Nicola Dunleavy is "not only a skilled lawyer but also has strong emotional intelligence".
Chambers Global and Europe

Expertise

Nicola Dunleavy is a partner in Matheson’s Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department, with a broad commercial litigation, investigations and arbitration practice. In 2021 she was appointed by the Irish Government as a Senior Counsel. Nicola is represents clients in complex, multi-jurisdictional commercial disputes, including arising from mergers and acquisitions and EU law, and in constitutional litigation. Sectors include technology and telecommunications, pharmaceutical, chemicals, food and drink, waste, water, energy, mining, and transport. Nicola represents clients in investigations by the EU Commission, ComReg, and other regulators and in defending criminal prosecutions. Nicola has very significant experience in major development, energy and real estate disputes, including planning environmental and safety judicial review and disputes.

Nicola served as a member of the Court of the London Court of International Arbitration until 2024 and is a former President of Arbitration Ireland. Nicola is an advocate in alternative dispute resolution, such as expert determination, adjudication and mediation. Nicola is a Chartered Tax Advisor and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Experience Highlights

Representative matters include:

In technology and digital economy disputes, representing platforms and software developers in a range of Irish Court proceedings and in arbitration.
In climate change litigation - including ESG and permitting litigation - leading the representation of developers of renewable and conventional energy, data centres, housing and transport projects, including referrals to the CJEU.
Representing truck manufacturers in Competition Court follow-on damages claims stemming from the European Commission's settlement decision, a high profile competition infringement matter in Europe.
Representing taxpayers in disputes with the Revenue Commissioners and with the State, in the Tax Appeals Commission and in Irish and European Courts.
Representing buyers and sellers in post-acquisition warranty and indemnity disputes in ICC and LCIA arbitration and in actions for enforcement of arbitral awards.
Acting for Royalty Pharma in take-over litigation related to its $6.5 billion bid for Elan.
Defending regulatory investigations and criminal prosecutions for alleged data, regulatory (pricing, tax), safety and environmental offences.
Advising Macquarie Asset Management in relation to its agreement to acquire the Beacon Hospital in Dublin, subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Accolades

"Nicola Dunleavy and her team provide a superb service. Nicola and her team become experts on every diverse area we deal with them on, and we know we are getting the best of advice and service every time."

Public Sector: The European Legal 500 2025

"Nicola Dunleavy is an exceptional lawyer."

Planning and Environment: The European Legal 500 2025

"What makes Nicola Dunleavy and her team unique is their knowledge and expertise in the planning and environment sector."

Planning and Environment: The European Legal 500 2025

"When working with Nicola Dunleavy and her team, you are always certain that they will keep you informed and updated on changing laws affecting the practice area. When you give instructions on a matter you receive a reply setting out both timelines and pricing, always followed by a call"

Planning and Environment: The European Legal 500 2025

"She is very reassuring and calm when advising, as well as adaptable in framing advice within a commercial context."

Dispute Resolution Chambers Global 2025

"She is highly skilled with demonstrable commercial awareness and capabilities."

Dispute Resolution Chambers Global 2025

"Nicola Dunleavy is brilliant."

Dispute Resolution Chambers Global 2025

"Nicola is able to very decisively and accurately strike at the root of a problem and find a solution quickly."

Dispute Resolution Chambers Global 2025

“Nicola Dunleavy, Senior Partner, is extremely competent and I have personally worked with her since 2016 and always received the best support, although team members reporting to her have done much of the ground works the last years. However, as soon as presence in customer negotiation meetings are needed, she has always been present in person.”
Dispute Resolution: The European Legal 500 2024

"Nicola Dunleavy has exceptional ability, diligence and integrity."

White Collar Crime: The European Legal 500 2024

"Nicola Dunleavy SC has powerful knowledge and understanding and a great ability for objective analysis and advice."

Planning & Environment: The European Legal 500 2024

"Nicola Dunleavy SC is an impressive and very knowledgeable team leader and a skilled communicator."

Planning & Environment: The European Legal 500 2024

"Nicola Dunleavy SC is a tenacious lawyer with a commitment to excellence."

Planning & Environment: The European Legal 500 2024

"Nicola Dunleavy SC is an expert in this field. She is always available and will resolve an issue. She approaches a matter from the outset by setting out timelines to meet expectations. She keeps you informed of recent case law."

