Caldwell & Robinson Solicitors

Our People

Philip Gilliland, Managing Partner – Corporate & Commercial

“An outstanding corporate and commercial lawyer” – Chambers UK

Philip is the firm’s Managing Partner and heads up Caldwell & Robinson’s Corporate & Commercial team. He regularly negotiates Irish and Northern Irish transactions in which there are particularly complex ownership, international and succession issues. He provides commercially focused advice and is recognised for his ability to provide both legally accurate and practical advice, offering solutions tailored to fit clients’ needs before issues become contentious or protracted.

Philip has also worked extensively in international sourcing and organisation building, allowing him to look at issues outside of a legal vacuum and better appreciate commercial contexts.

He is a regular speaker at conferences on legal aspects of international trade, particularly within emerging markets. Former President of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce, Philip is the current Chair of Avrio Advocati and is a former Director of Catalyst Inc (formerly the Northern Ireland Science Park).

A Derry native, he was educated at the University of Edinburgh, University of Pennsylvania, and the College of Law, before beginning his legal career at Clifford Chance in London and Brussels. He returned to Derry to work in a non-legal capacity for manufacturers Desmond & Sons Ltd., Marks & Spencer plc, and J. Sainsbury plc as General Manager Asia, before joining Caldwell & Robinson. These roles have given him extensive commercial experience in the developing markets of China, South Asia, and Eastern Europe.

E: philip.gilliland@caldwellrobinson.com | T: 0044 (0) 2871 261 334

Killian Margey, Consultant – Corporate

Killian advises the firm’s Corporate team. He specialises in company law, including mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, share purchases, asset sales and fundraisings, as well as general corporate governance and compliance matters.

With experience working for international law firms in Paris, Brussels and Stockholm, as well as the European Commission, Killian is able to negotiate successfully around complicated legal issues and to deal diplomatically with the interests of other parties while ensuring that his clients’ interests are properly protected. He has significant experience advising private sector organisations on a wide range of corporate legal documentation.

Killian graduated from the University of Galway with a B.A. (Hons) and an L.L.B. (Hons). He subsequently trained with William Fry in Dublin, qualifying in 2000. He then joined Tughans in Northern Ireland in 2003, becoming a partner in Tughans’ Corporate Department in 2006, before joining Caldwell & Robinson in 2013.

E: killian.margey@caldwellrobinson.com | T: 0044 (0) 2871 261 334

Emmett Maginn, Partner – Head of Dispute Resolution

Emmett is Head of Dispute Resolution at Caldwell & Robinson. He specialises in cross-border commercial disputes and holds current practicing certificates for Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and England and Wales. Emmett works across a number of the firm’s core practice areas, including:

General commercial disputes, including breach of contract and negligence
Contentious corporate matters, including shareholder disputes
Insolvency actions
Procurement disputes
Information governance, data protection, and breach of confidence issues
Debt recovery

Emmett is a highly experienced advocate with over 10 years’ experience of advocating in courts in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, England, and Wales. He also delivers regular training to external organisations across the range of practice areas referred to above.

E: emmett.maginn@caldwellrobinson.com | T: 0044 (0) 2871 261 334

Jade O’Kane – Senior Associate Solicitor, Private Client

Jade specialises in residential conveyancing, wills and probate, enduring powers of attorney, and controllership applications for private clients. She practices in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Jade studied Law at Queen’s University Belfast, where she achieved first place in Conveyancing and was awarded the McKane Medal for achieving first place in Jurisprudence. She undertook her professional legal training at the Graduate School of Professional Legal Education at the University of Ulster, and won the prestigious Arthur Cox prize for being placed first overall in the Postgraduate Diploma in professional legal practice. Since qualifying, she has also completed a course in Commercial Conveyancing.

“What impresses me most about Jade is her efficiency and attention to detail. I would be happy to recommend Jade to anyone because I know the level of service that she has given me and my customers in the past. She is a pleasure to work with.” (A. McE.)

E: j.okane@caldwellrobinson.com | T: 0044 (0) 2871 261 334

William McFarlane – Commercial Property

William advises the firm’s commercial property clients on all aspects of acquisitions and sales, in addition to working with the firm’s commercial specialists to provide support for corporate transactions.

William graduated from Queens University Belfast in 1996 and qualified as a solicitor in 1998. He has since worked in property and litigation and joined Caldwell & Robinson in 2018.

E: william.mcfarlane@caldwellrobinson.com | T: 0044 (0) 2871 261 334

Aoifé McColgan – Trainee Solicitor

Aoifé joined the firm as a paralegal in 2021 alongside her Masters in Law studies at Queen’s University Belfast. She graduated with Honours in summer 2022 before undertaking the Legal Practice Course at the Institute of Professional Studies at Queen’s University Belfast. She commenced her solicitor training contract with the firm in September 2022 under the mentorship of Philip Gilliland and Karen O’Leary and currently works in our Dispute Resolution team under the guidance of Emmett Maginn. Aoifé studied English Literature and Film Studies (B.A. Hons) at Trinity College Dublin and previously worked in the book publishing industry. She is also a part of the Women and the Law team at QUB LawPod.

E: aoife.mccolgan@caldwellrobinson.com | T: 0044 (0) 2871 261 334

Thomas Doris – Trainee Solicitor

Thomas joined the firm as a Paralegal in 2022 and commenced his training contract with the firm in September 2023. Prior to joining Caldwell & Robinson, he graduated from Ulster University’s Magee Campus in July 2022 with First Class Honours. He also won the Law School’s dissertation prize for his undergraduate thesis that same year.

Thomas has a keen interest in the areas of land law and company law, and currently works in our Commercial Conveyancing and Probate team under the mentorship of William McFarlane.

E: thomas.doris@caldwellrobinson.com | T: 0044 (0) 2871 261 334