About Ciarán

Ciarán Leavy is a Partner on the Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution Team at Lavelle Partners. He has considerable experience advising on a wide range of commercial disputes and has acted on behalf of most financial services providers in Ireland including AIB, Bank of Ireland, KBC and many more.

Ciarán also has extensive experience in shareholder disputes, contractual disputes, insurance disputes, property and building disputes, insolvency, professional negligence actions and defamation cases.

Ciarán was named Litigation Lawyer of the Year at the Irish Law Awards 2019 and is cited by the Legal 500 for his technical expertise and interpersonal skills.

In the Press

Read Ciarán’s comments in the Irish Times, on a recent High Court defamation case involving sexual abuse allegations.

Read Ciarán’s comments in the Irish Independent on the rights of a neighbour in relation to building works on the house next door. 

Read Ciarán’s comments in the Irish Times, on the risks of loan notes and the ongoing Dolphin Trust case. 

Recent Work

  • Acting for Financial Institutions and Venture Capitalist Funds in professional negligence cases, appointment of receivers, data protection disputes and defamation matters.
  • Acting for companies and individuals in breach of contract/specific performance cases against insurance companies where cover has been rejected and claims unfairly denied;
  • Acting in a High Court cryptocurrency dispute against Coinbase plc.
  • Acting in a Commercial Court multi-jurisdictional probate and trust dispute.
  • Acting for individuals in Plaintiff professional negligence cases against Solicitors, Accountants, Financial Advisors, Engineers, Architects, Surveyors.
  • Acting for a number of Investors in actions against Financial Advisors arising from the Dolphin Trust investment.
  • Acting for individuals in actions arising from cyber security breaches.
  • Acting for large multi-nationals in contractual disputes with Microsoft plc.
  • Advising clients on GDPR and data breaches.
  • Acting for individuals in a variety of Plaintiff defamation actions including cases against Tesco, McDonalds and the Marker Hotel.
  • Acting for individual clients in building disputes, boundary disputes, planning disputes, nuisance actions, trespass and property damage claims.
  • Acting in contentious probate disputes on behalf of both the Executors of Estates and beneficiaries, including actions under S.117 of the Succession Act, 1965.
  • Acted for NAMA in injunctive proceedings and proceedings to reverse fraudulent asset transfers.
  • Acted for a group of high net worth investors in a professional negligence action against a major stockbroking firm.
  • Acted for the United States Trustee in Bankruptcy in the bankruptcy of David Drumm and successfully obtained an Order in Aid in the High Court allowing the US bankruptcy to be recognised in Ireland. This was the first application of its kind in Ireland.
  • Acted for a property developer in a high-profile Commercial Court case against ACC Bank Plc. The High Court awarded the developer damages for losses suffered as a result of ACC losing the title deeds to certain properties. This landmark decision created new case law in respect of a mortgagee’s duty of care to a mortgagor.
  • Acted for an oil and gas exploration company in a high value breach of contract and misrepresentation claim.
  • Acted for the personal representatives of an estate in injunctive proceedings restraining a party from interfering with the personal representatives in the exercise of their duties as executors of the estate under the Succession Act 1965.
  • Acted for Fred Muwema, a prominent lawyer in Uganda in High Court defamation proceedings against Facebook – Read More

 Awards / Professional Recognition

  • Litigation Lawyer of the Year 2019, The Irish Law Awards
  • Cited by the Legal 500 in the 2022 edition as ‘a top class litigator and an expert in his field‘

Professional Memberships

  • The Law Society of Ireland
  • Irish Society of Insolvency Practitioners
  • Institute of Bankers of Ireland
  • The Association of Compliance Officers in Ireland
  • The British Irish Chamber of Commerce
  • The Dublin Monaghan Chamber of Commence
  • Professional Negligence Lawyers Association
  • Consulegis

Qualifications

  • Certificate in Technology Law, Law Society of Ireland
  • Professional Certificate in Compliance, Institute of Bankers
  • Diploma in Employment Law, Law Society
  • Master of Laws in European Law (LLM), University of Limerick
  • BCL, University College Cork

What our Clients Say

  • “Ciarán is an excellent lawyer. He has in-depth knowledge which he deploys astutely for his clients. Ciarán is extremely professional, responsive and pleasant to work with. He ensures that he identifies the clients’ objectives and issues which arise from the outset and then successfully guides clients through litigation to ensure a positive outcome is reached at the earliest possible juncture.”

IFLR1000, 2023

  • “Ciarán Leavy’s legal expertise as a commercial litigator is second to none and he has always been extremely professional, responsive and pleasant to deal with. He has advised us on a very bespoke matter recently and he was exceptionally comfortable with this. Ciarán is always true to his word in relation to deadlines and can really be depended upon by our company to deliver. Ciarán really makes it his business to understand how we operate our business and in turn provides top class commercially focused advice. Ciarán is very down to earth also and can explain a complex topic in a very easy to understand way. We would highly recommend Ciarán and his team.”

The Legal 500, 2023

  • “Ciarán Leavy is a rising star, has great instincts and experience. He identifies and deploys winning strategies from the outset of litigation and ensures his clients conclude any proceedings with the best possible outcome.”

The Legal 500, 2023

  • “Ciarán Leavy is the outstanding partner. Ciarán is, without doubt, the best solicitor I have encountered in my 45 years dealing with that profession. He is extraordinarily shrewd and sharp in respect of the pertinent legal issues but he is also exceptionally discerning about the related human and ethical dimensions of those issues as they apply ab initio and in the context of unfolding circumstances. In short, he combines efficiency and effectiveness with thoughtful considerateness, along with being both approachable and an especially clear communicator.”

The Legal 500, 2022

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