Planning & Environment: The European Legal 500 2024

“Nicola Dunleavy is an intellectual heavyweight who ensures clients are comfortable while fighting in your corner.”
Environment: Chambers Europe 2024

"Nicola Dunleavy is very impressive. She is a very good operator."
Dispute Resolution: Chambers Global 2024

"She has a high sense of service and a lot of experience."
Dispute Resolution: Chambers Global 2024

"Nicola Dunleavy SC runs an outstanding team at Matheson and is fully engaged in all cases. Her knowledge and understanding of planning and environmental law are exceptional. She is very much focused on solutions and advising the client on what it needs to do to secure planning permission/environmental consent."
Planning and Environment: The European Legal 500 2023

"Nicola Dunleavy SC is the best in the business. Knowledgeable and practical and works tirelessly for her clients and her team"
Planning and Environment: The European Legal 500 2023

"Nicola Dunleavy is exceptional, really brilliant, has a good depth of experience and can put herself in her client's shoes."
Dispute Resolution: Chambers Global 2023

"She is very polished and exudes confidence in her approach with clients."
Dispute Resolution: Chambers Global 2023

"Nicola Dunleavy is probably the leader in the field in this jurisdiction. She is an excellent lawyer with brilliant judgement and is wholly committed to delivering for her clients."
Planning & Environment: The European Legal 500 2022

“Nicola Dunleavy is an exceptional lawyer in this area.”
Dispute Resolution: The European Legal 500 2022

Nicola Dunleavy’s “expertise in the field stands out," and "she is highly responsive."
Dispute Resolution: Chambers Global 2022

"Nicola Dunleavy has assisted our company over an extended period of time and can be relied upon to always provide practical and forthright advice notwithstanding the difficult nature of matters requiring attention".
Dispute Resolution: The European Legal 500 2021

"Nicola Dunleavy is an outstanding litigator. She has a deep understanding of the litigation process and how issues might play out. She is able to deliver quality strategic advice and add value in all interactions".
Dispute Resolution: The European Legal 500 2021

"Nicola Dunleavy "is fantastic to deal with. Nicola really got to know and understand our business, she provides professional well thought out advice and also works through the advice as part of the broader team and understands the complex business we operate. Nicola is a superb professional advisor, with good business acumen, who deploys a common sense approach to problems".
Dispute Resolution: The European Legal 500 2021

"When she speaks she has a level of gravitas; you can just sense that she has been there before and knows exactly what she's talking about".
Dispute Resolution: Chambers Global 2021

Nicola Dunleavy "is personable, responsive and commercial".
Dispute Resolution: Chambers Global 2021

Nicola Dunleavy has been recognised by The Legal 500 as an elite leading lawyer.
Planning & Environment: The Legal 500 Hall of Fame 2020

Education

Trinity College Dublin (LLB)

Qualified as a solicitor in Ireland

Chartered Tax Advisor, Irish Taxation Institute

European University Institute, Florence, Italy (Masters in European, International and Comparative Law LLM)

COVID-19 Construction Contract Claims: The Now And The Future

Sep 8, 2020, 15:32 PM

Matheson’s construction / infrastructure specialists have taken the temperature of the construction sector with respect to existing / ongoing Covid-19 claims in the industry with some very interesting and consistent results.

Title : COVID-19 Construction Contract Claims: The Now And The Future

Filter services i ds : 968da7fe-11bf-475e-a405-c93d3630a693;

Engagement Time : 1

Insight Type : Article

Insight Date : Jul 10, 2020, 12:10 PM

We asked key stakeholders in the industry a number of questions in relation to the willingness of employers to give extensions of time / costs on foot of the government shut down of construction sites, together with some other related questions, with results as follows:

Question: Are employers generally showing a willingness to give extensions of time for the government shut down of construction sites and the implementation of the new safety measures even where the works contract does not provide for the granting of extensions of time for these types of event / circumstances?

No - Only where provided in the contract – 27%

Yes - 73%

Question: Question: Are employers generally showing a willingness to cover at least some of the costs associated with the government shut down of construction sites irrespective of works contract provisions?

Yes – 27%

Yes – but only the costs associated with preliminaries - 55%

No – 18%

Rarely, on a case by case basis. – 0%

Question: Generally what sort of time period has the government shut-down of construction sites and compliance with new safety measures / the CIF Statement of Practice (the “CIF SOP”) added to contractor works programmes?

Less than 3 months – 45%

Between 3 – 6 months – 55%

More than 6 months – 0%

Question: How long are contractors making provision for the new safety measures / the CIF SOP being maintained in place on construction sites?

Less than 6 months – 0%

Up to a year – 9%

For the duration of the programme – 91%

The answers to these questions witness for us that notwithstanding the fact that extensions of time for the government shut down of construction sites and the implementation of the new safety measures are not generally not extension of time (or loss and expense) triggers / events in construction contracts now, over three quarters of poll participants confirmed that employers are willing to grant extensions of time and over half of employers are open to making payments associated with preliminaries. In addition, over half of the contractors polled agreed that the government shut-down of construction sites and compliance with new safety measures / the CIF SOP would add between 3-6 months to the contractors programme.

The results of this Matheson poll are very telling and in our view, a solid representation of the wider industry approach.