John Freeman BL

John Freeman BL has a wide-ranging commercial practice, with a particular emphasis on banking and financial services, disciplinary / regulatory and defamation. John has represented parties before the Disclosure Tribunal and the Commission of Investigation into the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC) (Siteserv).

Financial services

Giving expert evidence as to foreign law in relation to the Central Bank Act 1971 in proceedings in the High Court of Justice Business and Property Courts of England and Wales Commercial Court (QBD)

Advising an Irish investment business firm on notifiable transactions under the Acquisitions Directive (2007/44/EC)

Advising a renewable energy infrastructure company on marketing and distribution of debt securities

Advising on the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive, the Investment Intermediaries Act 1995 and the Prospectus Directive in the context of a £100m plus fundraising

Advising a large credit union on the common bond requirement under Irish credit union law

Representing an insurer in proceedings against two Irish collecting banks arising out of a cheque fraud (ongoing)

Representing an insurer defending a denial of indemnity for material non-disclosure

Advising on the regulatory perimeter under the Central Bank Acts in respect of peer-to-peer lending

Representing an insurer in a series of appeals to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman relating to life-wrapped investments

Representing a complainant at oral hearing before the Financial Services Ombudsman in a successful borrow-to-invest complaint

Representing an investment intermediary in a successful judicial review of the Financial Services Ombudsman (Hooper Dolan Financial Ltd v Financial Services Ombudsman, Financial Services Ombudsman Council, Ireland and the Attorney General [2011] IEHC 296)

Defamation and media 

Appearing for The Irish Times, Irish Independent, RTÉ and other media in connection with reporting restrictions in criminal proceedings

Defending a national newspaper in multiple High Court defamation actions

Representing a client before the Commission of Investigation into certain transactions of the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (Siteserv module)

Representing a national media organisation, editors and journalists before the Tribunal of Inquiry into protected disclosures made under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and certain other matters (Disclosures Tribunal)

Advising a waste recycling company on social media defamation

Representing a leading energy company in Commercial Court interlocutory proceedings defending an attempt to injunct commercial speech

Commercial and other cases:

Advising on a transaction for sale of aircraft maintenance company

Representing the National Asset Management Agency in Commercial Court proceedings involving overage fees on €200m plus in loans

Acting for electricity provider in judicial review of the Commission for Energy Regulation

Defending a minority oppression claim for a company in the aviation technology sector

Advising an international trading and technology firm on legal steps to defend itself from corporate espionage by way of ‘blagging’

Acting for the landlord in High Court injunction proceedings brought by a multinational telecoms company

The Central Bank Acts – annotated and consolidated (Roundhall, December 2019)

Clipping the Vulture’s Wings? Private Litigation of Codes of Conduct under the Central Bank Acts. Commercial Law Practitioner—May 2020

The Actionability of Codes of Conduct in English and Irish law (with David McIlroy). Journal of Banking and Finance Law and Practice, Volume 32/2 2021