Commercial Law
Insolvency
Personal Injury
Professional Negligence
I have a broad civil practice covering commercial/chancery matters combined with considerable personal injury experience including a particular interest in clinical negligence. I regularly provide advice in contentious and non-contentious commercial matters including intellectual property. I particularly specialise in public procurement, construction disputes, insolvency related litigation, professional negligence claims and disputes between shareholders. I am also regularly instructed in banking related litigation and practise in defamation and libel. I have acted in many cases before the Court of Appeal and have appeared before the Supreme Court. I am comfortable in using alternative dispute resolution including mediation and arbitration.
I graduated from Queens University in 1997 with a degree in Law and Accounting and was called to the Bar in 1998. I was appointed to the Commercial Committee providing assistance to the Gillen Civil and Family Justice Review. I am also a Member of the Government Civil Senior Panel and appointed to the Panel of Counsel retained by the Directorate of Legal Services.
Some examples of recent cases include:
Injunction application in a procurement challenge seeking to restrain the award of a contract worth £100M+ for a computer database for NHS patients in Northern Ireland
Quinn v Cloughvalley Stores [2019] NICA 5
Appeal to the Court of Appeal concerning the validity of an Administrator’s appointment.
Lagan Holdings v Lagan Construction [2019] NICh 10
Injunction to restrain a winding up petition
Brennan v Ulster Bank [2019] NICh 9
Defending application to strike out a Bankrupcy Petition
McIlroy Rose v McKeating [2019] NICh 13
Entitlement to join Defendants to proceedings by way of counterclaim.
Bam McCann v Department for Infrastructure [2018] NIQB 68
Acting for the Plaintiff in a successful procurement challenge concerning a contract worth over £110m in respect of the York Street Interchange. Later in 2019 successfully defending the Appeal against the decision at first instance.
Peninsula Securities v Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Limited [2018] NICA 7
A claim based on the doctrine of restraint of trade subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court.
Ulster Bank v Caldwell [2018] NICh 22
Enforcing personal guarantee and a legal charge
Injunction application to restrain blasting operations at a quarry
Cuthbert v Clinishare [2018] NICh 13
Injunction concerning shareholders dispute and dispute over a shareholder’s agreement
BA Kitchen Components Ltd v JOWAT UK Limited [2018] NICA 51
Product liability claim in respect of glue supplied to a kitchen unit manufacturer
Portavo Estates v Northern Ireland Water [2017] NICh 2
Enforceability of pre-emptive rights in respect of vested land
Glen Water v Northern Ireland Water Limited [2016] NIQB 55 and [2017] NIQB 20
Contractual claim for around £50M connected to certain PFI agreements
Ulster Bank v Finnegan [2016] NIQB 40
Commercial Action seeking repayment of disputed loan
Elliot v Flanagan [2016] NIQB 8
Libel action concerning the use of the amends procedure