Danielle Conaghan
Danielle is a partner and head of the Environment and Planning Group, and is a founder member of the firm’s Food and Agribusiness Group.
Danielle has specialist expertise and uses her project management skills in advising on matters including the decision-making processes from pre-consultation and application stages through to oral hearing, construction and operational stages and securing and assessing the risk of providing project-financing. Danielle regularly presents at national Environmental, Planning and Energy conferences; lectures on the Law Society of Ireland Environmental Diploma Course and is co-author, with Dr. Yvonne Scannell, of the annual environmental chapter of ‘Construction Projects: Law and Practice’, published by Thomson Reuters.
Relevant Experience
- Advised on the €400M Dublin Waste to Energy PPP Project on planning and environmental consents, financing, refinancing and operations
- Advised on the consenting, financing, development and / or operation of over 1,500MW of wind projects in Ireland
- Advised on Bord Na Móna’s successful SID application for an MBT Facility, County Kildare
- Advising the State in connection with the consenting and regulation of upstream petroleum including offshore consents for the Corrib Gas Field and the CER on development and implementation of the Petroleum Safety Framework
- Advising Irish Water on the Water Supply Project – Dublin & Midland Region Project, and on many other water abstraction and wastewater projects
- Advised Fingal County Council and its technical advisors on the Greater Dublin Drainage Project
- Advised Bord Iascaigh Mhara on its aquaculture and foreshore licence applications for the Deep Sea Project in Galway Bay
- Advised Dunbia on its successful planning application for an expansion of its slaughtering facility in County Meath
- Advised NDFA and DoES on planning and environmental issues affecting/delaying the procurement and delivery of 7 projects in the €500 million Second Level Schools and Third Level Education PPP Programmes
- Advised on the HSE’s successful SID application for the National Forensic Mental Health Hospital
- LL.B, 2004, Trinity College Dublin
- Diploma in Applied Finance Law, 2007, Law Society
- IPMA Certified Diploma in Project Management, 2011
- Professional Certificate in Law on the Regulation of Food Safety (Distinction), 2013, University College Dublin
- Admitted as a solicitor in Ireland, 2008
- Member of Dublin Solicitors’ Bar Association (former Council Member)
- Member of Irish Environmental Law Association
- Member of International Project Management Association (IPMA)
- Member of the Executive Committee of the Energy Law Group, an association of leading independent energy law firms in Europe, the Middle East and Africa
- Council member of Wind Energy Ireland
- Council member of the Marine Renewables Industry Association
“Danielle Conaghan is a clear star in this area and her continued ability to navigate through complicated scenarios for international clients, who are not familiar with the Irish system or the likely challenges that it can result in, makes her a leader in this area.”
The Legal 500, 2022
Danielle Conaghan is recognised as a ‘leading individual’ in the planning and environmental sphere and has an “unparalleled knowledge of planning law”.
The Legal 500: Europe, Middle East & Africa, 2021
“Danielle Conaghan consistently excels in terms of the clarity, quality, depth and provision of her advice and also her ongoing engagement to ensure that the client is achieving the optimum result.”
The Legal 500: Europe, Middle East & Africa, 2021
“Danielle is a pragmatic problem solver, rather than solely a legal advisor. Danielle is a skilled strategist who has the ability to offer proactive advice leading to solutions and tactics to avoid problems. Danielle will go the extra mile to deliver for a client.”
The Legal 500: Europe, Middle East & Africa, 2021
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