Global corporate law firm announces three senior appointments in Northern Ireland including two new partners

Corporate law firm A&L Goodbody (ALG) has announced three senior appointments in Northern Ireland.

James Flanagan has been appointed partner in the construction and infrastructure team and John Palmer joins ALG as a second energy partner within its corporate team. Caroline McNally, meanwhile, has been appointed to the senior advisory role of ‘Of Counsel’ in the firm’s commercial and technology team.

The three appointments take ALG’s senior leadership team in Northern Ireland to 24, charged with leading a team of over 130 lawyers and business support professionals in its Belfast office.

Congratulating Caroline, James and John on their appointments, Michael Neill, Head of ALG’s Belfast office, said: “Caroline, James and John both demonstrate the unwavering energy, commercial acumen and industry-leading technical expertise that are the very core of exceptional client service for which ALG is so widely renowned.

“Their appointments reflect a healthy demand in the commercial & technology, construction & infrastructure and energy sectors, and our commitment to bringing our clients the most relevant and timely legal expertise.

“As part of our senior leadership team in Belfast, they will set an excellent example to the wealth of up-and-coming talent within our firm and will continue to play a key role in their development going forward.”

Caroline McNally has extensive experience in advising both private and public sector clients on a wide range of commercial arrangements, including procurement, outsourcing, logistics, agency & distribution, international trade, franchising, and sponsorship. Caroline helps her clients achieve pragmatic and commercially focused solutions in relation to both day-to-day contractual matters as well as large and strategically important projects. She also has extensive in-house experience, so has a deep understanding of the commercial and legal risks faced by in-house counsel.

James Flanagan’s areas of expertise include all forms of construction and engineering contracts, such as NEC, JCT and FIDIC. He regularly advises employers, contractors, sub-contractors and funders in respect of contractual issues and frequently provides training in respect of same, including the negotiation and drafting of contracts. James is also highly regarded and experienced in procurement matters, having acted on some of the biggest procurement challenges within Northern Ireland, in addition to assisting contracting authorities with tender competitions, including the drafting and preparation of tender and contract documentation.

James has acted on a number of significant non-contentious matters across the housing, retail, transport and energy sectors within Northern Ireland. He is also regularly involved in high value contentious construction matters and is known for providing strategic and detailed advice in respect of litigation, adjudication, arbitration and alternative forms of dispute resolution.

John Palmer is a projects lawyer with over 10 years’ experience in the Irish Energy sector advising on a range of renewable technologies including onshore wind, solar, hydro and bioenergy. His clients include a range of international developers as well as equity and debt funders.

John is a regular speaker at industry events and provides specialised in-house training to a number of financial institutions in the funding of renewable energy projects. John is qualified to practice in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.