Hayes Solicitors, one of Ireland’s leading independent law firms, is delighted to announce the promotion of five new Partners and four new Associates across key practice areas including Commercial, Dispute Resolution & Litigation, Property & Private Client, Healthcare and Employment.

These appointments reflect our sustained growth and ongoing commitment to delivering excellent legal services to our clients across Ireland and internationally. As we continue to expand, our focus remains on providing strategic, responsive, and high-quality legal advice to meet the evolving needs of our clients in a dynamic business and regulatory environment.

The newly appointed Partners bring extensive experience and proven leadership across their respective fields. Their promotion represents the depth of talent within our teams and reinforces our commitment to fostering professional development and recognising excellence within the firm.

The new Partners are Pamela Fitzpatrick and Gill Cotter (Commercial), Michael Kelly (Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution), Fergal Mullins (Healthcare) and Owen Burke (Property & Private Client).

Managing Partner Joe O’Malley commented:
“These promotions reflect both the strength of our people and the increasing demand from clients who trust us to handle their most important matters. We are proud to support the professional development of our team as they have demonstrated exceptional commitment and dedication to the firm and its client service and congratulate all those promoted on this well-deserved recognition.”

Joining our senior team are:

Pamela Fitzpatrick

Pamela is a Partner in the Commercial and Business team. She specialises in commercial litigation and dispute resolution acting for financial institutions, private equity funds, private companies and individuals in a variety of matters including enforcement and recovery actions, landlord and tenant disputes and general litigation cases. Pamela also provides advice on a wide range of commercial and business law matters, including data protection law and the review and drafting of commercial contracts.

Gill Cotter

Gill is also a Partner in the Commercial & Business team. She specialises in commercial litigation and dispute resolution, acting for a variety of private companies and financial institutions in the High Court and Commercial Court. She advises commercial clients on a broad range of matters including contract disputes, insolvency, enforcement and recovery actions, landlord and tenant disputes, and general litigation cases.

Michael Kelly

Michael, a Partner in the Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution team, specialises in commercial litigation and insolvency and restructuring. He has acted for a wide variety of State bodies, financial institutions, private entities in a variety of complex commercial disputes, insolvency matters, enforcement and recovery actions. Michael has particular interest in Alternative Dispute Resolution and has concluded many high value disputes by way of mediation.

Fergal Mullins

Fergal Mullins is a Partner in the Healthcare team. He primarily advises clinical practitioners, hospitals and indemnity bodies on the defence of clinical negligence claims. He also acts as an advocate before the Coroner’s Court and assists clinicians with regulatory matters including acting on their behalf in relation to Medical & Dental Council investigations.

Owen Burke

Owen is a Partner in the Private Client team. He specialises in Will drafting, probate and administration of estates, succession and tax planning, Enduring Powers of Attorney and residential conveyancing. He has acted for a wide range of domestic and international clients in relation to their personal affairs. He is a Trust and Estate Practitioner and a member of the Irish branch committee of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). He is also vice-chair of the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association Probate and Taxation Committee. He is a qualified Chartered Tax Adviser and acts as a consultant to other firms in relation to private client matters.

We are equally pleased to announce the promotion of four new Senior Associates, each of whom has demonstrated exceptional legal expertise, client focus, and commitment to the firm’s values. The new Senior Associates are Niamh O’Herlihy and Katie Nugent (Healthcare), Patrick Scott (Corporate) and Orla Canavan who has been promoted to Associate in our Employment practice area.

We are also pleased to welcome Matthew van der Want to our Corporate team as a Senior Associate. With over 20 years’ experience, Matthew advises on M&A, investments, compliance, contracts, and risk management. He has led complex, cross-border transactions for major corporates, private equity firms, and public bodies.

Our new senior associates are:

Niamh O’Herlihy

Niamh is a Senior Associate in the Healthcare team working in healthcare litigation, defending clinical negligence claims against public hospitals and private clinicians.

Prior to joining Hayes, Niamh worked for two leading litigation law firms, gaining extensive experience in the areas of medical negligence, personal injuries and general litigation. Niamh has experience of representing clients in the Circuit Court, High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Katie Nugent

Katie is also a Senior Associate on the Healthcare team. She specialises in the defence of medical and dental claims taken against both public hospitals and private clinicians. Katie has experience in complex, multi-party clinical negligence litigation both in the Circuit and High Court jurisdictions. Prior to joining Hayes, Katie worked for four years in insurance defence litigation, with a particular focus on personal injury claims.

Katie has written several articles in respect of healthcare law developments., tutors at the Law Society and mentors final year TCD students.

Patrick Scott

Patrick is a Senior Associate solicitor in the Corporate team, advising on mergers and acquisitions, investments, corporate restructurings, shareholder agreements and other general commercial arrangements. He advises both international and Irish-based companies across a range of sectors including the technology, financial and retail industries, from small start-up companies to large multi-national corporations.

Matthew van der Want

Matthew is a corporate and commercial lawyer with over 20 years of experience advising clients across multiple jurisdictions. He is admitted to practice in Ireland, England and Wales and South Africa. His practice spans mergers and acquisitions, investments, regulatory compliance, contract negotiation, and risk management. He has acted for major corporates, private equity firms, and public bodies on complex transactions, often in high-stakes, cross-border contexts.

Our new Associate is:

Orla Canavan

Orla is an Associate in the Employment Law team, advising employer and employee clients across a diverse range of contentious and non-contentious matters. Orla has a particular interest in the area of employment equality. She also has experience acting in the defence of High Court claims.

We warmly congratulate our new Partners and Associates and look forward to their continued contribution to the future success of the firm.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Suzy Maher         
Head of Business Development and Marketing
smaher@hayes-solicitors.ie
www.hayes-solicitors.ie

Pictured left to right: Pamela Fitzpatrick, Patrick Scott, Katie Nugent, Orla Canavan, Joe O’Malley, Owen Burke, Gill Cotter, Michael Kelly and Niamh O’Herlihy.