Expertise
Angela is a partner in Matheson’s Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department. Angela has over 16 years’ experience in advising in all aspects of commercial and financial services dispute resolution, shareholder disputes, insurance coverage disputes, aviation disputes, regulatory disputes, and contentious and non-contentious corporate restructuring and insolvency matters. Continuously recognised for her ability as an excellent lawyer and strategic litigator, Angela is recommended by Legal 500 and is noted as being a "Key Lawyer" in the Litigation Department.
Angela won Lawyer of the Year – Aviation Disputes - at the Women in Business Law Awards EMEA in 2023 and was nominated again in this category in 2024.
Angela also advises clients throughout their engagements with regulatory authorities, in internal and external investigations, risk mitigation, remediation programmes, mis-selling claims and enforcement actions. Her practice includes high-stakes, complex Commercial Court disputes and she has extensive experience in interlocutory applications, issues arising under the Civil Liability Act, pathfinder litigation and stay applications, security for costs applications, mediations and multi-party settlements. Angela is a champion in the firm in the use of legal technology and AI. She works very closely with Matheson’s Digital Services Group and has managed some of firm's the largest e-discovery projects.
Angela’s clients include financial institutions, insurers and reinsurers, fund managers, fintech firms, domestic and international companies, directors and senior executives, insolvency practitioners, shareholders and creditors.
Angela has worked extensively with financial services and professional services clients for many years and is familiar with the regulated environment in which they operate, having spent a year on secondment as Head of Legal at Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Limited, where she managed an extensive litigation book, dealt with customer remediation projects and regulatory obligations and was its Data Protection Officer.
Angela is a committee member of the Commercial Law Committee of the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association. She is a former committee member and current member of the Irish Society of Insolvency Practitioners and INSOL. Angela also lectures and tutors on the professional practice course of the Law Society of Ireland, and is a regular contributor to industry publications.
- Representing four of the world's leading Aircraft Leasing Companies in insurance coverage claims in four separate sets of proceedings which are currently before the Irish Commercial Court.
- Representing a number of alternative investment fund managers with respect to a potential regulatory investigation and potential litigation against the fund managers.
- Acting in a landmark subrogation claim against Electricity Supply Board ("ESB") which made new law in the area of negligence concerning ESB's management of a hydro-electric dam and advising insurer with regard to mediating the remaining outstanding issues in respect of another 135 policyholder claims.
- Representing a major domestic bank in an insurance coverage dispute in relation to the recovery of multi-million dollar losses, in the sum of $682 million, arising from a very high profile fraud in a US subsidiary.
- Acting in a multi-million euro professional negligence action against a major firm of solicitors in relation to the administration of one the country’s largest estates.
- Advising regarding an application pursuant to the Cape Town Convention in the first Irish scheme of arrangement for the aircraft leasing sector for the world's largest regional aircraft lessor, Nordic Aviation Capital DAC.
- Acting in high-profile Commercial Court proceedings with regard to a shareholder dispute in connection with one of the largest cinema groups in Ireland.
- Advising the Special Liquidators of IBRC with regard to managing an extensive litigation book, which involved defending some very high profile and complex mis-selling cases taken against the Wealth Management Division of Anglo Irish Bank.
- Advising financial institutions in relation to the enforcement of security, recovery of debt and enforcement options, commercial court cases, mediations and settlements involving defaulting borrowers and guarantee claims.
- Advising directors and shareholders of companies on corporate governance and compliance issues and on matters relating to the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, restriction and disqualification proceedings and Section 205 proceedings.
- Advising large financial institutions in relation to the filing of significant and complex claims in the liquidation of IBRC and also acted for the subordinated bondholders in filing their claims in the IBRC liquidation, seeking the payment of principal, pre- and post-contractual interest in respect of the subordinated notes.
- Acting for real estate investment and finance firms in respect of their purchase of a NAMA loan portfolio.
- Advising a financial institution and an insolvency practitioner in connection with defending Commercial Court proceedings arising out of high-profile receivership and financial restructuring of the Thomas Crosbie group of media companies which proceedings involved a significant security for costs judgment.
- Advising financial institutions and receivers in domestic receiverships, examples of which include Ellen Construction, Ellickson Engineering, Workcast, Brian O’Donnell, Irish Pride Bakeries, Thomas Crosbie Group of Companies, Lyrath Hotel, Rivercourt Hotel, Gallagher’s Hotel and Diamond Coast Hotel.
- Advising in examinerships, both from an examiner’s and creditor’s perspective, examples of which include Homebase, McSweeney Group of Pharmacies and Edward Capital Group (which was shortlisted for an FT innovation award for having innovative steps) which comprised of seven group companies (which assets included the G Hotel in Galway).
- Advising financial institutions in relation to restructuring options and consensual work outs for trading corporate borrowers, including debt for equity swaps and other consensual debt restructurings using formal insolvency processes.
Qualified as a solicitor in
Ireland
University of Glasgow
(Scholarship)
University College Cork (BCLI)
Nominated Lawyer of the Year – Aviation Disputes
Women in Business Law Awards EMEA 2024
Won Lawyer of the Year – Aviation Disputes
Women in Business Law Awards EMEA 2023
"Angela Brennan goes the extra mile for client needs."
The European Legal 500 2022
"Angela Brennan was an exceptional asset to us in this period. She was available, flexible, extremely professional and was always open to bringing other experts to the table when required. We have settled that Angela is our now ‘go to’ in legal matters of particular difficulty."
The European Legal 500 2022