Karen is a Partner in ByrneWallace LLP Banking and Finance Team.
She has extensive experience advising a variety of domestic and international financial institutions, credit servicers, public bodies and investment funds/ICAVs on finance transactions across a wide range of sectors.
Her areas of expertise include corporate financing (both borrower and lender sides), project finance, acquisition finance, real estate finance and structured finance and she has significant experience in managing complex multi-jurisdictional high-value transactions.
Karen has a particular focus on green and sustainable finance and renewable energy finance, and has a keen interest in other environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. Her experience includes advising on one of the first green loans in Ireland which was used to finance the construction of a sustainable distribution centre.
Experience
- Advising Pepper Finance Corporation (Ireland) Designated Activity Company, on an ongoing basis, in respect of transactional and regulatory matters arising in its capacity as servicer and legal title holder on a number of loan portfolio sales, loan origination, and residential/commercial mortgage backed securitisations ranging in value from €40 million - €1.3 billion.
- Advising the corporate banking team of a leading Irish bank on the sustainable finance aspects of loan facilities, including in connection with:
- a number of sustainability-linked loans aligned with the Loan Market Association’s Sustainability-Linked Loan principles to various corporate borrowers; and
- green facilities to numerous entities whose business activities are exclusively focused on the green economy (a “pure play” entity) and aligned with the EU Taxonomy.
- Advised ING Bank, a branch of ING DiBa AG in connection with project finance for the development of a portfolio of three onshore Irish wind farms at Black Lough (Co. Sligo), Three Trees and Enros (both Co. Donegal) with a combined new generation capacity of circa 21MW being added to the Irish electricity grid.
- Advised the UK-based specialised asset finance provider, Close Leasing Limited, on the acquisition of 50% interest in a 20.5MW wind farm by way of share acquisition and refinance of senior debt secured on the project.
- Advised a multi-national retailer in connection with one of the first green loans in Ireland, a €100 million club loan facility aligned with the Loan Market Association’s green loan principles to finance a green project involving the construction of a sustainable distribution centre.
- Advised the Irish subsidiaries of a multi-national automotive group in connection with proceedings under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code and related debtor-in-possession and exit credit facilities with JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. and others.
- Advised MML Growth Capital Partners Ireland in relation to the finance aspects of multiple investments, including financing provided by AIB Corporate Banking in connection with its acquisition of a stake in Fastway Couriers.
- Advised a joint venture between a US investment bank and a sovereign wealth fund on the restructure of existing senior debt from a private investment company to an Irish Collective Asset Management Vehicle (“ICAV”) in connection with the acquisition of a prime development site in Ballsbridge, Dublin.
- Advised a state body in connection with grant funding for various charitable and other organisations providing specialised services to the public within Ireland.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science (Hons) (Biomedical Science), National University of Ireland Galway, 2005
- Admitted as a Solicitor in Ireland, Law Society of Ireland, 2009
- Master of Laws (LLM), University College Cork, 2010
Memberships
- Law Society of Ireland
