The firm
Mary Molloy Solicitors was established in 1981 and has acted for individuals, families and businesses across Ireland for more than four decades. This site is the firm's dedicated capacity law practice: the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015, Circuit Court capacity applications, and the planning that keeps families out of court altogether.
Richard O'Shea, Solicitor TEP
Richard leads the practice. He is a solicitor and a STEP-qualified Trust and Estate Practitioner — TEP is the international designation for practitioners in estates, trusts and vulnerable-client work, and capacity law sits at its centre. He also holds a Diploma in Mediation from the Law Society of Ireland, which matters here more than in most practice areas: capacity cases are family cases, and the best outcome is usually the one every sibling can live with. Under the Mediation Act 2017 solicitors must advise clients about mediation before litigation; in this practice we mean it rather than recite it.
Why a dedicated capacity practice
The 2015 Act replaced a century-old wardship system with something genuinely new: a tiered framework built on the presumption of capacity and the person's own will and preferences. It is better law — and more involved law, with the Decision Support Service, registered agreements, court-appointed representatives and reporting obligations. Most families meet it for the first time in a hard week: a diagnosis, a hospital discharge meeting, a bank refusing an instruction. The practice exists so that week comes with a guide.
Who we act for
Adult children of parents with dementia. Parents of adult children with intellectual disabilities. Spouses managing a partner's affairs after a stroke. Former wards and their families. People planning ahead while every option is still open. And the professionals — doctors, nursing homes, accountants — who need a capacity question answered properly.
Offices
Dublin: The Ormond Building, 31–36 Ormond Quay Upper, Dublin 7, D07 EE37 — on the north quays
minutes from the Four Courts.
Kilkenny: 2 Rose Inn Street, Kilkenny, R95 W58D — serving the south-east.
One number reaches both offices: 01 5827148. Hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM,
with out of hours appointments available. We act for families across Leinster.
How our fees work
You get a fixed quote in writing before any work starts — no hourly-rate surprises. If the scope changes, the quote is revised in writing before we continue. In contentious business, a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement. How costs work in capacity matters →