Paul Brennan
Membership Status: Barrister - Full Member
General Information
Paul has a broad civil, commercial and chancery practice. He is a member of the Bar of England and Wales and also a member of the Bars of Ireland and the Isle of Man (currently non-practising). He is approachable and happy to discuss any matter pre-instruction. Located in central London, Paul also has a base in the North West and is happy to travel.
After being called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2005, Paul spent two years working at international offshore law firm Mourant Ozannes in Jersey. Following this, he relocated to the Isle of Man, qualified at the Manx Bar and practised exclusively in commercial litigation with another renowned international offshore law firm, Appleby. He undertook additional examinations for call to the Irish Bar and completed pupillage there with an eminent commercial and chancery barrister. Paul returned to the English Bar in 2015.
His practice as an Advocate at the Manx Bar was, by nature of the profession, a 'fused' role encompassing the traditional roles of both barrister and solicitor. This is something he considers allows him to see a case from both perspectives and is particularly valuable in the context of cases in which he is instructed on a Public Access basis.
Paul has appeared in a variety of Courts and tribunals in all three jurisdictions, including High Courts, County Courts, Immigration Tribunals, Property Tribunals, Regulatory Tribunals, Crown Courts and Magistrates Courts.
Areas of law
- Chancery/Property
- Commercial
- Civil
Chancery/Property
- Trust disputes (acting both for and against trustees/beneficiaries)
- Property disputes (including boundary disputes, easements and rights of way)
- Landlord and tenant (commercial and residential)
- Partnerships
Having been based in jurisdictions which are offshore financial centres, Paul has dealt with trust disputes that are often complex and multifaceted, spanning various jurisdictions. He has acted on behalf of both trustees and beneficiaries. He has also dealt with property disputes and landlord and tenant disputes (both residential and commercial) and is keen to build and develop this aspect of his practice.
Commercial
Paul's commercial practice has often involved:
- highly complex commercial disputes involving major companies, banks, or high net worth individuals (in several jurisdictions)
- commercial contract disputes
- banking disputes
- company disputes involving directors and directors' duties; disqualification and shareholder disputes
- professional negligence claims, in particular involving lawyers, which Paul also has experience of in other common law jurisdictions (both defendant and claimant)
Civil
Paul's civil practice and experience includes:
- personal injury (public liability, employer liability, occupiers' liability)
- road traffic accidents (RTA)
- credit hire
- clinical negligence
- contractual disputes
- sale of goods/supplies of services disputes
Major insurers regularly instructed Paul in connection with employer liability/public liability claims and he acted on behalf of government departments in the Isle of Man in such matters.
Paul has frequently undertaken professional regulatory work appearing on behalf of a major regulator. In this regard, he is familiar with the issues pertaining to such matters both substantively and procedurally and the pervasive administrative law elements. This is an area Paul is particularly keen to develop and welcomes the opportunity to discuss ideas with any client undergoing any regulatory process.
Memberships
- Bar of England & Wales (2005)
- Bar of Ireland (2010)
- Bar of the Isle of Man (2010)
- Middle Temple
- King's Inns (Dublin)
Education
- LL.B (Hons), University of Liverpool
- BVC, College of Law (London)
- B.L. Degree, King's Inns (Dublin)
Awards
- Harmsworth Scholarship, The Honourable Society of The Middle Temple
Personal Interests
Paul enjoys history (particularly British and Irish and the relations between the two countries), music (particularly jazz), travel and the occasional whiskey.
