Ian Lavelle is a partner in the Byrne Wallace Shields LLP Litigation and Dispute Resolution team.

Ian advises domestic and international businesses in complex litigation and regulatory investigations and inquiries. He is accustomed to acting in strategically important cases before the higher courts in Ireland and England, having practised in London for seven years prior to re-joining Byrne Wallace Shields LLP.  

Ian also advises clients in mediation, adjudication and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. He is a strong advocate of these often more business-friendly means of disposing of disputes.   

Experience 

• Managing the defences of hundreds of product liability proceedings in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Ireland.
  
• Acting in high-value shareholder litigation in the Commercial Court of Ireland.
  
• Advising a fintech client on litigation and investigations in Ireland and other jurisdictions.
  
• Advising on GDPR proceedings in the Irish courts.
  
• Representing clients in investigations and inquiries before regulatory bodies including the Central Bank of Ireland.
  
• Acting in the prosecution and defence of construction claims including via adjudication.
  
• Advising insurers on multi-party disputes and policy coverage matters.

Reported cases

• Oviedo Limited v Companies Act 2014-2020 [2021] IEHC 473.
  
• Commercial Management (Investments) Limited v Mitchell Design & Construct Limited [2016] EWHC 76 (TCC), a seminal English High Court case clarifying the terms and use of limitation clauses in contracts.
  
• BDW Trading Limited v Integral Geotechnique (Wales) Limited [2018] EWHC 1915 (TCC), a widely reported English High Court case concerning the scope of a professional’s duty of care to third parties.

Qualifications 

• Admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales (Non-Practising), Law Society of England and Wales, 2010 
• Admitted as a Solicitor in Ireland, Law Society of Ireland, 2008 
• Bachelor of Civil Law (International) Degree, University College Dublin, 2004 

Recommendations 

• 'Ian Lavelle is an experienced construction litigator.’ Recommended for Construction. - Legal 500 2022 
• Recommended for Insurance. - Legal 500 2021 
• Recommended for Insurance. - Legal 500 2020 
• Recommended for Insurance. - Legal 500 2019