Technology
Jeanne Kelly
Browne Jacobson
Kelly had a glint of mischief in her eye when telling this outlet in April of her “emperor’s new clothes” moment on the demands of big-firm life in a previous job, when requested to attend a time management course — on a Saturday morning. She is a straight talker with a wealth of experience, including as a senior tech and IP partner in LK Shields, Mason Hayes & Curran, and A&L Goodbody, before joining Browne Jacobson in 2022. One of the founding partners of the UK firm’s first international office, Kelly is also the current president of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce. Acting for a number of multinationals in Ireland, Kelly’s focus includes the legal issues arising from the use of social media.
She is a straight talker with a wealth of experience
Leo Moore
William Fry
Moore is head of William Fry’s technology group, often advising clients on the EU digital reform legislation package such as on AI (Artificial Intelligence), and the DSA (Digital Services Act). He also advises on business process outsourcing, and software licensing. Clients include media companies like Irish Times and Mediahuis, as well as LinkedIn, Tesco, Diageo, and Shein. He has also done technology transactions and contract work for companies like Riot Games, Uniphar, and Mitsubishi. Moore has been active in promoting the firm’s technology practice, including penning his team’s external bulletins and speaking to media on newsworthy tech topics.
Anne-Marie Bohan
Matheson
With just shy of 28 years at Matheson under her belt, Bohan now heads up the firm’s tech and innovation group — advising on all aspects of technology and e-commerce law, focusing on the requirements of financial services firms. She advised one of Ireland’s leading financial institutions, and another major credit institution, on the establishment of e-commerce platforms and electronic money products, with the latter including anti-money laundering, unfair contract terms and data protection issues. Winner of the 2017 Irish IT and internet law gong at the International Law Office’s Client Choice Awards, the ILO praised the “excellent advice” Bohan provides clients in tech and data protection. She is a member of the fintech working group of Irish Funds, the international investor representative body.
Philip Nolan
Mason Hayes & Curran
Both chair and head of technology at MHC, Nolan works with some of Ireland’s biggest technology multinationals to solve complex data problems. He has advised Meta/Facebook on a lot of its engagement with the Data Protection Commission over the years. With degrees from UCD and Oxford, and with a year at the De Paul College of Law in Chicago sandwiched in between, Nolan has worked on both high-profile data breach cases and cross-border privacy investigations, devoting his time nowadays to managing his team whilst helping high potential firms scale out of Ireland by solving data monetisation issues. A source described him as “one of the leading tech and privacy experts in Europe, let alone Ireland”.
Rob Corbet
Arthur Cox
While acknowledged as an expert on General Data Protection Regulation concerns, Corbet’s unique offering has been his work on Arthur Cox’s betting and gaming practice, specialising in the confluence of gaming, sports and the bookmaking industry. An alumni of Belvedere College in Dublin and a graduate of UCD, Corbet is also a trusted adviser on data and cybersecurity, being appointed lead strategic external counsel by the government in response to the HSE ransomware attack in 2021. He has also represented clients in engagements with the Data Protection Commission and other regulators. Corbet was described as “calm and responsive when it comes to solving complex problems under pressure” in Chambers Europe. He has been with Cox’s since 2000 and a partner since 2005.
Michael Finn
Bird & Bird
Joining the Two Birds as a partner in 2023, Finn was selected to lead the Dublin office a year later. “It’s like being a Premiership player and being asked to come play for Man City,” Finn said earlier this summer of his decision to join the firm.
An IP expert who specialises in disputes, Finn has worked in some of the biggest law firms in Dublin — Philip Lee, Matheson and Pinsent Masons to name a few. Among the big cases on his desk at present is the ongoing High Court fight between Ryanair and the Competition And Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC). Finn, acting for the CCPC in the case, is defending a challenge brought by the airline over a raid of its premises earlier this year as part of an investigation into allegations of anti-competitive practices.
As part of his head of firm role, he is also working to expand the practice and ensure it can compete against domestic firms in securing valuable mandates.
An IP expert who specialises in disputes, Finn has worked in some of the biggest law firms in Dublin
John Cahir
A&L Goodbody
Cahir has been a big name in the legal world for many years due to the calibre of work he has secured for the firm. Along with being the relationship partner for Google, Cahir has also been a go-to external lawyer for many other multinationals based in Dublin. His practice in A&L covers both contentious and non-contentious aspects of intellectual property, information technology, data protection and media law. With a PhD in law from Queen Mary University in London, Cahir has also acted in some of the highest profile cases to come before the Irish courts, including representing some of the Big Tech giants such as Google in various challenges. As the head of A&L Goodbody’s technology group, Cahir earned senior counsel status in July of this year and was a trusted figure on the adoption of GDPR guidelines from 2018 onwards.
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