John Whelan is a litigation partner in A&L Goodbody's market-leading Technology group. John advises clients on litigation and regulatory disputes and investigations with a focus within the technology and pharma sectors, specifically in the areas of content regulation, privacy, IP, and telecoms. He has been involved in many of the most significant cases, in those areas, that have come before the Irish courts, including significant CJEU referrals and appeals. John is a CEDR Accredited Mediator. Before joining A&L Goodbody as a partner, John worked with Freshfields in London and Hong Kong. He previously headed up A&L Goodbody’s US offices in San Francisco and Palo Alto.
Areas of Expertise
Investing in Ireland/Privacy & Data Security/Technology Regulation and Investigations/Commercial Contracts/Technology/FinTech/Intellectual Property/ IT Contracts/Outsourcing/ IP Litigation/ Commercial IP/ Media/ Telecoms/Data Privacy/Data Security/Direct Selling/Patents/Life Sciences/Brexit/General Data Protection Regulation
Market Recommendations
"John is exceptionally smart, has a huge depth of knowledge and always works to provide the best outcome for the client." (Chambers Europe 2025)
"He is so astute. His ability to strategically think through issues and resolve matters is second to none." (Chambers Europe 2022)
"John knows the law back to front and is incredibly creative in his suggestions for how to resolve issues." (Chambers Europe 2021)
"He handles a range of IT and data protection matters spanning from regulatory mandates through to commercial litigation. Clients note his ability to strategically think through difficult scenarios and work out a solution." (Chambers Europe 2021)
Professional activities
John regularly speaks at conferences internationally. He has a Masters of Commercial Law (LLM) from University College Dublin. He currently lectures at the Law Society Law School and the Sutherland School of Law at University College Dublin. He advises government bodies on various policy issues and was a member of the Irish Government's International Content Services Centre taskforce and the International Traded Services sub-committee of the Government's Enterprise Strategy Group.
Education
- Solicitor, Law Society of England and Wales
- Solicitor, Law Society of Ireland
- LLM, University College Dublin
- BCL, University College Dublin
John Whelan
Partner,
Technology
Dublin