Deal expected to close by 1 March
Addleshaw Goddard has merged with Irish law firm Eugene F Collins and set its sights on doubling in size over the next three years.
The deal involves all 25 partners at the Dublin-based firm becoming part of the wider Addleshaw Goddard group, which has 297 partners. It is expected to close by 1 March 2022 after partners at both firms voted this week in favour of the tie-up.
The merged firm will have a particular focus on financial services, real estate, retail and consumer, technology and life sciences, and plans to double in size by 2025.
In a joint statement, John Joyce, managing partner of Addleshaw Goddard, and Mark Walsh, managing partner of Eugene F Collins, said: “This is an exciting moment for both firms, driven by the recognition that there is great chemistry between us and a shared commitment to finding the smartest ways of delivering the biggest business impact to clients of all sizes in Ireland, Europe and beyond.”
Joyce added:
“Ireland is a really key jurisdiction. It is a global hub for world-leading, fast-growing businesses in a range of sectors including financial services, tech and life sciences and establishing a presence here fulfils a need we’ve been looking at for some time.”
Commercial property lawyer Walsh will become AG’s head of Ireland. Walsh said: “Our firms have known each other for several years and as talks progressed, we have been struck by the business synergies as well as the compatibility of our cultures and vision. The ability to operate on a global platform in markets which are important to our clients, makes good sense for all staff and clients of Eugene F Collins.”
AG has recently expanded through Europe, opening offices in France and Germany. The merger brings the total number of AG offices outside of the UK to ten.
A number of international law firms have set up operations in the Republic of Ireland to maintain business in an English-speaking EU jurisdiction since UK voters decided in June 2016 to quit the union. These include Linklaters, Taylor Wessing, Pinsent Masons and Simmons & Simmons, all based in London.
Earlier this month London-headquartered commercial law firm Lewis Silkin snapped up Belfast practice Forde Campbell to bolster its technology, intellectual property and media law presence in Northern Ireland.
