Practice areas
Because the same small team handles all five areas, your matter rarely needs to be split between firms, passed between departments, or repeated to new fee earners.
We work across five practice areas that, in real life, frequently overlap. A separation can touch property, succession and the family business in the same conversation. A house sale can raise tax, planning and probate questions before contracts go out. Below is a short introduction to each — jump to any area for detail on the work we do, who we typically act for, and how we approach it.
Buying, selling or remortgaging residential or commercial property. Plain-English updates throughout.
Read more →Wills, estate planning and the administration of estates — methodical, sensitive, and on time.
Read more →Separation, divorce, cohabitation, and the practical questions that surround them.
Read more →Pursuing or defending a civil claim with realistic prospects and clear next steps.
Read more →Contracts, transactions, leases, employment and the day-to-day legal needs of growing businesses.
Read more →Conveyancing
Buying, selling or remortgaging — handled end-to-end by the same team, with the kind of regular, plain-English updates that make a stressful process feel manageable.
First-time buyers who want a solicitor who will explain the process clearly. Movers and remortgaging clients who have done this before but want it handled efficiently. Investors and small landlords with multiple properties. And business owners purchasing or selling commercial premises.
Most straightforward residential transactions take between eight and twelve weeks from the issue of contracts, though timelines vary with mortgage drawdown, management company information, and the position of any chain. We give you a realistic estimate at the outset and update it as the matter progresses.
Help-to-Buy is a tax rebate for first-time buyers of newly built homes. Eligibility depends on your tax position, the purchase price, and the property type. We can talk you through whether it applies to your purchase and how it fits the conveyancing timeline.
It is the binding agreement between buyer and seller, with the property's title, the agreed price, the closing date and the special conditions. We review every clause and flag anything — from planning issues to onerous management charges — before you sign.
Stamp duty, Land Registry or Registry of Deeds fees, search fees, and our professional fee. We set all of these out in writing at the start so there are no surprises at completion.
Yes. Your new lender will require a solicitor to handle the legal side of the switch, including reviewing the loan offer and registering the new charge. We handle remortgages efficiently and on a clear fixed fee.
Probate & Wills
Whether you are putting a will in place for the first time, updating one after a change in your family, or administering the estate of someone who has passed away — our role is to make a sensitive process feel ordered and clear.
Adults of all ages making a will for the first time. Parents updating arrangements after a new child arrives or a relationship ends. Older clients planning around inheritance tax thresholds and family business succession. And executors and family members navigating the administration of an estate after a bereavement.
Probate work sits at the intersection of property, family and commercial law. We handle all three under one roof, which means we can spot the issues — for example, a family farm subject to agricultural relief, or a business interest that needs to be valued and transferred — without sending you to a second firm. We also know that this is, almost always, an emotional process. Our default is to be patient, to write clearly, and to give honest timelines.
Without a will, the rules of intestacy decide who inherits — and the result is rarely what people assume. A will lets you choose guardians for children, provide for dependents, and plan around inheritance tax.
Probate is the process where there is a valid will and an executor. Administration applies where there is no will, and the court appoints an administrator. Both involve gathering assets, settling debts and distributing the estate — we handle each from start to finish.
A straightforward estate typically takes six to twelve months, depending on the Probate Office, the assets involved, and any tax clearance required. Complex or contested estates take longer.
CAT is the tax a beneficiary may pay on a gift or inheritance above certain thresholds. With early planning — using reliefs, exemptions and the timing of gifts — the liability can often be reduced. We advise on this as part of estate planning.
An online template may be valid if executed correctly, but small errors can invalidate it or create unintended outcomes. For anything beyond the very simplest estate, a properly drafted will is a modest cost against the risk.
Family Law
Separation, divorce, cohabitation and the issues that surround them — handled with discretion, realism and the kind of straightforward advice that helps you make decisions you'll be comfortable with later.
People at every stage of a difficult conversation — from the early, exploratory “I'm not sure what my options are” call, through to clients who have already decided to separate and want a sensible plan for getting there. We act for spouses, cohabitants, parents and grandparents.
Family matters arrive at the hardest moments, and they are rarely just legal problems. Our approach is practical and clear-eyed about your options — but also genuinely human. Clients tell us, often, that they found us refreshing: that they felt heard, supported, and treated as a person rather than a file. That reputation is the reason much of our family work now comes by referral.
A good deal of this work is led day-to-day by our Associate Solicitor, Lydia Doyle, whose calm, empathetic and responsive style clients single out again and again — always with senior oversight from the Principal, who remains accountable for the direction of every matter.
