DLA Piper has appointed four new partners from highly-regarded Irish firms to its newly opened Dublin office into four key practice areas of Finance and Projects (F&P), Corporate, Intellectual Property and Technology (IPT) and Employment.

Growth economy

These hires follow the appointment of Corporate partner David Carthy as Ireland Country Managing Partner in May last year. Mr Carthy, said ‘driven by a fast-growing economy, the Irish legal market is rapidly evolving and has entered a new phase of internationalization. The Irish market is mature and sophisticated but clients are looking for firms that disrupt the status quo, work differently and embrace innovation. They want a firm which can help them grow their businesses in an integrated way across multiple jurisdictions by combining a deep knowledge of their industries with an innovative approach to the delivery of legal services.” Joint Managing Director for the UK and Europe at DLA Piper, Sandra Wallace, said ‘the Irish legal market continues to grow in importance and having a strong presence in Dublin is a key priority for us. Our new office further strengthens our presence in Europe and underlines our ongoing commitment to better serve our global client base.” She added, “the future looks strong as the country continues to attract some of the most exciting and innovative companies, particularly in the financial services, life sciences and technology sectors.’

New partners

Conor Houlihan will lead the firm's F&P practice in Ireland, joining from Dillon Eustace where he has been a partner since 2006 and has also served as head of their Banking and Capital Markets team. Éanna Mellett will join the Corporate practice from Matheson where he has been a partner since 2013, and for the last two years head of Matheson’s London office. Mark Rasdale will join the IPT practice from Irish law firm A&L Goodbody, where he has been a partner since 2010. Ciara McLoughlin will join the firm's Employment practice from A&L Goodbody where she has been a partner since 2015. These new partners will be joined by three Legal Directors: Corporate lawyers Micheál Mulvey and Edel O'Kelly from William Fry, and Finance lawyer Eileen Johnston from Arthur Cox.