DAC Beachcroft will establish its presence in Belfast by taking on the insurance business of Northern Irish firm McKinty and Wright. The two firms have had a formal ‘best friends’ relationship in place since 2016.

July completion

The deal is expected to complete in early July 2019 and will see up to 17 fee earners, including six partners, join DAC Beachcroft.  Together with its offices in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Newport and Winchester, DAC Beachcroft will now be able to provide clients with seamless coverage across all four jurisdictions in the UK and Ireland. The firm also plans to use its new base in Northern Ireland to continue transforming the way it delivers services to clients, from investing in and developing new technologies to capitalising on Belfast’s talent pool for legal services and business support. David Pollitt, DAC Beachcroft’s Managing Partner, said “our best friends relationship with McKinty and Wright has served us and our clients well and this is a further step in cementing DAC Beachcroft’s name and position in the Belfast market. We see considerable opportunities for insurance, as well as other parts of our business, and have ambitious plans to grow our presence and capabilities quickly in this new office so that we can better serve our clients.”

Cultural fit

McKinty and Wright acts for several leading global insurers and is known for its expertise in professional indemnity, motor, public and employers’ liability claims. Craig Dickson, ceo of DAC Beachcroft’s Claims Solutions Group, said “we know McKinty and Wright very well. They are a highly regarded practice and have a proven cultural fit with DAC Beachcroft, as well as an enviable track record of success when it comes to working with insurer and corporate clients. They bring a wealth of expertise and talent and are well known for their excellent client relationships.” DAC Beachcroft is a founding member of Legalign Global, an integrated alliance of four multi-national law firms with 60 offices across the globe. In addition, it has an international presence, comprised of dedicated offices in Ireland, Spain, France, the United States, Singapore, Mexico, Colombia and Chile. Establishing a new Belfast office follows closely on from DAC Beachcroft’s launch in Paris in January 2019.