RDJ recognised as a leading firm in The Legal 500 Europe 2025

The Legal 500 series is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s largest legal referral guides. More than 300,000 corporate counsel worldwide provide feedback each year as part of an independent research process.

RDJ ranked a leading firm in the following practice areas:

• Banking & Finance
• Commercial, Corporate and M&A
• Construction
• Data Privacy and Protection
• Dispute Resolution
• Employment
• EU and Competition
• Healthcare and Life Sciences
• Information Technology
• Intellectual Property
• Insolvency and Corporate Restructuring
• Insurance
• Media and Entertainment
• Planning and Environment
• Public Sector
• Real Estate
• Tax

View the full Legal 500 editorial here.

What our clients said:

Banking and Finance

'RDJ provide an excellent well-rounded and concise form of legal service dealing with transactions practically and knowledgeably.’

‘Aisling O'Donovan provides prompt and clear advice with a real focus on progressing the transaction.’

‘RDJ are excellent communicators with the work they are doing for us. They come with solutions with the problems.’

‘Cian Fenton has a superior knowledge to any of the solicitors we deal with.’

‘Excellent people in the team, who are solution driven and very approachable to discuss issues as they arise.’

‘Excellent people in the team who have a can do attitude - Aisling O'Donovan and Brendan Cunningham.’

‘Knowledgeable, proactive and superior customer service in a friendly and helpful manner are core to the practice.’

‘Cian Fenton - exceptional service levels received from him and extremely knowledgeable in his specialist area with the interest our company to the forefront at all times.'

Commercial, Corporate and M&A

‘RDJ is very focused on each customer. They take the time to understand the business and guide and steer to create sound business strategies based on legal requirements and guidelines.’

‘Diarmaid Gavin - incredible attorney with great experience and acumen. Really helps his clients create a strategy and then execute on it.'

'Maria Walsh - does a fantastic job in following up to ensure the strategy is executed. Has a very high attention to detail.'

‘Two people stand out on the RDJ team for me who are Bryan McCarthy and Sarah Slevin. They both were available 24/7 when closing out a nine figure deal for me. They both understand our requirements, have a huge knowledge base and were so easy to work with. After the deal closed I have continued to work with them.'

‘All of this team, led by our primary contact Gillian Keating, have always been extremely responsive and available at the end of a phone when required which has been very important for us. ’

‘Marie Gavin is truly excellent. Her professionalism, commitment and strategic insights are invaluable. ’

‘Bryan McCarthy - hard working, diligent and giving a great personal service that can be trusted’

‘JP Gilmartin is an excellent lawyer. Pragmatic and technically savvy.’

Construction

‘Finola McCarthy is extremely experienced. She also has experience negotiating against many construction companies in Ireland and has valuable insights on how such companies might react to particular negotiation points. She can explain concepts in plain, easy-to-understand English for clients who are not construction law experts. She is a safe pair of hands, and I would not hesitate to recommend her to others.'

‘The construction team led by Finola McCarthy is superb.’

‘Pragmatic expertise in specialist areas with a healthy understanding of risk.'

‘Very focused project involvement without overextending involvement.'

‘The team is very responsive. They are agile and very collaborative, internally and with clients.’

Data Privacy & Data Protection

‘The team is extremely responsive and has a really deep knowledge of data protection issues and how to interpret the relevant legislation at a practical level.’

‘Ricky Kelly has been a reliable point of contact for years with respect to our data protection crisis management. He generally responds within the same day and provides an initial steer followed by more detailed conversations and advice. He is approachable, helpful and really quick thinking and solution focused.’

‘Professional, supportive and always go the extra mile.’

‘Attention to detail; understanding our institutional quirks.'

'The team simplify requirements very well. They work collaboratively with me to understand what I need, help me understand what can be done. I feel I have a partner in meeting the necessary timelines.'

'Collaborative, personable, engaging, knowledgeable.'

Dispute Resolution

‘Excellent collaboration and communication with clients.’

‘We have been extremely well advised by Ricky Kelly and his team. We came to them with major problems and I mean major and very complicated and intricate ones. Ones that we thought were hopeless. We are very happy to say that all of these issues have been successfully resolved by Ricky Kelly and his team in RDJ. We are extremely grateful and can never thank them enough.’

'Ricky Kelly has been absolutely brilliant in his legal advice. I consider him to have a genius mind. The way he operates is totally professional, efficient, and up to date. He has his facts in his head and is very up to the minute in case law and legal knowledge. He is very approachable and always available. Much appreciation also to Hilda Mannix in his team for her professionalism, efficiency and application. Both are top class professionals. ’

‘The RDJ lawyers we are currently working with have been adept at handling a complicated cross-border dispute featuring a number of client claimants and an aggressive opposition securing an important preliminary win for the client group recently.’

‘Commitment, easy accessibility and availability. Quick and efficient communication and execution of agreed actions.’

‘Easy going, down to earth, knowledgable, available, focused.’

‘RDJ's litigation practice is excellent and very well resourced. They can really handle the big cases, but treat their clients very personally with pragmatic and strategic advice.’

‘Marianne Lonergan is an outstanding litigation solicitor. It is like having access to a really good barrister, but having all the traits of a top class solicitor. Marianne is able to quickly get to grips with the most complex of matters and give advice that is easy to understand and in the client's best interests. She has excellent case management skills for the biggest cases and is always very responsive as well as being very pleasant and easy to deal with. ’

Employment

‘RDJ offer comprehensive and well rounded employment services, from policy review to expertise in employee relations and the WRC.'

'The team has a breadth of knowledge and can bespoke this quickly to the particular company they are working with.'

'They are a true partner in every sense and the collaboration with our team has brought about positive outcomes in many challenging HR situations.’

