileen has forged a reputation for strategic insight and an in-depth knowledge of commercial and corporate law with a specific focus on Intellectual Property.

Eileen has built enduring relationships with clients based on trust, integrity, and hard work. They value her pragmatic and hands-on approach to corporate transactions including reorganisations, disposals, and acquisitions across a broad range of sectors. She guides owner-managed and growing companies through various stages from startup, advising on corporate structures through investment, financing and growth. She also works across the entertainment industry with musicians, artists and content creators and various other stakeholders to develop, protect and monetise intellectual property, including sponsorship endorsements and brand protection.

Her notable work includes:

Guiding the shareholders of a large privately owned educational institute through the stages of an M&A transaction from negotiating heads of terms, through the due diligence procedure and negotiating transaction documents
Advising an Irish group of companies in the retail, development, and pharmacy sector on a large corporate reorganisation
Advising an international leisure group on recent expansion, acquisitions, and financing including a €55 million share purchase
Advising a large family-owned company on the scaling up of a transport and logistics and R&D company
Advising an Approved Housing Body on governance, regulatory requirements and financing for social housing projects
Advising a number of professional services companies on M&A transactions, including partial share sales and shareholder agreements
Advising a family-owned company on a joint venture with an international PLC in the drinks and entertainment industry

Eileen is a registered European Trademark Attorney, a member of the EUIPO Mediation Centre Stakeholder Network, and for 2024/25 is Co-Chair of the International Bar Association’s IP and Entertainment Law Committee. She is also a member of the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association. Eileen has tutored in the Law Society on Intellectual Property Law and Company Law.

Outside of work, Eileen loves live music; she has been invited to speak at various arts and music-related conferences and regularly gives her time and expertise for free to assist various cultural organisations. She spent time on the Board of Dublin City FM, a special interest radio station, after managing its predecessor Anna Livia FM in her 20s. She can be seen running the country roads of Ireland participating in various running challenges followed always by a dip in the sea.

She brings this experience to her legal practice and has a truly interdisciplinary and unique approach, making her an invaluable asset to her clients.

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Ashleigh Ward

Partner

award@gmgb.ie

Ashleigh is a Partner and Head of the Real Estate Department. With more than 20 years’ experience as a commercial property solicitor, she has vast experience across both residential and commercial property law.
She advises on a full range of property-related matters including acquisitions and disposals, landlord and tenant issues, social housing, planning, licensing, construction and procurement law. Ashleigh has completed a Diploma in Construction Law with the Law Society of Ireland and a Diploma in Procurement Law with the King’s Inns.

Ashleigh acts for a broad and long-standing client base including Approved Housing Bodies, private individuals, developers, construction companies, lending institutions, commercial landlords, publicans, hoteliers, and retailers. Her notable transactions include:

Representing a major Irish construction company (a client since 2013) in the €29 million sale of two office blocks in Dublin city centre
Acting for the same major Irish construction company for contracts involving the construction, lease and sale of several data centres
Acting for an international leisure group in multiple hotel sales and acquisitions across Dublin, Waterford, Kildare, and Laois, including a recent €55 million Dublin hotel transaction
Advising a group of associated Irish companies on the acquisition of a shopping centre valued at over €19 million
Assisting a large Approved Housing Body with the delivery of over 3,000 residential units since 2015

Ashleigh is a graduate of NUIG (1998) and a member of the Law Society of Ireland and the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association. She is committed to delivering clear, pragmatic legal advice and ensuring positive outcomes in every transaction. Outside of work, Ashleigh enjoys cycling, baking, and regularly participates in the Law Society Calcutta Run. She is also proficient in Portuguese.

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Emma O’Neill

Partner

eoneill@gmgb.ie

Emma O’Neill is Head of the Dispute Resolution at Gleeson McGrath Baldwin LLP. With more than 22 years of experience, she is a trusted advisor across a wide range of litigation, medical negligence and employment matters. Her clients include insurance companies, state bodies, multinational companies, pharmacies, and professionals in the healthcare sector.

