The Regulatory Enforcement Group is a team of lawyers focused on providing a rapid response to clients in regulatory enforcement situations. The team includes lawyers specialising in all areas of financial services, including banking, asset management and investment funds, insurance and pensions. Lawyers practising in company law, competition law, litigation and data protection also support the Group’s work.
Our clients include State Authorities and Regulators, fund managers, investment funds, financial institutions, insurers and reinsurers, public companies and other businesses. We advise on the full range of regulatory, compliance and enforcement issues.
We have unrivalled experience in advising clients on enforcement actions involving State Authorities including the Financial Regulator, the Director of Corporate Enforcement, the Financial Services Ombudsman, Data Protection Commissioner, An Garda Síochána, the Takeover Panel and the Competition Authority.
Our team comprises experienced practitioners with complementary skills and specialisations, and a track record of providing a rapid response in helping clients through enforcement situations.
Team
John Larkin
John Larkin is highlighted for his ‘keen understanding of the financial services environment’,
Legal 500 EMEA, 2012 - Insurance
Clients rave about long-standing insurance and reinsurance expert John Larkin, observing that he 'has excellent intuition about the international insurance market, a great deal of experience, and he's highly practical and demonstrative in what he says.'
Chambers Europe, 2011 - Insurance
John Larkin is ‘one of the top two insurance specialists in Ireland’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2010 – Insurance
John Larkin has ‘excellent understanding of reinsurance law, business, regulation and market activity’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2009 – Insurance
John Larkin is noted for his skill at handling technical and commercial considerations, skills that stand him in excellent stead when dealing with restructurings, portfolio transfers and insurance-based transactions. His knowledge of the market and his foresight allow him to ‘clearly see the direction of a deal and guide us to a successful conclusion’.
Chambers Europe, 2009 – Insurance
Orla Brennan
Orla Brennan is highlighted for her 'all-round excellence’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2012 - Banking & Finance
'Sources hail Orla Brennan's dedication to her work and her ability to convey the most complicated legal technicalities in a clear and understandable way.'
Chambers Global 2011 - Banking & Finance
Orla Brennan is ‘particularly good’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2010 - Banking and Finance
Orla Brennan has substantial experience within domestic and international banking and finance.
Chambers Global, 2010 – Banking and Finance
Orla Brennan impresses observers with her expertise in securitisation, structured finance and debt capital markets. She is experienced in workout matters, and her ‘personable nature and sharp mind’ in that field are…valuable assets.
Chambers Global, 2009 – Banking and Finance
Garrett Breen
Garrett is lauded for his ‘extensive experience’ of the Commercial Division of the High Court.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2011 - Dispute Resolution
Garrett Breen is recommended as a ‘leading lawyer’ in Dispute Resolution.
European Legal Experts, 2011 - Dispute Resolution
William Fry bolstered its regulatory offering in 2009 through the hire of Garrett Breen, formerly managing partner of Landwell Solicitors.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2010 – Dispute Resolution
Cormac Commins
Cormac Commins has ‘excellent business acumen’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2012 - Investment Funds
Cormac Commins has a ‘sharp intellect’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2011 - Investment Funds
Cormac Commins is recommended for his ‘ability to work intuitively with in-house counsel’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2010 – Investment Funds
Cormac Commins is praised as being ‘particularly excellent on UCITS, but with a great overall knowledge of the industry’.
Chambers Global, 2010 - Investment Funds/Financial Services
Cormac Commins has been particularly busy in the last year and clients have been impressed by his work. ‘He’s very available and responsive to requests,’ says one.
IFLR1000, 2010 – Investment Funds
John Handoll
John Handoll is ‘an expert in his field’.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2011 - EU & Competition
Sources say that 'he has an incredible understanding of competition law, from both the legal and the commercial perspectives'.
Chambers Europe, 2011 - Competition/European Law
John Handoll is ‘among the best competition law specialists.’
Legal 500 EMEA, 2010 – EU & Competition
Clients find Handoll to be ‘refreshingly pragmatic.’
Chambers Europe, 2010 – Competition/European Law
John Handoll receives plaudits for his skills in domestic merger control, as well as his knowledge of European law. ‘He’s definitely one of the more prominent figures in the industry,’ say commentators, who add: ‘He deserves all the kudos he gets.’
Chambers Europe, 2009 – Competition/European Law
John Handoll leads the team and is highly recommended.
Legal 500 EMEA, 2009 – EU & Competition
John is listed in the "International Who’s Who of Competition Lawyers" (2010) and the "International Who’s Who of Public Procurement Lawyers" (2010).