Family matters also rarely sit cleanly inside family law. They almost always involve property — the family home, an investment property, sometimes a business — and often succession, with wills to update and inheritance to think through. Because we cover all of those areas, your separation does not need to be split between three solicitors at three different firms.
And our advice is honest. We will tell you when a course of action is unrealistic or unnecessarily expensive, when mediation is likely to serve you better than court, and candidly what to expect on timeline and cost.
The current requirement is that you have lived apart for at least two of the previous three years. We can advise on how the “living apart” test applies to your circumstances.
Qualifying cohabitants may have rights to redress under the 2010 Act, including maintenance or property adjustment, depending on the length of the relationship and your circumstances. We can assess where you stand.
The family home is treated with particular importance. Options include sale and division, transfer to one party, or deferred sale. The right approach depends on the children, the finances, and what each party needs going forward.
Yes — and you usually should. Separation does not automatically revoke the provisions of an existing will in favour of a spouse. We advise reviewing your will as soon as a separation begins.
Often, yes. Mediation can be faster, less costly and less adversarial, and it keeps decisions in your hands rather than a judge's. We will tell you candidly when we think it is likely to produce a better result.
Personal Injury & Civil Litigation
Pursuing — or defending — a claim. Either way, you are entitled to clear advice on the merits, a realistic view of the prospects, and a steady hand on the file.
Individuals who have been injured through someone else's fault. Small businesses defending claims they believe to be without merit. Professionals dealing with allegations of negligence. Property owners caught in disputes with neighbours, contractors or tenants. And businesses pursuing or defending contractual claims.
Litigation can become expensive quickly if it is poorly run. Our default is to start with a clear, written assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the case, an estimate of the likely costs to each major milestone, and a discussion of the realistic settlement range. Many matters are best resolved without ever seeing the inside of a courtroom — and we will tell you when that applies to yours.
Generally two years from the date of the accident or the date you became aware of the injury, though exceptions apply. Because the clock can run quickly, it is best to seek advice early.
It is the statutory body that assesses most personal injury claims before they can go to court. We prepare and manage your application, and advise on whether any assessment should be accepted or rejected.
Damages reflect both the injury itself (general damages, guided by the Personal Injuries Guidelines) and your financial losses (special damages, such as lost earnings and medical costs). We give you a realistic range early.
Notify your insurer, preserve all relevant records, and avoid contact with the claimant outside the proper channels. We then assess the merits and set out your options and likely costs in writing.
When the likely recovery, and the principle at stake, justify the cost and risk. We start every matter with a clear written assessment so you can make that decision with open eyes.
Business & Commercial Advice
Sharper attention, faster turnaround and a more sensible relationship between the bill and the work — for businesses who don't want to be one of many files in a much larger building.
Owner-managed businesses, family companies and SMEs across Kildare, Dublin and the wider commuter belt. From a one-person consultancy that needs a robust contract template, to a family business preparing for a generational transition, to a growing services firm that needs an outsourced legal partner without the overhead of in-house counsel.
There is a quiet assumption among many business owners that any matter of substance has to go to a large Dublin firm. In our experience, that is true less often than people think — and the cost of acting on that assumption is real. Larger firms tend to spread a single matter across multiple fee earners, which inflates both the bill and the time it takes to get a usable answer.
Our commercial work is led personally by the Principal, and it is the area we are most actively growing. Business owners get a senior solicitor's judgement applied directly to their matter — combined with the responsiveness, plain speaking and genuine approachability that larger firms struggle to offer. The person who advises you is the person accountable for the outcome.
For matters that genuinely benefit from a specialist barrister or a niche tax adviser, we bring them in — without losing ownership of your file. If your question is whether your matter is too commercial for a firm our size, the answer is almost always no. Ask us.
It governs how decisions are made, how shares can be transferred, what happens on a dispute or exit, and how value is protected. Without one, the default company law position may not reflect what the owners actually intended.
It depends on liability, tax, the scale of the business and your plans for it. We can talk through the trade-offs and work alongside your accountant on the structure that fits.
In a share sale the buyer acquires the company itself; in an asset sale they buy selected assets and liabilities. The choice has significant tax and risk consequences for both sides — we advise on which structure serves you.
Key points include the term and break options, rent review mechanism, repairing obligations, and assignment and sub-letting rights. We review or negotiate the lease before you commit.
You are legally required to provide written terms, and tailored contracts protect the business on confidentiality, notice and restrictive covenants. We can provide a robust template and advise on specific roles.
If you are not yet sure what kind of legal help you need, the best place to start is a short conversation. Ask us.
