Karen is a Partner in Byrne Wallace Shields LLP Banking and Finance Team.

She has extensive experience, both in-house and in private practice, advising a variety of domestic and international financial institutions, credit servicers, public bodies and investment funds/ICAVs on finance transactions across a wide range of sectors.

Her areas of expertise include corporate financing (both borrower and lender sides), project finance, acquisition finance, real estate finance and structured finance and she has significant experience in managing complex multi-jurisdictional high-value transactions with varied legal and structural aspects.

Karen has a particular focus on green and sustainable finance and renewable energy finance, and has a keen interest in other environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. Her experience includes advising on one of the first green loans in Ireland which was used to finance the construction of a sustainable distribution centre. 

Experience

• Advising Pepper Finance Corporation (Ireland) Designated Activity Company, on an ongoing basis, in respect of transactional and regulatory matters arising in its capacity as servicer and legal title holder on various loan portfolio sales, loan origination, and residential/commercial mortgage backed securitisations related to underlying portfolio asset values of up to €1.7 billion.
• Advising the corporate banking team of a leading Irish bank on a number of sustainable finance transactions including in connection with:
  • sustainability-linked loans aligned with the Loan Market Association’s Sustainability-Linked Loan principles to various corporate borrowers; 
  • a green development finance facility to one of the largest waste management groups in Ireland in connection with the construction of a materials recovery facility to support the transition to a circular economy; and
  • an unusual green revolving loan facility to an investment fund (and a “pure play” entity) whose business activities are exclusively focused on the green economy and aligned with the EU Taxonomy.
• Advised a multi-national retailer in connection with one of the first green loans in Ireland, a €100 million club loan facility aligned with the Loan Market Association’s green loan principles to finance a green project involving the construction of a sustainable distribution centre, with security and guarantees from obligors based in multiple jurisdictions.
• Advising ING Bank, a branch of ING DiBa AG, as lead banking counsel, in connection with a number of transactions, including: project finance for the development of a number of on-shore Irish wind farms with a new generation capacity of circa. 30MW; restructure of existing facilities in connection with corporate reorganisation; and in relation to new mezzanine finance procured by a shareholder of an ING borrower from Triodos Energy Transition Europe Fund.
• Advised the UK-based specialised asset finance provider, Close Leasing Limited, on the acquisition of 50% interest in a 20.5MW wind farm by way of share acquisition and refinance of senior debt secured on the project.
• Advised smart energy technology company GridBeyond in relation to a joint venture arrangement with Triodos Energy Transition Europe Fund to finance and develop a large pipeline of behind the meter battery storage projects across the UK and Ireland.
• Advised an Irish subsidiary of a large facilities management service provider in connection with its accession to the group’s European invoice factoring arrangement.Advised the Irish subsidiaries of a multi-national automotive group in connection with proceedings under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code and related debtor-in-possession and exit credit facilities with JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. and others.
• Advised MML Growth Capital Partners Ireland in relation to the finance aspects of multiple investments, including financing provided by AIB Corporate Banking in connection with its acquisition of a stake in Fastway Couriers.
• Advised a joint venture between a US investment bank and a sovereign wealth fund on the restructure of existing senior debt from a private investment company to an Irish Collective Asset Management Vehicle (“ICAV”) in connection with the acquisition of a prime development site in Ballsbridge, Dublin.
• Advising a state body in connection with grant funding for various charitable and other organisations providing specialised services to the public within Ireland.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science (Hons) (Biomedical Science), National University of Ireland Galway, 2005
• Admitted as a Solicitor in Ireland, Law Society of Ireland, 2009
• Master of Laws (LLM), University College Cork, 2010

Memberships

• Law Society of Ireland