Rowena is a leading commercial litigation and cyber disputes specialist, advising insurers, corporates, and boards on high-value, business-critical disputes and crisis situations. 

She has extensive experience acting in complex commercial litigation, with a strong track record in the High Court, Commercial Court and Court of Appeal. Rowena is known for developing effective enforcement and litigation strategies in sensitive and high-stakes matters, often involving reputational risk and urgent decision-making. She also represents clients in arbitration and mediation, with a focus on resolving disputes efficiently while protecting broader commercial and strategic interests. 

A recognised expert in cyber incident response, Rowena advises organisations and their insurers on the legal, regulatory, and litigation risks arising from cyber-attacks and data breaches. She is frequently instructed at the outset of incidents to coordinate legal strategy, manage engagement with the Data Protection Commission, and mitigate exposure to regulatory enforcement, third party claims, and follow-on litigation. Her advice is grounded in a clear understanding of how cyber events develop in practice and how they are scrutinised by regulators and courts. 

Rowena’s practice sits at the intersection of disputes, regulation and digital risk, making her a trusted adviser in fast-moving, high-pressure situations where legal, commercial, and reputational considerations must be managed in parallel. 

She is a committee member of the Law Society of Ireland Litigation Committee and was appointed by the Minister for Justice to an expert group on discount rates. 

Rowena's relevant experience includes: 

• Advising a renewable energy company on a high-value contractual dispute concerning patented waste technology, including urgent advice on interim reliefs and wider strategic measures to protect the client’s commercial position. The claim was valued in excess of €100m. 

• Acting for a multinational engineering company on a major cyber incident, coordinating legal and reputational strategy alongside international counsel and multiple forensic teams to contain the incident and minimise regulatory, litigation, and commercial exposure 

• Acting in the defence of investor and broker claims against a specialist trustee service provider, arising from losses of approximately €107m in Ireland and €2bn globally 

• Advising corporate clients, charities, universities, healthcare providers and state agencies on highly sensitive cyber breaches, including ransomware attacks, with a focus on immediate response, regulatory engagement and downstream litigation risk 

• Defending a pension trustee in a high-profile High Court action brought by the Pensions Regulator 

• Representing high-profile clients in substantial defamation and privacy claims, often involving significant reputational considerations 

• Advising professionals across a range of sectors in relation to complex professional negligence claims 

• Acting on a broad range of complex contractual and financial disputes before the Commercial Court 

Endorsements 

• "Rowena is incredibly sharp and knows what questions to ask". –  Chambers and Partners, Europe 2026, Ireland 

• "She is a very clear and effective communicator and a safe pair of hands". – Chambers and Partners, Europe 2026, Ireland 

• "Rowena is very professional, proactive and knowledgeable and is good at explaining complex issues succinctly." –  Chambers and Partners, Global, 2026 

• "Rowena is a prominent dispute resolution practitioner who is earning accolades from clients and the market" – Chambers and Partners, Europe 2025, Ireland 

• "Rowena McCormack is responsive and works to find practical solutions." – Chambers and Partners, Europe 2025, Ireland 

• Rowena McCormack is an outstanding lawyer. She is very bright, has excellent judgement and is brilliant with clients. She is a very tough and accomplished negotiator. Legal 500, 2026 

Rowena has been ranked as “Leading Partner” in Data, Privacy and Data protection by Legal 500: 2025, 2026, and as a "Next Generation Partner" in Data, Privacy and Data Protection by Legal 500 (2024). 

She won the Lexology Client Choice Awards: Litigation in Ireland (2024 and 2025) and was identified as a "Top 10 Premier Dispute Resolution Lawyer Influencing Ireland" by Business Today (August 2024).