‘Michelle Ryan is a fantastic and responsive support to our business on all things employment related, she gives bespoke business focused advice and is always on hand to advise on the most challenging of situations.'

'It is clear RDJ have unique expertise in employment related matters that would be hard to match. I would never have cause to work with another legal practice in this area.’

EU & Competition

‘The team is very experienced and has an excellent understanding of the workings of the CCPC which gives me considerable confidence as a client.’

‘The collaboration has been good and smooth. RDJ has always put forward a prepared and reliable team to address our inquiries. Their deliveries were timely and of great quality. We are very satisfied with their assistance.’

Healthcare and Life Sciences

‘Knowledge of litigation is outstanding and the team applies this to great effect in resolving actions satisfactorily.’

‘Fergal Dennehy and Peter Groarke are unsurpassed in their field. Both are experienced practitioners with insight and know how. They deal well with difficult situations and are renowned as go to litigators. ’

‘This team provides a superlative service and is innovative in embracing technology and in collaborating with counsel. Their work is always of the highest standard and delivered efficiently.’

‘Imelda Tierney, Ruth Finnerty and Padraic Brennan impress as very talented professionals who leave no stone unturned.’

‘RDJ have great expertise in our sector, which is very helpful when agreeing case strategy.’

Intellectual Property

‘This practice stands out for its exceptional responsiveness, practical approach, and deep expertise across a wide range of legal matters. I have appreciated the team's ability to provide clear and sensible guidance.’‘

’‘Diarmaid Gavin is very pragmatic and provides advice that is easy to digest but also very swift and at short notice.’

Information Technology

‘The practice is very collaborative to work with.’

'They do their homework and are prepared for the meetings and decisions that need to be made.'

'Our Partner has been great to work with and provides a level of guidance that is factual. The Partner does a great job of strategy prior to a call and then keeping the opposing counsel on agenda and track.'

Insolvency and Corporate Restructuring

‘RDJ's insolvency and restructuring practice brings a thoughtful and energetic approach to its work, providing a first class engagement for clients that remains true to their needs.’

‘Partner Ashling Walsh is a stand-out practitioner, who has a thorough understanding of the law, a gift for management and logistics, and a willingness to roll up her sleeves and get thoroughly involved in the complex cases. She is unafraid to challenge other views (with diplomacy), and plays a very full role in contentious matters, engaging deeply with counsel to bring about the best outcome possible for her client. ’

Insurance

'Responsive team, carefully coordinated, anticipated next steps. Knowledge of the market and issues.'

Peter Lennon for aviation insurance - very active and all round knowledge of the market/industry. Richard Martin - general top all rounder with detailed knowledge, experience and instincts for the market.'

Media and Entertainment

‘They are exceptionally responsive and will never leave you waiting for answers.’

‘Darryl Broderick is exceptionally responsive and more than willing to engage in constructive discussions to tease points out. He and his team are well structured, organised and always well prepared.'

‘Fabulous understanding of the media sector.’

‘Media is a very deadline-driven business, and Darryl Broderick and the team can be relied on to get back to us in a very timely fashion with excellent advice, even on difficult issues.’

‘RDJ has advised on a broad range of legal issues. We find their range of expertise very satisfactory and enjoy a trusted relationship with lawyers.’

‘RDJ partner Darryl Broderick is unfailingly precise in his advice, with every piece of guidance well-grounded in case law and references to previous issues as necessary. He is pleasant to deal with, with a natural gift for communication and a very accessible manner.’

‘Always quick to return calls and emails/ very professional and efficient and often send newsletters/blog links to articles relevant to my industry.’

‘Darryl Broderick has attention to detail, very professional but also exudes confidence in his advice, which sometimes is called upon at short notice - which in turn makes me very confident in his advice, as a client.’

Planning & Environment

‘The firm's planning and environment practice brings a deep and longstanding expertise in both non-contentious and contentious matters combined with sound judgment that keeps clients between the ditches.’

‘Finola McCarthy, dealing with both contentious and non-contentious matters, and Donal Twomey on the contentious side are stars. Both are highly intelligent with calm, rational and very pleasant personalities, unafraid of complex legal and factual scenarios, and always focused on the client's best interests.’

Public Sector

‘All solicitors will offer legal advice but very few possess Finola McCarthy's unique ability to explain the impact of the advice provided in a balanced and meaningful way that enables a client to make informed decisions on matters of importance.’

‘This practice stands out for its exceptional responsiveness, practical approach, and deep expertise across a wide range of legal matters. Clients will appreciate the team's ability to provide clear, sensible guidance while ensuring matters are handled efficiently and effectively.’

‘Diarmaid Gavin provides practical advices, often at short notice and very swiftly.’

Real Estate

‘Individual lawyers are very responsive.’

‘I am very happy with the team - responsiveness is excellent, and they are my 'go to' lawyers for real estate work.’

‘One of the qualities of the firm is the collaborative approach. They make sure our needs are met. It appears seamless.’

Tax

‘Very personable team and all approachable on the small stuff which can lead to bigger business interactions and referrals. Innovative information sessions done regularly which keep us connected. Tax, legal depth and the interplay is the key selling point for this firm.’

‘Eoin Tobin, John Cuddigan and Mark Barrett - each excel in their field and are a great source of knowledge to assist in moving client engagements ahead.’

‘John Cuddigan makes the team unique.’

‘John Cuddigan would be an outstanding lawyer in any firm he worked for. He is the most pragmatic and commercial tax lawyer I have come across in my career.’

‘Mark Barrett is very easy to deal with, responsive and knowledgeable.’

‘High-touch service, access and billing flexibility. ’

‘John Cuddigan - commercial, engaging and available. ’