Ciara is a partner in our Debt Finance Group with a focus on Real Estate Finance, Private Credit and Project Finance. Ciara previously worked in the Debt Finance Group at A&O Shearman in London for several years.

Ciara has extensive experience advising clients across a broad range of domestic and international financings including real estate financing, acquisition financing, fund financing, corporate restructurings, syndicated lending, margin loans and ESG financing. Her particular focus is real estate and development finance, advising lenders (traditional and alternative), private equity funds and other investors in respect of both senior and mezzanine positions for investment, development, commercial, residential, hotel, student housing and forward fund financings.

In The Legal 500: Europe, Middle East & Africa, 2026, Ciara was ranked a Next Generation Partner: Banking & Finance (Tier 1), and was recently recognised as in Business Plus 40 under 40 for 2026.

Ciara Buckley currently serves on the Irish Commercial Real Estate Finance Committee. 

Relevant Experience

  • Advising Ares Management in respect of its financing of the first phase of the Kildare Innovation Campus
  • Advising Deutsche Bank in respect of its refinancing of the Glass Bottle site, a joint venture between Oaktree Capital Management and Pembroke Beach DAC, a Lioncor/Ronan Group joint venture vehicle
  • Advised Starwood on the refinancing for Kohlberg Kravis Roberts/Palm Capital portfolio of Irish urban logistics properties
  • Advising Eiffel Investment Group on the financing of a new 120 GWh biomethane production facility in Ireland, which will be developed by Evergreen Agricultural Enterprises
  • Advising Energia on all aspects of the Irish law financing for development and construction of a portfolio of wind generation assets to include an accordion facility
  • Advising Wells Fargo in respect of its financing for Hines of various phases of the Cherrywood town centre development
  • Advising Kennedy Wilson, in respect of its joint venture with AXA and their debt/equity investments in respect of a large portfolio of real estate assets with various lenders
  • Advising Ardstone in respect of its green loan funding from Nuveen
  • Advising Royal Bank of Canada in respect of a development financing for an international borrower
  • Advising Wells Fargo as arranger and original lender in respect of a student housing financing for Hines