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Corporate: Chambers Global 2011
Peers highlight Fergus as "very methodical and always concerned with the result of a deal."
Corporate/M&A: Chambers Europe 2009
Fergus is recommended by Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500 and PLC Which Lawyer?.
Expertise
Fergus is a Partner in the firm's Corporate and Commercial Department where he practices corporate finance law, advising on mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, restructurings and corporate governance matters.
Fergus has represented a broad range of clients, both Irish and international, in connection with mergers, acquisitions, disposals, buy-outs, equity investments and joint ventures. He has extensive experience advising on takeovers of quoted companies subject to the Irish Takeover Rules, and on matters of Irish securities law generally. Fergus advises clients across a wide variety of sectors, including, in particular, media and technology, and has counselled many companies from early stage to exit.
As a member of the firms Restructuring Group, in recent times, Fergus has advised on a number of significant transactions involving the restructuring and recapitalisation of distressed companies and businesses.
He also advises clients on a broad range of corporate governance and business-related matters, including directors' duties and responsibilities, disclosure obligations and corporate compliance matters. This advice often is provided to boards and individual directors in crisis situations and where the satisfaction of their fiduciary duties is subject to particular scrutiny.
Education
University College Cork, BCL
Highlights
Fergus has advised:
- FEXCO (the specialist provider of financial transaction processing and outsourcing services) on its €24 million purchase of Goodbody Stockbrokers from Allied Irish Banks Plc
- Angelini Labopharm Limited Partnership on the establishment of a joint venture between Labopharm Inc. (the Toronto Stock Exchange and NASDAQ listed pharmaceutical group) and Gruppo Angelini (the Italian pharmaceutical group) for the commercialization of OLEPTRO(TM), a novel once-daily formulation of the antidepressant trazodone
- Payzone Plc (the AIM listed electronic processing and payments group) and its key-management on the terms of a debt and capital restructuring involving its existing RBS-led banking syndicate and a new private equity investor, Duke Street - which placed an enterprise value of €109 million on the Payzone business
- MLM Management Limited on its acquisition of various companies comprising the non-UK elements of the Setanta Sports business from various receivers and administrators appointed by a Goldman Sachs-led banking syndicate
- ARYZTA (the new parent of the combined IAWS and Hiestand groups, following their €2.5 billion merger) in relation to its listing on the Irish and Swiss Stock Exchanges
- Setanta Sports in relation to a succession of financing rounds in which institutional investors, including Doughty Hanson, Balderton Capital and Goldman Sachs, invested, in aggregate, in excess of €500 million in the Setanta Sports business
- Renault SA in relation to its acquisition of Glencullen Distributors Limited, the Irish based importer and distributor of Renault cars, from William Cullen Hasik Limited on its proposed €70 million acquisition of a number of companies in the Barlo Group, as part of a management-led bid for Barlo Group plc, and the subsequent acquisition of certain companies in the Barlo Group from the successful competing bidder, Quinn Group Limited, for €55 million
