Maples and Calder (Ireland) LLP, Maples Group’s law firm, is pleased to announce a significant expansion of its Irish real estate practice with four senior appointments, marking another milestone as the firm celebrates its 20th anniversary in Ireland. The firm welcomes two very experienced and highly regarded partners, Gillian Beechinor and Andrew Ion, in addition to of counsel David McClelland and associate Killian Breen.
These strategic hires follow the firm’s recent promotion of seven of its senior lawyers to partner and of counsel, reflecting Maples Group’s continued commitment to combining the promotion of its own people with the addition of the best external hires in the market.
This growth comes at a particularly significant time for Maples Group in Ireland. In 2006 the firm became the first international law firm to successfully disrupt the long-standing status quo in the Irish legal market. Twenty years later the firm is the largest international law firm in Ireland, with its lawyers and practices consistently ranked in the top tiers of legal directories.
Peter Stapleton, EMEA regional managing partner, said: “We are delighted to welcome Gillian, Andrew, Killian and David to our real estate practice in Ireland. Their combined expertise significantly strengthens our real estate and construction offering at a time of exciting growth for the firm. As we celebrate 20 years in Ireland, these external appointments underscore our ambition and strategy to continue investing in our people and expanding our capabilities.”
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Andrew Ion, head of real estate and partner, said: “I am very excited to join Maples’s highly regarded real estate practice and its global platform. I look forward to working closely with colleagues in Ireland across jurisdictions to provide pragmatic, commercially-focused advice that supports our clients’ evolving strategic objectives.”
Gillian Beechinor, real estate partner, added: “Joining an international firm with a presence and on-the-ground experience in multiple jurisdictions made the Maples Group very attractive to me. The group’s extensive international offering and reputation for excellence were key factors in my decision to join. I am excited to collaborate with my colleagues in Ireland and across our global network to deliver exceptional service to our clients.”
The expanded real estate team will collaborate with the firm’s other core practice groups, which include funds and investment management; finance and banking; data, commercial and technology; corporate, dispute resolution and insolvency; tax; employment; global registration services; financial services regulatory and asset finance.
Over the last 12 months, the Dublin firm has appointed several senior lawyers at partner, of counsel and associate level. These appointments follow a period of exceptional growth at the firm and are in direct response to increasing demands for Irish legal services from new and existing international clients.
In recent months Maples Group announced plans to renovate and relocate its Irish operations to a newly refurbished headquarters at 75 St Stephen’s Green, bringing all Dublin-based teams together under one roof in 2028. On completion the building will consolidate the group’s presence in Ireland in a single location, bringing lawyers, financial services professionals and technologists together to enhance collaboration and deliver truly seamless client legal service.
Andrew Ion, partner
Ion is head of the real estate team, advising clients on all areas of commercial real estate. He has acted on some of the biggest real estate transactions in the Irish market over recent years. Ion’s wide ranging experience includes acting for domestic and international investors, financial institutions, commercial landlords, tenants, receivers and other clients on a variety of transactions. He is regularly recognised by legal directories.
Gillian Beechinor, partner
Beechinor advises on commercial real estate transactions across all asset classes (including office, retail, healthcare, logistics and PRS/BTR schemes) and is experienced in portfolio and single-asset acquisitions and disposals; forward fund and forward purchase structures; and advises on the real estate aspects of property finance and corporate M&A transactions. Beechinor has advised several high profile domestic and international investors on some of the largest investment and leasing transactions of recent years.
David McClelland, of counsel
McClelland has wide ranging experience across the real estate sector, specialising in construction, property development and development finance. McClelland has experience in acting for developers, funders, public authorities and contractors across a range of large-scale construction and infrastructure projects in the residential and commercial property, hotels/aparthotels, student accommodation, transport and pharmaceutical sectors.
Killian Breen, associate
Breen advises clients on all areas of commercial real estate. He has broad experience advising both domestic and international clients in relation to all types of property and investment matters, including real estate investment acquisitions and disposals; commercial landlord and tenant matters; and real estate financing. Joining Maples Group in 2026, Breen was previously a senior associate in another leading Irish law firm where he also trained.
