Ian Boyle Harper BL

Ian practises in the areas of chancery and commercial law, public and EU law, professional negligence and regulation, property litigation, banking, arbitration, construction, insurance and company law.

Ian acts for individual, institutional and State clients before the Superior Courts and the Court of Justice of the European Union, as well as in arbitral proceedings. He also practises on the Dublin Circuit and before various disciplinary, regulatory and specialist tribunals, including the WRC, the CICT and the RTB.

Ian is a member of the Professional, Regulatory and Disciplinary Bar Association (PRDBA), the Financial Services Bar Association (FSBA), the Corporate and Insolvency Bar Association (CIBA) and sits as a member of the disciplinary and complaints panel of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association.

Ian is also a member of the Psychologists Registration Board, a State Board administered under CORU.

Ian studied law at Harvard Law School and University College Dublin. He has taught law as a tutor at University College Dublin and on the Barrister-at-Law Degree at the Honorable Society of King’s Inns.

Selected cases include:

Chancery and Commercial Law

• CDB Aviation Lease Finance DAC v. Lloyds Insurance Company & Ors. – Part of the Irish counsel team, instructed by Mason Hayes & Curran LLP, acting for the Plaintiff in one of six related high-value actions arising from the loss of leased aircraft following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Judgments have been delivered by the Court of Appeal on discovery ([2023] IECA 273) and by the High Court on the anonymity of an expert witness ([2024] IEHC 162), the admissibility of expert evidence ([2025] IEHC 32) and costs ([2025] IEHC 243).
• Hurley v. Pepper Finance Corporation (Ireland) DAC – Acted as sole counsel for the Defendant in obtaining a successful outcome in the High Court ([2022] IEHC 299) and with Senior Counsel in the successful defence of an appeal ([2024] IECA 80) in a series of related actions concerning the definition of a housing loan for the purposes of the Consumer Credit Act.
• Acting, with Senior Counsel, for the Bankruptcy Trustee of a Danish insurance entity in high value proceedings against an Irish agent regarding breaches of the terms of the Binding Authority granted to the Irish agent.
• Acted, together with Senior Counsel, in injunction proceedings involving complex jurisdictional issues and questions of contractual interpretation. The proceedings were resolved by way of a negotiated settlement.
• Part of a counsel team in a complex commercial court dispute involving questions of jurisdiction, choice of law, probate, company law and the proper identification and construction of trust documentation. The proceedings were resolved by way of a negotiated settlement.
• Acted, both as sole counsel and as part of a counsel team, in several business interruption insurance arbitrations in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Acted, with Senior Counsel, in a complex and high value arbitration concerning the proper scope of indemnity arising on foot of a buildings policy of insurance.

Public and EU Law

• Tecno*37 v. Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico, Case C-242/23 – Acted as sole counsel for Ireland in an Article 267 reference to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The preliminary reference was concerned with the proper interpretation of Directive 2006/123/EC (the Services Directive).
• Agentsia po Vpisvaniyata v. OL, Case C-200/23 – Acted as sole counsel for Ireland in an Article 267 reference to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The preliminary reference was concerned with the interaction of Directive (EU) 2017/1132 (on certain matters related to Company Law) and the GDPR.
• Acting, with Senior Counsel, for the State in judicial review proceedings alleging a failure on the part of the State to co-operate fully with a foreign investigation into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.
• Pepper Finance Corporation (Ireland) DAC v. Cannon [2020] IESC 2, [2022] 1 IR 128, [2020] 2 ILRM 373 – Acted, together with Senior Counsel, for the successful Respondent in proceedings where the constitutional jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the scope of Directive 93/13/EEC (Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts) were at issue.
• Grant v. County Registrar for Laois [2019] IEHC 185 – Acted, with Senior Counsel, for the Notice Party (who acted as legitimus contradictor) in judicial review proceedings concerning the ‘own motion’ assessment obligation imposed by Directive 93/13/EEC (Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts).