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Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)

ESG considerations have risen to the top of the agenda for investors and businesses concerned about sustainability and doing business responsibly. Our dedicated multi-disciplinary ESG lawyers work seamlessly together to assist clients with the identification and integration of ESG priorities at all levels of their business.

Sarah Thompson and our ESG Group 

In this video, Sarah talks about how our ESG Group works with clients to help them meet their ESG related goals and obligations.

As organisations are faced with an increasing focus on ensuring that they have positive impacts for their stakeholders and the environment, sustainability and doing business responsibly can no longer be ignored if they want to grow and thrive.

Our ESG team works with our clients to identify and integrate ESG priorities at all levels of their businesses. We advise clients on areas such as energy transition, climate action, sustainable finance and green bonds, sustainable real estate investment and development and green leases. The team have worked with financial institutions to develop lending programmes for minority communities and we’ve also advised on the financing of social housing units. On the governance side, we’ve advised clients on the legal aspects of ESG investments as well as on issues relating to ESG reporting, maintaining ESG records and issues around “green-washing”.

 

Environmental

Major projects and transactions are increasingly driven by environmental imperatives, with environmental considerations being central to many other commercial contracts, projects, transactions and disputes.

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Social

Social impacts are an organisation’s direct and indirect impacts on internal and external stakeholders.  An organisation that measures and monitors social impacts offers stakeholders greater confidence that it is less vulnerable to risk and is more likely to generate goodwill inside and outside their organisation.

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Governance

Companies are under increasing pressure to define their purpose in society and to deliver on the ESG promises they make. How an organisation is governed is essential in achieving these objectives.

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Insights Blog

Energy Update: Flash application window for Onshore Grid Connection

21/03/2025 Insights blog

New Rules indicate Lead-in Time to obtain Authorised CBAM Declarant Status

20/03/2025 Insights blog

Central Bank Regulatory & Supervisory Outlook 2025: Banks, Payment and E-Money Firms, Retail Credit Firms, Investment Firms and Securities Markets

04/03/2025 Insights blog

ESG

Services

News

Arthur Cox shortlisted for the Sustainable Business Awards 2025

Arthur Cox and the Business & Finance 2024 ESG Awards

Niamh Burke Renewable Energy Bursary 2025

Knowledge

ESG Newsletter Spring 2025

18/03/2025
ESG Knowledge

Horizon Scanner: Infrastructure, Construction, Energy

13/03/2025
Briefing

Horizon Scanner: Finance

06/03/2025
Briefing

Podcasts

Pensions and ESG

18/10/2022
ESG Podcast

Company Law: Back to Basics – Connected Persons and Substantial Property Transactions

23/02/2022
ESG Podcast

IORP II

17/02/2022
ESG Podcast

ESG Contacts

Sarah Thompson

Partner | Dublin

Sarah Thompson is Head of our Financial Regulation Group, and is also Head of our cross-disciplinary ESG Group. Sarah has experience in advising a broad range of clients on financial regulation matters and is admitted to practice in Northern Ireland, Ireland and England & Wales. Sarah advises on Central Bank of Ireland authorisation processes, perimeter issues, ongoing compliance with conduct of business and other requirements (with a special focus on ESG matters and on the Individual Accountability Framework and the Senior Executive Accountability Regime, IAF/SEAR), and financial services M&A. Prior to joining Arthur Cox, Sarah worked in London as a member of the Financial Regulation Group of Linklaters LLP and a partner in the Financial Services Regulatory team of Kirkland & Ellis International LLP.

Maedhbh Clancy

Of Counsel | Dublin

Maedhbh is Of Counsel with the firm’s Finance Group. She has significant experience in the areas of financial regulation, lending, debt capital markets and partnership law. Maedhbh is responsible for legal, regulatory and commercial awareness; horizon-scanning for clients; education (internal and client) via training and tailored legal and regulatory updates; the publication of industry alerts on key developments; and the development and implementation of other strategic initiatives in the areas of know-how, risk management and precedent development. Maedhbh is the editor of Twomey on Partnership (2nd ed., Bloomsbury Professional, 2019) and the author of a number of industry publications. She is also a member of sub-committees of various industry groups including the International Capital Market Association and the Irish Debt Securities Association.

