Stephen Barry

Expertise

Stephen is a commercial litigator, experienced in leading complex and high value disputes in the Commercial Court across a range of disciplines and sectors. He leads the Planning and Environmental team advising on the full spectrum of contentious and non-contentious environmental, planning and health & safety work, including environmental and regulatory risk and investigations. He advises the Boards and inhouse Counsel of private and public companies and individuals on all aspects of litigation and alternative dispute resolution processes. 

• Undertaking an investigatory review of compliance and governance in the UK Insulation Boards business of Kingspan arising from its participation as a core participant in the UK’s Grenfell Tower Inquiry and identifying recommendations for implementation. 
• Advising Lumcloon Energy in the first successful judicial review of the CRU (as regulator) and EirGrid (as electricity transmission system operator) to exclude our client from an auction conducted under the Capacity Market Code. The cross-border case involved the Irish and Northern Irish single electricity market (SEM), the Capacity Market Code, the Capacity Market Dispute Resolution Board process, and considerations of aspects of European law. 
• Advising Dublin Airport Authority in its successful judicial review against Fingal County Council challenging the inclusion of certain provisions in the Fingal County Development Plan relating to airplane noise insulation measures and zoning of lands. The case also involved DAA successfully defending a related judicial review taken by environmental NGO, Friends of the Irish Environment against a decision of the Minister for Housing in the Court of Appeal.
• Advising a number of wind energy developers in successful challenges against adverse decisions of An Coimisiun  Pleánala involving issues including interpretation of relevant local area plans, development plans, ministerial guidelines, environmental impact assessment and appropriate assessment.
• Advising shareholders of Yellow River Wind Farm (Ireland’s largest permitted wind farm) in a Commercial Court action against SSE Renewables plc (“SSE”) in a dispute related to the interpretation of a Put and Call Option agreement and the associated triggering of payment terms for the construction of a windfarm incorporating 29 wind turbines, with a potential maximum export capacity of 104.4 MW.