WF honoured for work on Smurfit deal
William Fry has been awarded European Finance Team of the Year at the Lawyer Awards 2025, held at Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London.
Celebrating the best in Europe’s legal sector, the event recognised firms distinguished by their innovation, superior client service, and industry-leading capabilities.
The award recognises the firm’s banking and finance department for its “strategic and innovative” approach to complex financing transactions.
This award (27 November) also highlights William Fry’s work on the landmark combination of Smurfit Kappa Group plc and WestRock Company to form Smurfit Westrock plc.
Outbound merger
This is one of the largest outbound mergers executed by an Irish company, with a market capitalisation of $24.9 billion.
William Fry was also shortlisted in three other categories at the awards:
- Law firm of the year: Republic of Ireland,
- Best Client Service Initiative for its TechReg Connect tool for the EU Digital Package,
- European Litigation Team of the Year – for work on the landmark MSD v Clonmel case, which addressed critical issues under the EU Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC) Regulation.
David Maughan, lead partner on the Smurfit Westrock combination said: "This award reflects our commitment to delivering exceptional results for clients in complex and time-sensitive international financing transactions.
“We are extremely proud to have represented Smurfit Kappa on this historic transaction and we look forward to continuing our working relationship into the future."