Karen
Reynolds
Partner
Karen is a partner in our Disputes and Investigations team and leads our multi-practice Regulatory Investigations Group. Karen has almost 20 years experience acting for clients in high stakes commercial and regulatory disputes and investigations.
Karen has acted in some of the most high, profile Commercial Court cases in recent years, and the most significant Central Bank investigations. Karen regularly advises boards and senior management in all aspects of their regulatory engagement, their communications with stakeholders and how to mitigate and navigate commercial and reputational risk, to secure optimum outcomes in contentious matters. She is an advocate of alternative dispute resolution and has negotiated positive settlements to secure confidential resolutions for clients in many cases.
Areas of Expertise
Experience and Education
Karen’s experience includes:
- Acting for various financial institutions in regulatory investigation and enforcement proceedings (including the Central Bank of Ireland, the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, and the Charities Regulator).
- Acting for an alternative investment fund manager in relation to the first Central Bank administrative sanction procedure under the new procedure in connection with contraventions of the European Union (Alternative Investment Fund Managers) Regulations 2013 (the AIFM Regulations).
- Acting for an investment fund management company in connection with civil claims arising from alleged breaches of duty of care and duty to act in the best interests of investors in connection with a fraudulent investment manager and loss of investments.
- Advising boards and senior executives in relation to their duties and obligations to the company and regulator in connection with regulatory investigations and commercial litigation against the company.
- Acting for an investment holding company in connection with Commercial Court proceedings arising from a shareholder dispute, including in relation to appeals to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
- Acting for an entity regulated under the Central Bank Act in relation to a large-scale remediation project and advising in relation to Central Bank investigation and enforcement action thereafter.
- Advising a global payment technology solutions company in connection with a dispute arising from a joint venture arrangement with a financial institution;
- Acting for a company in relation to proceedings arising from a dispute in relation to the interpretation of a share option agreement and ancillary contractual arrangements.
- Advising an international investment management company in relation to its hostile takeover and restructuring of an international oil and gas exploration company headquartered in Dublin.
- Advising the petitioner in relation to the first successful examinership of companies in the construction industry, including in relation to cross border issues, security, enforcement, recognition of judgments and insolvency measures, and, in relation to an appeal to the Supreme Court.
- University College Dublin, BCL
- Trinity College Dublin, LLM
