About
“We have been providing cost efficient and effective legal services for over 30 years.”
West Lex Solicitors, formerly FG Phelan & Company, offers a broad range of legal services to individuals and businesses across Ireland and Europe.
FG Phelan & Company was established in 1980 by Mr. Fintan Phelan, Solicitor to provide legal services to the people of Swinford and its environs. The firm was purchased by Michael Smyth & Brendan Donnnelly in 2008 who re-branded the law firm West Lex Solicitors in 2018.
The firm has gone from strength to strength and it remains an independent, owner-managed business which now represents a number of local companies and businesses and thousands of clients all over Ireland and Europe.
Our Solicitors
Michael Smyth B.A., L.L.B, L.L.M.
Partner & Solicitor
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Michael is our managing partner and qualified as a solicitor in 2006. He is a former Army Officer and has served as a County Councillor, including a term as Chairman, on Mayo County Council.
He has extensive experience in both commercial and civil litigation and
provides strategic and practical litigation advice to clients involved in Insurance claims and banking disputes. He also advises a broad range of commercial and corporate clients providing company law and company secretarial advice relating to acquisitions and banking.
Recently, he provided legal support for a corporate client in relation to a city centre hotel development in Dublin. He has experience in providing insurance advice on BI claims for a wide variety of commercial clients.
Michael can advise you on commercial property, securities, business finance, company
acquisitions and restructurings, and is an experienced and skilled negotiator. His military and legal experience have given him a good understanding of the importance of risk management strategies.
Michael has shown the requisite knowledge, skills, experience, professionalism and integrity
throughout his career, having a masters’ degree in corporate finance and a recent diploma in insurance law. He continues to act a chairperson in Mental Health Tribunals and remains involved in GAA and local community development.
Brendan Donnelly B.A., L.L.B.
Partner & Solicitor
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Brendan holds BA (Hons) & LLB (Hons) Degrees and qualified as a solicitor in 1996. He heads our Litigation/Dispute Resolution Department.
Brendan has almost 30 years’ experience in dealing with cases in the District Court, Circuit Court, High Court, Central Criminal Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
He deals with a demanding case load involving various aspects of Litigation to include Personal Injury, Medical Negligence, Criminal Law, and General Litigation.
Brendan has been a Legal Representative on the Mental Health Tribunals since their inception in 2006.
He also acts on behalf of a number of Guardians Ad Litem in the District and Circuit Courts and has been appointed by the High Court to represent vulnerable clients as there Independent Solicitor/Guardian Ad Litem.
Patricia Smyth B.A., L.L.B.
Solicitor
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Patricia is a senior solicitor in the firm’s Commercial and Residential Property Department. Patricia advises clients in relation to Conveyancing, Landlord and Tenant, Farming Law, and Probate.
Prior to joining Westlex Solicitors in 2012, Patricia worked in two leading Dublin Law firms where she specialised in Property and Banking law before returning to her native Mayo in 2012.
Patricia is committed to delivering excellent service to our clients in a timely, straightforward and accessible manner.
Patricia tutors in Conveyancing and Landlord and Tenant on The Law Society of Ireland PPC 1 course.
Patricia was enlisted to the role of solicitor in 2010.
Julie Doyle BCL, Dip. Comm Prop., PME
Solicitor
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Julie has extensive experience in all aspects of Residential and Commercial Property Law, Landlord and Tenant Law and Banking Law. Having worked in 3 of Ireland’s largest law firms, Julie has advised on large scale multi-property acquisitions and disposals of development land. She has acted for developers in site development, estate set up of privately managed residential and mixed-use schemes, the development and construction of social housing sites and forward funding.
She has advised landlords and tenants of large retail shopping centres/industrial/office units as well as advising on residential tenancy matters. She has wide experience in Banking and Secured Lending having worked in-house for several years in 2 of Ireland’s well-known banks, advised on the acquisition and disposal of high-volume loan portfolios, providing specialist advice on NAMA, receivers, restructuring and insolvency matters. She represented another of Ireland’s banks on a large regulatory remediation project.
Julie’s particular expertise straddles corporate governance and charity law having worked as Head of Legal in one of Irelands largest social housing charities, advising on regulatory compliance, data protection and governance matters. Having acquired a professional masters in primary education (PME) she has a keen interest in Education Law and has lectured on Education Law in the Law Society as well as having lectured and tutored on Property law. She has lectured on Property law matters for the Dublin Solicitor’s Bar Association (DSBA).
Julie was an elected member of the DSBA for 8 years having also served as its Honorary Secretary. She is a former chair of the DSBA Conveyancing Committee and is a current member of the DSBA editorial committee of its award-winning publication ‘The Parchment’ magazine. Julie is a former member of the Law Society Conveyancing Committee. She is also a former chairperson of Mayo Association Dublin. Julie was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in Ireland in 2001, holds diploma in Commercial Property Law for the Law Society of Ireland and a PME.
Continued Investment
We continue to invest in our people, technology and research aiding the firm’s ability to provide practical and prompt solutions, while devoting exacting attention to detail. These are some of the areas of law we deal with: