Professional services firm EY Ireland has confirmed plans to establish a new legal practice.
The decision follows on from similar moves made elsewhere with EY Law currently available to clients in 92 countries.
EY said the law practice will initially specialise in digital, tech and commercial, corporate M&A, employment and real estate.
The new practice is headed up by Alan Murphy, who has joined from Eversheds Sutherland Ireland where he was previously managing partner. Other recent hires, include Mairead Finlay, former head of international real estate at Leman Solicitors; Deirdre Malone, previously a partner with Ronan Daly Jermyn's employment practice; and Adam Synott, who has joined the practice from William Fry's corporate department.
EY said it expects to announce more equity partners and associates shortly.
“Introducing EY Law Ireland to the market is a natural next step for us as a firm. Not only do we have incredibly successful EY Law operations elsewhere in our global network, but this new proposition aligns closely with our exciting new strategy that is all about serving our clients seamlessly where they need us most,” said EY Ireland managing partner Frank O’Keeffe.
Nationwide positions
EY recently announced plans to create more than 800 new jobs across seven offices over the next year in a move that will bring its total headcount locally to nearly 4,200 people.
Some 606 of the new roles will be Dublin-based, while the remaining 210 roles will be located in Cork, Galway, Belfast, Limerick and Waterford.
EY Ireland reported a 9 per cent rise in revenues in the Republic to more than €359 million last year despite the disruption caused by the Covid crisis.
“I am thrilled to have joined EY and to be leading the build out of EY Law Ireland. I strongly believe it represents a unique proposition for the Irish market. It is differentiated by its multi-disciplinary offering, its global scale and its depth of local industry expertise,” said Mr Murphy.
“This really is unlike anything else available in the Irish market. EY Law Ireland will seamlessly connect the right people in the right places with technology-driven workflows and senior legal advisory services, integrating our new legal offering into our entire business proposition for clients,” he added.