Phil Cody

Partner | Dublin

Phil Cody is a partner in the firm’s Finance Group.  Phil advises on a broad range of finance and financial services matters. His practice encompasses structured finance, derivatives, debt capital markets, lending transactions (domestic and cross-border, both lender and borrower), financial regulation, and transactions involving investment funds (including fund finance).  Phil is a trusted adviser to many of the leading Irish and international financial institutions on Irish law matters and is a go-to Irish counsel for foreign market participants and law firms.  Phil leads the firm’s derivatives and trading practice and regularly advices on derivatives, repos and securities lending matters and related netting, collateral and regulatory issues.

Danielle Conaghan

Partner | Dublin

Danielle is a partner and Head of the Environment and Planning Group and is a founder member of the firm’s Food and Agribusiness Group. Danielle has a broad-based projects and infrastructure practice. She has more than 19 years’ projects experience in Ireland, advising on the full ‘life cycle’ of largescale project delivery; securing consents, financing, constructing and operating, and on all contentious and on-contentious planning and environmental issues. She is a Board member of Wind Energy Ireland, a Council member of the Marine Renewables Industry Association and a member of the Environmental Policy Committee of IBEC. She is a member of the Net Zero Committee of Wind Energy Ireland. She sits on the Environment and Planning Committee of the Law Society of Ireland. She is also a member of the Energy Law Group of some 500 leading lawyers in the energy sector in Europe and Africa (Arthur Cox is the sole Irish representative law firm in this network). She is ranked as a ‘Leading Individual’ in environmental and planning law and maintains an excellent reputation as one of Ireland’s top lawyers in this space and the leading lawyer in the renewables sector in particular.  She has been centrally involved in almost all of the largest, most complex and first-of-a kind infrastructure projects in Ireland for many years, particularly in the areas of energy, renewables, food and agriculture, telecoms, manufacturing, digital infrastructure, health and education.

Mairéad Duncan-Jones

Partner | Dublin

Mairéad is a partner and Head of Knowledge, Learning and Development at the firm. Mairéad is responsible for the management of the firm’s Knowledge, Learning & Development (KL&D) function and the development and implementation of the firm’s Knowledge, Learning & Development strategy. The purpose of KL&D at Arthur Cox is to provide the best training and development opportunities for our people, to empower them to achieve standards of excellence with maximum efficiency, and to use our knowledge and resources to support our clients, guiding them through complex legal issues. As part of her role Mairéad has designed and delivered leadership programmes for the firm’s partners and senior lawyers, as well as development programmes for our people at various milestones in their careers. Mairéad sits on the firm’s Executive Committee and the firm’s ESG Group. She is also an active member of the Law Society of Ireland’s Curriculum Development Unit.

Golda Hession

Of Counsel | Dublin

Golda is Of Counsel in the Corporate and M&A Group, and advises clients on all areas of corporate law, in particular on securities law, corporate governance, and ESG. Golda advises international and domestic companies, as well as State and semi-State bodies, on all aspects of corporate law and governance, and a wide range of commercial and regulatory matters. Golda has extensive experience advising on public and private M&A, equity capital markets transactions and in particular, on corporate governance, ESG and executive remuneration matters for many of Ireland’s largest listed issuers. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive In our ESG Video Series, Golda discusses key developments in sustainability reporting, focusing on the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. https://youtu.be/xdZXSw9OCmo

Rachel Hussey

Partner | Dublin

Rachel is Clients and Markets Partner at the firm. Rachel has more than 20 years’ experience of business development in the legal profession, specialising in client engagement and development strategies to secure sustainable relationships and competitive advantage, domestically and internationally. Her focus is on strategic lead generation; strategic client account programmes and teams; client satisfaction, experience and value initiatives; marketing and business development programmes. Rachel is a member of the firm’s Management Committee and sits on the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Outside the firm, Rachel is a member of the Review Group of Balance for Better Business. She has recently completed her term on the Governing Authority of DCU and was Chair of the 30% Club in Ireland until 2022.

Suzanne Kearney

Of Counsel | Dublin

Suzanne is Of Counsel and leads the knowledge function within the Corporate and M&A Group. She has significant experience in company law and practice. Suzanne is responsible for keeping colleagues and clients updated on relevant legal, regulatory, and commercial developments in the areas of company law, corporate governance, corporate transactions, and equity capital markets.  She regularly presents at seminars on a range of topics and authors practice briefings and client alerts.  She represents the firm in discussions with industry groups and regulators on key developments that will impact our clients and is a member of the Law Society’s Business Law Committee.

