• Law Society of Ireland
  • Diploma in Commercial Property, Law Society of Ireland 2018
  • Solicitor, Law Society of Ireland, 2017
  • Masters of Laws European Law, Kings College London, 2014
  • BCL, National University of Ireland, Galway, 2012

Elaine is a senior associate in the real estate group at Philip Lee. Elaine is experienced in advising in breadth and depth across a vast range of sectors within the commercial property sphere including advising on all the legal property elements of renewable energy projects.

Elaine advises and acts for commercial landlords and tenants, institutional investors, developers, renewable energy developers on the following:

  • commercial leasing transactions and landlord and landlord and tenant law;
  • real estate financing;
  • acquisitions and disposals;
  • title rectification;
  • asset and portfolio management;
  • development set up and new homes;
  • PRS acquisitions and forward sales.

In addition, Elaine has significant real estate experience in the renewable energy sphere and regularly works with our corporate group, planning and environmental group, projects group and energy group on renewable energy transactions. Alongside this, Elaine acts for solar farm, wind farm and power plant developers on options for leases, wayleaves, land acquisitions, all other associated land rights and land documentation required for these projects. Her experience and practice includes advising and acting for one of the country’s largest solar farm developers in relation to their significant real estate portfolio alongside acting and advising on the real estate element of financing these projects. Elaine has acted as the lead property advisor for institutional and private lenders on the financing of wind farm and solar farm developments and regularly advises on the property component of high value and complex solar portfolio acquisitions and disposals.

Elaine is a member of the Law Society Conveyancing Committee, Law Society Conveyancing Practice Reform Group and the Law Society Landlord and Tenant Task Force.

Recent Work

  • Acted for a US private equity fund on the acquisition and subsequent disposal of Opus, 6 Hanover Quay, Dublin 2 for €101 million.
  • Acted and advised Power Capital Renewable Energy on the real estate element of the financing of its five ready to build solar farms across Ireland.
  • Acted for a US private equity fund in the forward purchase of over 500 residential units from Cairn Homes for PRS.
  • Advised First Home Scheme DAC on the structuring of the real estate elements of the Scheme.
  • Acted for a leading Irish property developer in the forward sale of 150 residential units and acted in the setting up of a residential scheme of development and the ultimate disposals excess of 100 hundred units.
  • Advised Power Capital Renewable Energy on the real estate element of its investment of €140m in six ready-to build solar farms across Ireland.
  • Acts for a solar farm developer in drafting options, leases and wayleaves and advises on the day to day management of their existing property portfolio of in excess of 80 option agreements.
  • Acts regularly as property lead on the acquisition of solar asset portfolios for a solar farm developer with a combined value of €90 million to date.
John O’Donoghue and Elaine Whelan are very approachable and helpful. Their knowledge and advice are valuable, and they are keen to understand clients’ business and help them to understand how the Irish property legislation applies to their transactions.
Legal 500, 2023

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