10 September 2009

Cleaver Fulton Rankin have 8 partners listed as leading individuals and are recognised as Top tier in 6 categories, Dispute Resolution, Insolvency, Employment, Commercial Property, Intellectual Property/Information Technology and Environment and Planning. The Directory does not report on Private Client, Construction nor Charities.

The following comments were made:

·        Corporate & Commercial
Cleaver Fulton Rankin has the ‘excellent’Stephen Cross at the helm, and the ‘sensible’ Scott Kennedy is ‘doing well’. The team acted for Marfrig in a major acquisition of European and Brazilian assets of the OSI Group which included Moy Park in Northern Ireland. The team expanded at associate level with the addition of Sarah Burrows, ex John McKee & Son.

·        Dispute Resolution
Cleaver Fulton Rankin has a broad disputes practice and its level of service is ‘exemplary’, with noted individuals including new partner and ‘truly excellent litigator’ Jonathan Forrester, the ‘reliable’ Michael Neill, and Brendan Fox, who ‘knows his stuff’. It recently acted for an international recruitment business in a successful multimillion-pound claim.

·        Banking & Finance
Clients have ‘absolute confidence’ in Cleaver Fulton Rankin. Acquisition financing and the financing of distressed disposals constitute a significant part of the practice, and the team regularly acts on securitisation and warehousing transactions for clients such as Britannia Building Society and Nationwide Building Society. Stephen Cross heads the team.

·        Insolvency
Cleaver Fulton Rankin has a premier practice and is regularly seen on the administrator side; it advised the administrators of the Taggart Group (the largest administration in Northern Ireland in 2008). Michael Neill is ‘professional and courteous’, and recently advised the major creditors of Thermomax (in administration). The firm has also advised in relation to numerous personal insolvencies.

·        Employment
Cleaver Fulton Rankin’s level of service is ‘exceptional’, with clients declaring ‘complete trust and confidence’ in new partner Michael Black, and associate Aisling Byrne. The ‘wholly professional’ team recently advised a provider of communication services regarding ex-employees acting in breach of their restrictive covenants, and is advising a large retailer in an ongoing age discrimination claim.

·        Projects, Energy & Natural Resources
Cleaver Fulton Rankin’s ‘solid team’ includes Stephen Cross, who ‘does not get flustered’, and Patrick Fleming, who is also recommended. Clients include Airtricity, ESB and Phoenix Gas.

·        Commercial Property
Cleaver Fulton Rankin’s Kathryn Collie is ‘very pleasant to deal with and very helpful’. A busy year on the transactional front saw the firm act for the Lyric theatre on its redevelopment, and for the Northern Ireland Science Park in letting the new Concourse Building at Queen’s Island, Belfast.

·        Environment and Planning
Cleaver Fulton Rankin has ‘unrivalled knowledge of the Northern Ireland planning system’. Karen Blair is a ‘legal star’ and Maria O’Loan a ‘very able deputy’. It advised Titanic Quarter on its applications for mixed-use development schemes, including an application for a Financial Services Campus, and also assisted AES on planning, environmental and regulatory consents for ongoing operation and development opportunities at Kilroot Power Station.

·        IP & IT
Cleaver Fulton Rankin’s Brendan Fox and Scott Kennedy are both highly rated. A busy year saw the team advising Titanic Quarter on its procurement contracts for the design, build and management of an open-access telecom network, and it continues to advise Hewlett- Packard on a range of IT related transactions. The team has notable expertise in patent cases.