Born at 318ppm CO2 Now it’s 422.

I am a senior counsel, solicitor, arbitrator, accredited mediator and conciliator. Since 1983 I have specialised in dispute resolution and construction and infrastructure law.

I am a BCL and LLM graduate of University College Dublin and received the degree of Barrister-at-Law from Kings Inns. I’m a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a CEDR accredited mediator, and a member of the Law Society panel of arbitrators and Engineers Ireland panel of conciliators. I currently serve on the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce, and on dispute resolution committees of the Law Society of Ireland and Engineers Ireland.

I was called to the Irish bar in 1983 and practised as a barrister for three years. In 1987 I was admitted in California, where I practised construction and government contract law until 1996. I acted in disputes arising from projects such as the Golden Gate Bridge deck replacement, urban railways, highways, water and wastewater treatment plants, airports, prisons, hospitals.

From 1996 to 2004 I practised construction and infrastructure law in a global law firm’s UK and Irish offices, where I was elected partner. In 2004 I joined one of Ireland’s biggest law firms as a partner, and continued to specialise in construction and infrastructure law, leading the construction practice group in its litigation department. I advised on most of Ireland’s major public infrastructure projects in the last 20 years, including these. I drafted the standard construction contracts used for almost all Irish public projects since 2007, and also the arbitration rules for public contract disputes. My practice also included commercial litigation, arbitration and mediation.  And I was responsible for instituting and leading that firm’s pro bono practice, including initiatives to advise and represent people seeking asylum and international protection and people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. I acted for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees as amicus curiae (friend of the court) in three cases before the Irish courts.

Since 2020, I’ve been in sole practice, focusing on dispute resolution, construction and infrastructure, and human rights and business.

In 2020, I made history by being one of the first solicitors ever designated senior counsel by the Government of Ireland. Seventeen were selected for excellence as advocates or legal specialists.   



RECOMMENDATIONS

 

Lexology Client Choice award Mediation Ireland 2023 and 2024. Clients commented of me:

one of the giants of Irish construction law. 

enthusiastic and responsive, and clearly loves what he does. 

a joy to work with. 

an expert mediator, conciliator, adjudicator, and arbitrator.

approaches all work with true professionalism, high levels of integrity and quality.

provides excellent bespoke and high-end legal advice to specialist clients in the industry. 

generally recognised as a font of knowledge which is a rare and distinguished quality in the area of disputes. 

experience in construction law gives practitioners and clients a sense of comfort with the trust that each case will be fully understood. 

approaches clients with a practical, understanding and empathetic manner.

a knowledgeable, smart, practical and experienced lawyer with excellent skills as a conciliator.

the leading lawyer in the area of construction law in Ireland for the last 20 + years.

The knowledge and experience that Éamonn has cannot be matched in the market.

a top-class lawyer and has years of established pedigree behind him that immediately inspire confidence.

requires little-to-no management and immediately understands the brief, runs with it, and often goes above and beyond in seeking to meet it. 

In short, Éamonn is still one of the stand-out operators in the country in his specialism.  

a knowledgeable and adroit mediator, conciliator, arbitrator or adjudicator.

As a mediator and conciliator, Éamonn Conlon is excellent, professional and not afraid to challenge parties.

As an arbitrator and adjudicator, Éamonn Conlon is a top-class professional. 

an exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable lawyer in his field of expertise – construction and in particular construction dispute resolution. 

unfailingly clear and courteous when dealing with parties and their advisors and brings his own clarity of thought to any process in which he is engaged. 

Recommended for Commercial Mediation by Who’s Who Legal.

Leading Construction Lawyer of the Year – Republic of Ireland,  Acquisition International 2023

Chambers Europe (2020) quoted me being described as: ‘an excellent lawyer’ and ‘top class’. In other years Chambers quoted, for example:

recognised as an outstanding lawyer and commands mountains of respect (2015)

hailed by clients as calm, pragmatic and scarily intelligent … His advice is always outstanding (2012)

Legal 500 2020 listed me as a Hall of Fame practitioner and quotes:

Eamonn Conlon is outstanding and the go-to lawyer for construction law. His knowledge is unrivalled and, combined with a pragmatic, results-driven approach, makes him a formidable operator.

 

LEADERSHIP

I have these roles in professional and community organisations:

 
What I say on this website is not said on behalf of any of them.

WRITING, SPEAKING, TEACHING

Irish courts as a forum for resolution of disputes under the Energy Charter Treaty,  in National Courts as a Forum for the Resolution of Disputes under Article 26 Energy Charter Treaty (John Gaffney, Richard Happ, Lucia Raminova, Anna-Maria Tamminen, Catharine Titi eds) (2023) 23(3) Transnational Dispute Management.

Supreme Court blocks Ireland ratifying CETA Kluwer Arbration Blog, 30 January 2023

Come together: The Construction Contracts Act and statutory adjudication in Ireland – how are we doing so far, and can we do better?  With Deirdre Hennessy, Law Society Gazette, November 2022

A Modest Proposal for Fast Non-binding Arbitration of Procurement Disputes in Ireland (2021) 30(4) Pub Procurement L Rev 171

Civil Liability for Abuses of ILO Core Labour Rights in European Union Supply Chains: Ireland as a Case Study, in Public Procurement and Human Rights: Opportunities Risks and Dillemas for the State as Buyer (Olga Martin-Ortega and Claire Methven O’Brien, eds, Elgar 2019)

Vertical and Horizontal Effect of Directives: Recent Irish Cases (2018) 21(1) Ir J Eur Law 91

Lecturer in dispute resolution and arbitration (Professional Practice Course), legal issues in intellectual property & information modelling, collaborative construction contracting (Diploma in Construction Law),  human rights and business (Certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility), Law Society of Ireland.

I am a frequent speaker on construction and procurement law topics.  I write the blog thinking about law, and life.

SELECTED CASES

State (Kershaw) v Eastern Health Board [1985] ILRM 235

Monterey Mechanical Co v Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (1996) 44 Cal App 4th 1391

RPS Consulting Engineers Ltd v Kildare County Council [2016] IEHC 113

BAM Building Ltd v UCD Property Development Co Ltd [2016] IEHC 582

Homecare Medical Supplies v Health Service Executive [2018] IEHC 55

Emovis Operations Ireland Ltd v National Roads Authority [2018] IEHC 362

BD (Bhutan and Nepal) v Minister for Justice and Equality [2018] IEHC 461

X v Minister for Justice and Equality [2020] IESC 30