Sarah McCague

Partner | Dublin

Sarah advises on all aspects of pensions law and charity law. She advises trustees and employers on the establishment and day-to-day operation of occupational pension schemes including: on scheme restructuring; liability management exercises; benefit design; benefit reductions; scheme amendments; administration queries for example those in relation to pension adjustment orders; the winding up of pension schemes; and the application of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) to pension schemes. She also advises in relation to the application of the Charities Act, 2009 and in particular in relation to applications to the Charities Regulatory Authority; obtaining tax-exempt status from the Revenue Commissioners; the mergers of charities; fundraising queries, and governance matters.

Conor McCarthy

Partner | London

Conor is a partner in the Corporate and M&A Group and Head of the London office. Conor advises public and private industry-leading Irish and international corporates on their complex M&A transactions, all aspects of Irish company law and equity capital markets transactions. Conor advises companies across a variety of business and industry sectors including construction, aviation, financial services, healthcare and energy. Conor advises clients on a wide range of corporate transactions including M&A transactions, joint ventures, corporate finance transactions, cross border mergers, corporate reorganisations and general corporate/commercial law matters. Conor also specialises in advising both issuers and banks in relation to equity capital markets transactions. Conor also works with his litigation colleagues in advising parties to complex shareholder and other commercial disputes. Conor has advised on some of the most high profile Irish M&A and equity capital markets transactions in recent years. Conor joined the firm in 2014 from Linklaters LLP in London.

Niamh McGovern

Partner | Dublin

Niamh advises a broad range of clients across the energy and infrastructure sectors. Niamh has significant experience advising clients on high value and complex projects in the energy and infrastructure sectors. In the energy sector, Niamh advises corporates, developers and lenders on renewables projects (onshore wind, solar, offshore wind, storage and other renewable technologies), conventional generation projects, acquisitions, joint ventures and all types of commercial contracts (including power purchase agreements, supply agreements and otherwise).  She also advises on regulatory matters relating to project development.  More broadly, Niamh has acted for developers, contractors, and lenders on a wide range of public private partnerships and development transactions (including the residential, leisure, and office accommodation, telecoms and pharmaceutical sectors).

Kevin Murphy

Partner | Dublin

Kevin a partner in the firm’s Asset Management and Investment Funds Group. He has extensive experience in advising in the area of financial regulation and asset management. In particular, he has considerable experience in advising on the legal and regulatory issues relating to the establishment in Ireland of investment funds (including UCITS, QIAIFs, ETFs, money market funds and private equity funds) as well as UCITS management companies and AIFMs (including those with MiFID top-up approvals). Kevin also advises on ongoing regulatory compliance issues affecting financial services companies operating in Ireland including inspections and investigations by the Central Bank of Ireland and compliance with other obligations such as ESG/SFDR, GDPR and AML. He also advises financial institutions and asset management firms on various matters arising from market, regulatory or dispute/litigation-driven events. He is a regular speaker at industry conferences. Kevin has also contributed to asset management and investment funds industry publications, such as the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal.  He is a past Chair of the Irish Funds and a past member of An Taoiseach’s (the Prime Minister’s) Funds Group. He has also advocated for clients before representatives of the European Commission, European Parliament and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA).

Tara O’Reilly

Partner | Dublin

Tara is a partner in the firm’s Asset Management and Investment Funds Group. Tara has extensive experience in advising leading asset managers and fund promoters. Tara has extensive experience advising clients both globally and domestically on the structuring, establishment, management and sale of a wide variety of investment funds in the UCITS and alternative space. Tara advises those funds, their management companies, servicing operations and directors on their regulation, compliance and corporate governance requirements.  Tara has also advised on a number of large asset management group and platform amalgamations.  Tara has a particular expertise in ETFs and is a leadership member of the Irish chapter of Women in ETFs. Tara is also a regular contributor on asset management and investment funds to international journals and publications.

Deirdre Sheehan

Partner | Dublin

Deirdre is a partner in the Real Estate Department and provides comprehensive, targeted advice to public and private sector, domestic and international clients on acquisitions and disposals of commercial property, landlord and tenant matters and property finance arrangements. She regularly provides real estate advices to our corporate, banking, and environmental and planning teams and is particularly experienced in commercial real estate investment transactions, Private Rented Sector (PRS) matters and Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) deals.

Imelda Shiels

Partner | Dublin

Imelda is a partner in the Debt Finance Group. Imelda advises both borrowers and financial institutions on a wide range of domestic and international financing transactions, including secured and unsecured lending, syndicate finance, acquisition finance, real estate finance, development finance, working capital finance and debt restructuring.