Get to know our Commercial Litigation Team
Our Team
The Commercial Litigation team at Davidson McDonnell has become one of the top litigation teams in Northern Ireland, relied upon by both local and international clients for their knowledge and expertise in commercial disputes.
The team is headed by Legal Director, Barbara Creed (formerly a partner at a leading Irish law firm) who is an extremely well-regarded litigator. Barbara has successfully led a number of very high-profile cases and has a proven track record of obtaining excellent results in complicated disputes. Barbara has extensive experience in all forms of commercial litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) having practised as a solicitor for 18 years.
Senior Solicitor, Elise Quigley, is also a key member of the team having joined shortly after Barbara’s arrival from one of the largest commercial law firms in Belfast. Elise has significant experience acting in commercial litigation cases to include procurement and judicial review matters and has an excellent reputation in the market.
Shane McVeigh is the team’s latest addition after almost 12 years at another large commercial law firm in Belfast. Shane has considerable litigation experience, particularly in relation to insolvency and will be a great asset to the team moving forward.
Barbara, Elise and Shane are ably supported by a trainee solicitor, Claire McVicker, and two legal executives, Claire Stewart and Erin Anderson.
Our Growth
Our team continues to expand at a rapid rate having grown from a team of one in Autumn 2021 to six in little over a year. That is a testament to the high-quality work the team are involved with, the superb level of service the team provides and to the fantastic clients that continue to instruct us.
Our current clients range from PLCs to well-known Northern Irish businesses and from owner managed businesses to high-net-worth individuals. We have also received instructions from senior members of the legal profession which shows how highly regarded our team are in the market, as well as the level of respect afforded to our enthusiastic and growing team by the wider legal community.
Our Experience
The team is qualified to advise in both Northern Ireland and England & Wales. We provide commercial litigation and ADR expertise to both local and international clients and regularly advise on high value, complex cases. The Team is in fact currently dealing with some of the most complex litigation in Northern Ireland.
Recent examples include:
Acting in a dispute concerning a complex transaction involving significant, high-profile development lands;
Acting in a range of high value shareholder disputes;
Acting in numerous multi-faceted professional negligence actions;
Acting in a case involving complex commercial agreements relating to various overseas investments;
Acting in a pensions case for a major NI employer;
Acting in several medical negligence actions;
Advising in respect of potentially very high-profile judicial review proceedings; and
Acting in a complex probate action concerning allegations of fraud.
Our Services
Our focus is always on securing the best possible outcome for our clients in the most efficient way possible. We have a team with a broad range of experience and specialist knowledge covering a variety of practice areas and sectors.
Our aim is to deliver excellent client service and we continue to utilise technology to allow us to do that. We have also found that simple things like keeping clients up to date via messaging and phone calls rather than lengthy emails makes our team more accessible. It also helps clients to feel safe and informed throughout their litigation journey.
Our Ethos
We pride ourselves on our ethos that a happy, well-supported team delivers the best client service. Continuous learning is an important part of this and is taken very seriously by all team members.
The best option for our clients is not always formal court proceedings and our team are experts in advising on ADR. Our team would be delighted to assist you and advise you of all your options in the event of a dispute arising.
Please contact Barbara, Elise, Shane or your usual contact at the firm on +44 (0)28 9099 8207 should you require assistance.