Governance & Risk Oversight in Economic Uncertainty

Frank is a Partner in the Firm’s Governance, Risk and Compliance “GRC” Advisory Department and is a member of the Board of EisnerAmper Global. In the Firm’s GRC Department he offers services to Irish and Internationally owned regulated Firms seeking authorisation from or who are interacting with, the Central Bank of Ireland on strategy and business models, planned governance projects or acute matters Frank often provides the output of advisory work in Board and Senior Management workshops and training. Frank also leads the Firm’s Strategic Advisory & Facilitation services. Frank leads a team which provides Strategic Advices to clients across a range of sectors including government departments, semi-state agencies, third level institutions, professional membership organisations and scaling clients. Frank also consults upon, designs and facilitates bespoke professional training programs to public and private sector organisations and internally, to our own professional staff. Frank has designed and facilitated professional training programs for clients including government departments, leading law firms, educational institutions, Irish corporates, domestic credit unions and international banks. Frank has previously been an Audit Partner, an Accounting and Compliance Partner and head of the Tax Department. This broad experience allows Frank to take a “General Practioner” approach to what can be esoteric / technical in nature. In this regard notwithstanding the ask of the client, Frank takes a consultative approach to the development of a solution. This can involve international structuring, separation of operations from Intellectual property, fund location and related systems of governance. Frank has always had an interest in learning and development and helping students with exams. Frank has been a long time lecturer on Chartered Accountants Ireland’s (“CAI”) Final Admitting Exams (“FAE”) program and a External Examiner for the Institute of Bankers and UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business. Frank is a former long standing member of Chartered Accountants Ireland’s Education & Life Long Learning Committee and has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Institute of Art, Design and Technology (“IADT”) with whom the Firm has a Memorandum of Understand. Frank has also had a number of books and study guides on Financial Statement Analysis published by the Institute of Bankers.

Emer is a Partner on our Corporate Governance team. She is a skilled corporate lawyer with extensive experience in advising domestic and international clients across a broad range of sectors on corporate transactions and company law. Emer has a proven track record in advising on and successfully project managing and implementing complex domestic and multi-jurisdictional corporate reorganisations and intra-group transactions and arrangements. She also advises on discrete company law issues and has broad experience in drafting and negotiating shareholders’ agreements, investment agreements and related constitutional documentation. Emer also advises clients on corporate governance, including the design and implementation of governance structures, policies and procedures. Her practice includes advising on ESG and sustainability requirements and best practice from a company law and corporate governance perspective. Emer combines technical expertise with practical, strategic and straightforward advice.

James is a Partner on the Dispute Resolution team. He advises on all aspects of commercial dispute resolution and specialises in the law of corporate restructuring and insolvency. James has represented clients in some of the most high-profile restructuring and insolvency mandates in the Irish market in recent years. His clients include companies in stress and distress, creditors, shareholders, insolvency practitioners, and distressed investors. He regularly advises boards of directors in relation to their fiduciary duties. James also has significant experience in high-value and complex commercial disputes across a broad range of industry sectors. He specialises in contractual, shareholder, financial services, debt recovery and enforcement disputes, and his clients comprise financial institutions, corporates, private equity funds and shareholders. He has also acted in several in high-value, complex, and multi-jurisdictional commercial disputes arising from supply chain disputes, professional negligence and civil fraud.

Caroline Spillane CDir is Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Directors Ireland. She commenced the role in July 2022. Caroline has held several senior leadership roles including most recently as Director General of Engineers Ireland, the all-Ireland professional body for engineers, CEO of the Medical Council of Ireland, the independent statutory regulator of over 25,000 medical practitioners and Assistant National Director of the Health Services Executive. Caroline is an experienced Non-Executive Director serving as a board member of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), ESB Networks and Irish Manufacturing Research. She is also a member of the Advisory Group to Balance for Better Business, an independent business-led Review Group established by the government to improve gender balance in senior leadership in Ireland. Caroline's qualifications include a BA from UCC and an MA from TUD. She is currently undertaking a Doctoral programme with SETU.

Claire Lord is Head of the Governance and Compliance team, at Mason Hayes & Curran LLP. Her practice comprises both transactional and advisory work. Claire is widely recognised in the market as an articulate and clear sighted lawyer able to distil complex issues of company law into practical and actionable advice. In her transactional work, Claire relies on her experience and expertise to design corporate structures that meet her clients’ needs. She specialises in designing and seamlessly executing complex, multi-jurisdictional reorganisation projects. In her advisory practice, Claire acts as trusted advisor to corporate clients, consistently offering advice on technical company law and corporate governance matters, always with a solution driven focus.