Emma holds a Diploma in Employment Law from University College Dublin, along with additional Diplomas in E-Commerce and Legal French from the Law Society of Ireland. She has also tutored and lectured at the Law Society, sharing her legal expertise with future practitioners.

Emma has acted successfully in numerous complex and high-profile cases, including an employment injunction against a bank involving allegations of bullying, victimisation, and procedural unfairness. She has also represented clients at the Morris Tribunal and regularly resolves disputes through mediation, arbitration, and conciliation.

She advises employers and employees on all legal issues arising from the employment relationship, from recruitment and contractual documentation to termination procedures, employment injunctions, and workplace policies.

Emma has also acted in high-value cases involving catastrophic injuries and medical negligence, representing GPs, private hospitals, and pharmacies.

Her commercial litigation experience includes partnership disputes, contractual conflicts, professional negligence claims, and property-related matters.

Outside of work, Emma enjoys cycling, running and sea swimming.

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Leisure, Hospitality & Retail

Denise Fitzgerald

Partner

Ciaran Doyle

Partner

cdoyle@gmgb.ie

Ciaran is a Partner who has a multi-disciplinary practice in the areas of Real Estate and Housing Dispute Resolution, Commercial & Media and Entertainment. He has been practicing since 2013 and holds Diplomas in Insurance Law and Sports Law, a Certificate in Commercial Transactions, and is a registered European Trademark Attorney.

Ciaran has extensive experience in residential and commercial conveyancing, banking and construction law and with a particular emphasis on social housing. He has acted for Approved Housing Bodies for 10 years in the acquisition and long-term leasing of social housing units and has a unique insight into the key legal, commercial and social issues around social and affordable housing and cost rental.

He has acted in the acquisition of both new and second-hand properties ranging from individual houses to large-scale multi-unit developments. He was the lead solicitor for an AHB in relation to the acquisition of the following developments:

85 Apartments at a derelict development in Dundalk
95 Apartments in County Cork
137 units and 110 connected units in Limerick
69 units in Castle Island on behalf of two AHBs working in conjunction

Ciaran has acted in the restructuring of group companies and the sale of companies for values between €1 million and €20 million, and he undertook all property due diligence on the sales. Ciaran was key advisor in the sale of a major Irish Brand to a US drinks brand, with ongoing royalty payments. He advised on title, planning, corporate governance, IP and drafted leases/licences.

Ciaran has represented a logistics company in the acquisition and disposal of industrial units nationwide. In representing a group of Irish Construction Companies for 8 years, Ciaran has advised consultants and developers on building agreements, collateral warranties and other sub-contract construction documents.

Ciaran has significant litigation experience at all Court levels including the Commercial and High Courts in insurance, commercial, IP, and general litigation. He has acted as a defence solicitor for one of the main insurers in the Irish Market for the last 10 years and is the lead defence solicitor for a major state-owned body.

Ciaran has acted in the defence of professional negligence claims in relation to the property matters and assisted major lending institutions to enforce their rights under mortgage and charge documents through the High Court.

On copyright, Ciaran acted on behalf of 12 co-defendants in High Court proceedings issued against a major artists, their international record labels and publishing companies.

On sports law, he provides legal advice to many sporting organisations including a League of Ireland Football club, on regulatory matters, child protections policies, property matters and their obligations in relation to player safety, health, and welfare. Ciaran has an in-depth knowledge and particular interest in case law in the areas of sports injuries suffered in schools, on the field of play and the liability issues for sporting organisations and schools.

He has represented international artists and bands on trademark and copyright matters including contentious High Court litigation which necessitated injunctions.

It’s hard to believe Ciaran has free time, but when he does, he can be found on golf courses at home and abroad and playing football.

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Ronan O’Brien

Solicitor

robrien@gmgb.ie

Ronan is a senior solicitor who has worked in the Litigation and Employment Law Department at Gleeson McGrath Baldwin since 2014. He was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in 2017 and holds a BCL in Law and German from University College Cork. He has a practitioner certification in Data Protection (PDP) and has completed courses in Mediation and Negotiation with the Law Society of Ireland. He is a member of the Law Society of Ireland, the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association and LAWorld International Legal Network. He sits on the Law Society’s Technology Committee and the LAWorld NextGen committee.

