CORPORATELEGAL

1. Members of the Public

Any member of the public with a legal dispute or question is invited to contact us with relevant details. We will refer the matter to a specialist barrister who will carry out the relevant research in answering the question. For example, a shareholder who feels aggrieved at the way in which he is being treated by his company may wish to know whether he has any legal claim against the company. A home-owner in arrears on his mortgage may wish to know whether the bank is entitled to repossess his home. Similarly, the company or the bank itself may want advice regarding their legal options. Before Counsel gets stated on his/her Opinion, we will obtain a fixed quote from him/her, so that you know exactly how much you will be paying before you incur a penny.

2. Irish and foreign businesses

We can also assist businesses and organisations of all kinds, whether they are companies, partnerships, government agencies etc. The organisation may be, for example, an Irish company seeking advice about regulatory matters, a dispute with its directors, an application to the court etc. Foreign companies may wish to know the legal rules in this jurisdiction where, for instance, it is engaged in a dispute with an Irish business. Whatever the legal issue, we are happy to offer our specialised corporate services to help you out.

3. Company Directors

We are happy to assist company directors, whether it is on behalf of their company or on their own behalf. For example, the director may wish to know whether his company is liable to a particular shareholder, supplier, contractor, employee etc, or indeed whether the company has a good case against some other person. Alternatively, the director of a company in liquidation may want to know whether he is likely to be restricted and/or disqualified upon such an application being made to the High Court by the company's liquidator. As always, we will ensure that the matter is dealt with by an expert in the relevant area of law, and we will provide a fixed fee estimate of any advisory work.

4. Irish Solicitors

We welcome enquiries from Irish solicitors seeking specialist Opinions or court representation in any of our specialist areas. We will refer the query to one of our barristers who will then engage directly with the solicitor in the ordinary way. We will still aim to provide a fixed fee estimate where possible and achieve the best rates for your clients or indeed you own firm where the advice is for your own purposes rather than a client's. Since solicitors may directly engage Counsel, our role is simply to refer you to one of the best barristers in the area of law in question; we do not also refer the matter to one of our affiliated solicitors as this is not necessary.

5. Foreign Lawyers

Our affiliated Counsel specialise in Irish, UK and European Union law. We are therefore able to meet requests for legal advice from lawyers in other jurisdictions. As long as your legal query falls within one of our specialist areas, we will be happy to assist you. Please note, however, that we can presently provide services in the English language only.

6. Irish Accountants

Accountants, like solicitors, are entitled to directly engage Counsel for legal opinion. Therefore, we can refer your query to Counsel, usually at a fixed fee which we can estimate before you commit to paying anything. You may be a receiver or liquidator of a company, or an examiner seeking advice on a scheme of arrangement etc. Please note however that Counsel may only be engaged directly for legal opinion but not court applications. Since most liquidators and receivers will already have instructed solicitors, it is best practice to ask your solicitor to contact us where you require to make a court application.