Add a bookmark to get started

10 November 20213 minute read

DLA Piper grows Finance, Projects and Restructuring practice in Ireland with new partner hire

DLA Piper today announces the appointment of Gavin Smith as a partner in the firm’s Finance, Projects and Restructuring (FP&R) group. Gavin will be responsible for leading DLA Piper’s Restructuring team in Ireland.

Gavin brings with him over 20 years’ experience advising on restructuring, insolvency and complex commercial dispute resolution, most recently as partner and Head of Insolvency, Restructuring & Dispute Resolution at Walkers Global. He is listed by Global Restructuring Review as one of the 'Names to know in Ireland' and currently sits on the executive council of Restructuring & Insolvency Ireland (RII), chairing its Law Reform Sub-Committee. Gavin has significant experience in relation to Irish High Court, Commercial Court and Supreme Court proceedings and other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as arbitration and mediation.

Gavin’s extensive experience includes advising insolvency practitioners, companies and creditors on a range of high-profile, complex, cross-border mandates – both contentious and non-contentious – including security enforcement, receiverships and liquidations, as well as examinerships, schemes of arrangement, and on other formal and informal restructurings and reorganisations.

DLA Piper’s partner and Head of Finance, Projects & Restructuring in Ireland, Conor Houlihan, said: “We are truly delighted to announce Gavin’s appointment as head of DLA Piper’s Restructuring practice in Ireland, further strengthening our Finance, Projects and Restructuring offering in Dublin by adding market-leading restructuring capability. We are very fortunate to welcome such an experienced and highly respected practitioner whose skill-set aligns perfectly with our commitment to being a market-leading local team with truly global capabilities and vision. Being both local and global is particularly important in the restructuring sphere as Ireland continues to grow as an international restructuring venue. We expect to announce further recruitment to Gavin’s team – and other areas of the finance wider practice - very soon”.

Chris Parker, Global Co-chair of DLA Piper’s Restructuring group, added: “Ireland is becoming a crucial part of the global restructuring market and recruiting Gavin who is well known and highly regarded both in Ireland and internationally will further bolster our position as a leading global law firm, with highly specialist local expertise. Given the increasing global nature of restructuring mandates, our Restructuring practice is well positioned to provide clients with first-class sector knowledge and seamless client service through our globally integrated platform.”

DLA Piper is the fastest growing law firm in Ireland which, having grown its teams across all seven practice groups since opening its doors in 2019, recently moved to a new premises at 40 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 as the firm continues its expansion in the jurisdiction. The firm has recently won three awards at the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Europe Awards 2021: Most Innovative Law Firm; Most Innovative Leader – Global Co-CEO Simon Levine; and Most Innovative Law Firm Transaction, for its Law& brand.

Print