Owen O’Connell – An Appreciation

Owen O’Connell, who died on February 18th this year, was one of Ireland’s leading corporate lawyers and a trusted adviser to many Irish and international businesses. His advice was valued not only for the quality of his legal expertise but also for his clear thinking and commercial savvy. He was fairly lauded as one of the very top lawyers in Ireland.

Owen, who was born in 1955, was educated in Presentation Brothers, Glasthule, Co Dublin, and graduated from UCD with a bachelor of civil law degree. Having qualified as a solicitor, he joined the firm of William Fry in November 1979. His hard work and fast thinking saw him quickly rise through the ranks, becoming a partner in that firm in 1985 and managing partner in 1998.

His keen legal intellect was allied to a sharp commercial brain, no doubt inherited from his father, Don, who led the well-known Doherty’s Advertising for many years. He was a superb negotiator and many of his clients, experienced business people themselves, were content to stand back and have him negotiate both the commercial and the legal terms of the contract or transaction. As one client put it, “Having Owen on my side was like going into a cup match with 10 points already on the board”. He was a formidable opponent but never failed to win the respect of all with whom he dealt.

He had a remarkable talent of combining fastidious planning and attention to detail with a broad vision and a keen appreciation of his client’s priorities and wider commercial objectives. He used these skills to become a consummate dealmaker and the go-to person for large Irish and International corporates when they had a significant corporate transaction or pressing business issue.

Among his significant cases were his representation of the State in the privatisation of Aer Lingus, the flotation of Smurfit Kappa and more recently the foreign consortium investment in Bank of Ireland. The completion of that investment was a definite turning point for Ireland after the financial collapse. The investment by international investors of the calibre of Fairfax Financial, Wilbur Ross and Kennedy Wilson of over €1.1 billion in the bank represented a major vote of confidence in the Irish economy; realising its significance, Owen worked tirelessly, with utter determination, to get that investment concluded.

Owen prided himself on being the first into the office in the morning and working long hours into the evening and night, which seems inevitably to be the only time of the day when complex commercial transactions can be brought to fruition. It is recounted, possibly apocryphally, that when tempers became frayed during one such all-nighter, he took the precaution of locking the door of the room so as to ensure that neither party could walk out.

Despite the demands of a busy caseload, Owen was a fantastic mentor for many young people. There are many who have reason to be grateful to him for that critical piece of advice that set them on their path to a successful career, whether in law, business or another walk of life.

Owen was a devoted family man. He was personable and an engaging and lively conversationalist. He liked nothing better than to while away an evening over dinner in the convivial surrounds of close family and friends. He had a great interest in cuisine – its cooking and consumption, at both of which he excelled. His interest in food was surpassed only by his interest in wine, a subject on which he was extremely knowledgeable. He and his wife, Denise, were regarded as excellent hosts.

In retrospect, one might think Owen spent too much time in the office and in serving his clients and the firm of William Fry, but it was what he enjoyed, excelled at and was proud of.

While managing partner of that firm, he simply added the additional responsibilities and commitments of that position to his already exacting work load. His colleagues at every level were inspired by his dedication and the firm thrived under his fair and firm leadership. When his term as managing partner ended, it was with relish that he went back full time into the cut and thrust of the commercial legal world.

He was perhaps at the height of his powers as the quintessential corporate legal counsel when illness struck, quite suddenly at Christmas 2012, in the form of a brain tumour. Owen quickly came to terms with the prognosis and immediately retired to devote his time to his family.

Owen prepared for his death and the next life with the same meticulousness as he had brought to his life’s work. It is a great consolation to his family, friends and colleagues that he was favoured with three more years with his beloved and loving wife Denise and their three sons – travelling abroad, playing the occasional game of golf and regularly lunching with his many business acquaintances, colleagues and friends.

Owen is survived by his wife Denise, his sons Ronan, Gavin and Rory, his mother Patricia, brothers Simon, Richard and sister Mary.

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