CKT Appoint Three New Partners

Leading Irish law firm, Comyn Kelleher Tobin (CKT), has announced three new Partners across their Healthcare and Medical Law, Employment and Commercial Property practices in Dublin and Cork. The rapidly expanding Irish-owned firm has more than doubled in size in recent years due to the development of an existing client base and the acquisition of a Dublin practice in 2018. The new Partners are Louise Duggan, Lebeau Jonker and Emily Sexton. 

Louise Duggan, Partner in CKT’s Commercial Property Department, has a track record acting for developers, institutions and businesses in a complex property market. She advises on all areas of commercial conveyancing and the acquisition, financing, leasing, development and disposal of commercial property and mixed scheme developments. Her clients include property developers, investors, receivers, banks, state bodies and educational institutions.

Lebeau Jonker, Partner in Healthcare and Medical Law came to Ireland from South Africa in the early 90’s playing cricket. He returned to Dublin a few years later and has developed a national reputation in healthcare and child protection law with extensive experience in Wardship, mental health, disabilities, civil detention and civil detention cases with an international element. He is a member of the association of Criminal Justice Research and Development, and lectured in the Law module at Trinity’s School of Social Work and Policy undergraduate and postgraduate courses 2016-2018.

Emily Sexton, Partner in Employment, Healthcare and Medical Law and a CEDR accredited mediator, practises in the area of employment law, primarily advising employers, including healthcare employers, in relation to legislative obligations and the defence of employment claims. Emily also acts in the defence of clinical negligence proceedings, employer liability claims and public liability claims. She has experience in providing advice to healthcare providers on all aspects of healthcare law including consent to treatment, patient capacity issues, regulatory issues, confidentiality, data protection, freedom of information and risk management issues.

Speaking on the company’s future strategic growth, Deborah Moore, Managing Partner, Comyn Kelleher Tobin, said, “We are delighted to announce firm-wide growth, especially in our specialist areas of healthcare, employment, property, child and family law. With economic uncertainty now ‘the new norm’, Irish businesses cannot get consumed with bleak economic warnings. You need to be committed to your offering. If you are both client-focused and client-led you can’t go wrong.

“That doesn’t mean we get to sit back. Cybersecurity, the war for high-quality talent and increased overheads such as rents and salary expectations are just some of the current challenges for Irish businesses. In a bid to futureproof our business and ensure our clients are reaping the rewards and savings offered by modern technology, we have invested hugely in our business including IT developments.”

The firm, which was the first Irish law practice to welcome legal mental health charity LawCare to speak to all employees, is focused on attracting and retaining exceptional talent by offering a workplace that not only provides financial security but also plays a part in improving positive mental, physical and social wellness.

CKT boasts one of the largest and long-standing Healthcare and Medical Law, and Child and Family Law teams in the country with over 60 employees including 26 solicitors across the firm. CKT represent several public and private sector organisations such as the Health Service Executive, Tusla – the Child and Family Agency, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and educational institutions such as UCC and CIT, as well as national and international insurers, banks, developer and businesses.