Ronan’s practice includes employment disputes, data protection, public and product liability, construction law, personal injuries and general commercial litigation. He handles cases across all court jurisdictions, including the District, Circuit, and Superior Courts. He has also represented clients before the Labour Court, the Workplace Relations Commission, and in statutory hearings, inquests, and tribunals.

He advises on data protection law, including regulatory investigations and District and Circuit Court claims, and provides support on drafting and reviewing commercial contracts, employment terms, and workplace policies in line with current legislation.

In 2017, he represented the Law Society of Ireland at the INADR Law School Mediation Competition at Strathclyde University, Glasgow.

In his free time, Ronan likes to spend his time gardening or in the outdoors. He is a regular volunteer with environmental organisations such as ReWild Wicklow.

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Closely Held & Growing Businesses

Aisling McHugh

Solicitor

amchugh@gmgb.ie

Aisling McHugh is a solicitor in the firm’s Dispute Resolution department, having joined in 2022. She has more than 10 years’ experience in the legal profession and advised on a range of dispute resolution areas. With previous experience in property law, she has a strong cross-disciplinary approach and her legal versatility spans defence litigation, employment, medical negligence, social housing, landlord and tenant and enforcement law.

She regularly advises Approved Housing Bodies on tenancy management and enforcement procedures and is a key point of contact in Gleeson McGrath Baldwin for residential tenancy disputes and court proceedings. Aisling has also delivered workplace training for housing staff on these areas.

Her litigation practice includes acting on behalf of insured clients in defence of claims before the District, Circuit, and High Courts. She has also represented sporting bodies, charities, and childcare providers in proceedings before the Workplace Relations Commission. Aisling is expanding her practice expertise in the areas of probate disputes and Decision Support Service Act Applications.

Since 2023, Aisling has been a Dublin Solicitors Bar Association Litigation Committee member and she contributed to an article in the Parchment about litigation costs. She has a strong interest in advocacy and has previously volunteered with national helplines during the marriage equality referendum and for a leading charity supporting older people during the pandemic.

Outside of work, Aisling plays gaelic4mothers&others in Navan having played GAA for over a decade. Aisling is also part of a major fundraising effort to build a community hall in her home village of Ederney, County Fermanagh.

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Social Housing

Tessa Robinson

Solicitor

trobinson@gmgb.ie

Tessa Robinson is a senior solicitor with more than 15 years’ experience in the legal profession, having qualified as a solicitor in 2016 following ten years of practice at the Bar of Ireland.

She works primarily in the Commercial and Corporate area, advising clients on a wide range of commercial and company law issues including scaling up businesses, reorganisations, and financing. She has particular expertise in mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, commercial lease drafting and negotiation, corporate reorganisations, financing transactions, and licensing matters. She also has experience in complex litigation, including appearances before the Commercial and Chancery Courts.

Tessa is a graduate of TCD and the King’s Inns. She is a member of the Law Society of Ireland and the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association, and has a Diploma from the Law Society in Technology and IP Law. She has provided advice on a volunteer basis at FLAC clinics. Her notable transactions/cases include:

Acting for an international leisure group in the business acquisition and financing of a number of Irish hotels
Representing European online travel agencies in ‘screenscraping’ and competition law litigation before the Irish High Court, including advising on database rights
Commercial Court injunction regarding the transfer of a development site valued at €17m and the breach of an undertaking
The sale and business transfer of a number of childcare services
Acting for shopping centre landlords in relation to the lettings of their commercial units.

In her free time, Tessa enjoys cycling and in September 2024 she took part in the Paris2Nice charity cycle, raising €25,000 for Pieta House.

