Then last month it was announced that she had been appointed managing partner of the firm, taking over the role from Jerome O’Sullivan, who continues to lead its commercial real estate team. And finally, in the same month came the news that J.W. O’Donovan was amalgamating with Eamon Murray & Company Solicitors.

The merger, the firm says, will further its position as one of Cork’s leading full-service law firms and represents the next phase of its growth. The combined firm now comprises 20 solicitors and a total team of 35, representing a 40 per cent increase in headcount.

Ms Linehan appears to be talking these major developments very much in her stride. She has, after all, the advantages of being a native of Cork and, having been with the firm for three decades, has observed the changing demands of the city’s legal landscape.

She explains that J.W. O’Donovan made a strategic decision to invest in new, larger offices to create the capacity for growth and that the merger with Eamon Murray & Co creates natural synergies, as it is also a highly-regarded Cork firm with a reputation for strong client relationships.  

“Their expertise complements our own and strengthens the breadth and depth of service we offer,” she explains. She herself continues to balance her new role as managing partner with client practice, focusing on property law and residential development.

“We had outgrown our previous offices but we wanted to continue to be based on the South Mall as it’s at the heart of the business community in Cork. It took some time: we eventually found a perfect property which then took six months to fit out and now fill three bespoke floors here at 27 South Mall.” 

Having achieved that, the firm began eyeing expansion. “We weren’t sure at first whether it would be organic expansion, a takeover or merger but when Eamon Murray & Company came along, they proved an excellent fit with for us,” she says.

While providing a full legal service, there had been a growing focus on corporate and commercial work, and client base that was increasing in parallel. However, she adds: “We remained very conscious of our private clients in Cork – and how hard everyone had worked for so many years to build up those personal relationships.”

Ms Linehan is combatively proud of the way the city’s legal sector has endeavoured to forge client relationships. “We work hard worked to maintain those links and to ensure we look after the private client side of the practice as well as the corporate and commercial. I believe that’s a quality unique to Cork. If you take the time to maintain personal relationships and engage client loyalty, you’ll get the return. That’s helped greatly by our team of excellent solicitors and the way we manage work with each other in our specialised practice areas.”

Ms Linehan is also a passionate advocate of the city’s wider business community and sits on the board of the Cork Chamber of Commerce, chairing its governance and nomination committee and sitting on the audit and risk committee. She has also lectured and hosted seminars on real estate law-related topics.

“Through my work with Cork Chamber I’m probably the person in the firm most involved, in general terms, with business here in the city. I do a lot of banking law as well and we have our finger on the pulse in relation to what’s happening in several different business sectors.” 

She again stresses Cork’s advantage as a business centre. “Much of that is down to the size of the city and the networking events it hosts. These interactions also afford the opportunity to meet with government ministers, councillors and other influencers from a business and legal perspective.  

“Just being aware of what’s coming down the tracks is very helpful to our clients, particularly in my area of specialisation – residential development – which involves construction, planning, finance and housing, which is such a high priority.” 

Most solicitors in the firm, she adds, maintain close ties with the community. “The majority of our solicitors are involved in charity boards, sporting organisations, school boards and so on,” she says. 

Beyond Cork, J.W. O’Donovan LLP is the only Irish member firm of ADVOC, a network of more than 90 independent law firms with offices across more than 70 countries worldwide.  

“We act for quite a few international and multinational clients and if they have any issues that require a lawyer in Europe or beyond, we can source a direct contact in commercial firms, many of whom we have developed a relationship with over the years,” she explains. 

Her own path into the profession was, interestingly, influenced by what she didn’t want to do rather than by a conviction that law was her vocation.    

“I went to a convent girls’ school where the expectation was that we would either become nurses, teachers or join the civil service or a bank and I had no interest in any of these professions, much to the disappointment of the nuns,” she laughs.

Her father, an auctioneer, had involved Ms Linehan and her siblings in his business at an early age. “I regularly acted as receptionist and was often thrown in the deep end to answer phones and take messages when his support staff went on holiday or were sick, which stood me in good stead and certainly helped develop my interpersonal skills.”

While she was doing her school leaving certificate the Landlord and Tenant Act 1980 was in the forefront of property legislation and she attended several tribunals with her father, a valuer. “That really piqued my interest and was the start of my becoming a solicitor,” Ms Linehan recalls.

She graduated with a bachelor of civil law from University College Cork and trained in a small general practice firm. “I was glad of that because it gave me a great general training and experience in a variety of legal areas, including a lot of criminal law,” she recalls.

“But I’m delighted now to specialise in property, because it’s always been my number one interest. I have such great clients and the business infrastructure network is so good in Cork that I find myself loving my work.”

As a result of recent hires and the merger with Eamon Murray & Co the firm has a high proportion of female employees. “I think we’re very well balanced,” says Ms Linehan. “And yes, we’re very conscious of the need for diversity and inclusion – but at the same time we have the right people doing the work they are best placed to do.

“As with many firms, we’re flexible regarding our working arrangements and our solicitors have all been set up to work remotely since the Covid pandemic so the work/life balance is much better than before.” 

Ms Linehan’s own working day begins at 7am before arriving in the office at 10. “I need that time early in the day to sort things out in relative peace and quiet before the activity of the workplace.” 

To maintain her personal equilibrium there are regularly scheduled breaks in the sun, though for most of the time ‘busy’ is the byword. “But I love it. I’m always up for a challenge and I get out of bed every morning looking forward to the day,” she enthuses.