It had initially planned to recruit 300 employees but exceeded that number earlier in 2014 and now has 380. At the moment the breakdown splits between 320 non-lawyers and 60 lawyers. Now the third largest of A&O’s offices in the world, the Belfast base is set to expand by another 70 lawyers and 30 support staff by 2019. 

Expectations

The number of matters being handled by the Belfast team doubled in the year ended April 2014. Wim Dejonghe, A&O’s global managing partner, said: ‘The new roles reflect the success of our Belfast operation, with the office continuing to grow ahead of expectations. That success is largely down to the quality of the people that A&O has been able to recruit in Northern Ireland. As the global economy continues to improve, we see opportunities to continue to grow the wider business and Belfast plays a crucial role in facilitating that growth.’ Source: Legal Business