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Patricia Brady

Solicitor

Alistair Payne

Consultant

apayne@gmgb.ie

Alistair is a consultant solicitor to the firm and focuses solely on intellectual property law. Formerly the principal of IP boutique Acuatus and prior to that an IP partner at a large Irish corporate law firm and at a national Australian firm, he has more than 35 years’ international experience in the area.

He represents multinationals and SME’s across the full spectrum of contentious and non-contentious IP matters but with a particular focus on pharmaceutical patent litigation, trade mark and passing-off litigation, brand protection and domain name disputes. His experience includes:

Representing various multinational pharmaceutical industry companies in numerous long running patent/SPC infringement and invalidity and trade mark infringement disputes in the High Court Commercial List and on appeal to the Court of Appeal;
Acting for many years for various international brand owners in the alcoholic beverages and the non-alcoholic energy drink sector in brand protection disputes and High Court trade mark infringement litigation and advising on advertising and trade mark clearance and protection matters;
Representing one of the leading Irish retailers in brand protection matters in Ireland, the UK and Europe, including brand clearance, trade mark watch, protection and infringement litigation and domain name dispute matters;
Obtaining and renewing a High Court blocking injunction against ISP’s to prevent the infringement of a global rights owner’s IP in the sports industry;
Acting for an international FMCG company operating in the dairy sector in its brand clearance and trade mark protection programme in Ireland and successfully on appeal in long running trade mark litigation ;
Representing a multi-national pet food manufacturer in trade mark and design litigation in the Irish High Court and managing equivalent litigation on behalf of the client in the United States through to a successful global IP rights settlement;
Acting for a young Irish computer game development company in creating and implementing a strategy for protecting the group’s IP assets internationally and in the negotiation of numerous commercial arrangements for game development in conjunction with the client’s US attorneys;
Undertaking IP due diligence programmes in M&A transactions for a wide range of Irish, European, North American and Australian based companies in diverse sectors, including technology, telecoms, FMCG, financial and professional services.

Alistair is a past chair of the International Trademark Association’s Emerging Issues Committee, a longstanding domain name dispute resolution panelist with the World Intellectual Property Organisation and with the Czech Arbitration Court, a member of the French speaking Association des Praticiens du Droit des Marques et des Modèles (“APRAM”),of the Pharmaceutical Trade Mark Group (“PTMG”) and of the Intellectual Property and Data Protection Committee of the Law Society of Ireland.

He is admitted as a solicitor and is a registered Irish and European trade mark attorney. Also, admitted as a solicitor in England & Wales, New Zealand and in various Australian jurisdictions, he holds a BA/LLB from the University of Auckland and an LLM (Int. Prop.) from the University of London. In his spare time he follows baroque opera and art house cinema and enjoys gardening, tennis and sea swimming.

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Media, Entertainment & the Arts

Geraldine Clarke SC

Consultant

gclarke@gmgb.ie

Geraldine has extensive experience in all areas of commercial and general litigation and dispute resolution. As a former head of the litigation department, she managed and conducted a large volume of intricate and complex litigation in the Superior Courts, before tribunals, and other fora. She has conducted many cases, including seminal cases in the areas of copyright and trademark infringement, passing off, counterfeiting, and artistic rights, as well as the areas of company law and banking.

Geraldine has a particular interest in, and specialised knowledge of, corporate and professional governance and regulatory requirements and obligations. She is a trusted advisor to corporate clients on governance and regulatory compliance issues, with a focus on board structures, director responsibilities, decision-making frameworks, as well as professional duties and obligations.

Geraldine is a Past President of the Law Society of Ireland and was the Chairperson of the Property Services Regulatory Authority for six years following its establishment. She is a former member of the Legal Services regulatory Authority and the Irish Financial Services Appeals Tribunal. She is a member of the ethics committee of the Society of Actuaries.

She was recently appointed as an Adjudicator for ComReg, the Commission for Communications Regulation. Geraldine is also recognised for her ability as an arbitrator. As a member of the Law Society of Ireland’s panel of arbitrators, she is often appointed to handle disputes involving commercial property, partnerships and other contractual matters.

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Dispute Resolution