Business

Former Arthur Cox chairman dies after brief illness

James O’Dwyer (71) was regarded as one of Ireland’s leading corporate lawyers

Former Arthur Cox chairman James O’Dwyer, who died in New York last weekend.

Tue Jul 31 2018 - 22:00

Former Arthur Cox chairman and managing partner James O'Dwyer (71) died last Sunday in New York after a brief illness.

Mr O’Dwyer was regarded as one of Ireland’s leading corporate lawyers, serving as chairman and senior partner of Arthur Cox for 15 years up to his retirement in 2006. He had previously been managing partner of the firm for almost two decades before that.

Arthur Cox chairman Ciarán Bolger said Mr O’Dwyer had a “profound effect on the firm over that period which continues to this day”.

Mr O'Dwyer had been involved in a number of high-profile corporate deals in Ireland over the past 30 years, including the privatisation of both Eircom (now Eir) and Aer Lingus.

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His clients included Bank of Ireland, CRH, DAA, Glanbia, Green Property, Greencore, NTR, Paddy Power and United Drug.

At the time of his death, Mr O'Dwyer was chairman of the Rohan property group and Lexicon Investments, a director of Stafford Holdings, and a member of the Irish Emeritus Board of the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School in Dublin.

He had formerly been a director of a number of large companies, including the Smurfit Group, Goldman Sachs Bank (Europe) plc, and Fyffes. He was also a founding member of the UCD school of law's development council.

He is survived by his wife Barbara and sons Conor and Declan.

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