Law firm McDowell Purcell is to merge with UK law firm Fieldfisher from May 1. The deal is the most significant in Dublin’s corporate law sector in recent years.

With 48 solicitors on the books last December, McDowell Purcell ranks in the Top 20 Irish law firms. Founded over a century ago, McDowell Purcell has doubled in size over the last four years and employs c.150 people.

The firm has a leading regulatory practice and also specialises in corporate and commercial, renewable energy, banking and finance, data protection, litigation and dispute resolution, employment, commercial property, insolvency and restructuring, and environmental and planning.

Managing partner JP McDowell commented: “We have worked collaboratively with Fieldfisher for a number of years, and as a result of the strong relationship that has developed between the two firms, this merger is a natural fit for us.

“Fieldfisher is the firm to watch at the moment whose values, dynamism and increasing focus on alternative legal solutions are in line with our own principles and vision. The merger will allow us to provide clients with new product lines and process-efficient services, and to compete more effectively with the global firms that are now establishing a foothold in the Irish legal market.

In Association with

"We are looking at developing our offering in technology, finance and life sciences and will be announcing new hires in these areas in the coming months.”

Fieldfisher has been on a fast growth track, with revenue more than doubling between 2013 and 2018 to £207m (€239m). The firm has an international outlook, with offices in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Belfast, Birmingham, Bologna, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Guangzhou, Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Manchester, Munich, Milan, Paris, Rome, Shanghai, Turin, Venice and Silicon Valley.

Michael Chissick, managing partner at Fieldfisher, said Ireland was the last piece in the firm’s international growth strategy.

“We are now in all the key commercial centres across Europe,” he explained. “Ireland is primarily an export-driven economy dominated by services including technology media & telecoms and financial services – both of which are key sectors for Fieldfisher. And of course with Brexit on the horizon, it will also help us to continue to deliver services to our European clients

“A large percentage of our client base have Irish operations and have used Ireland as their EU HQ when expanding across the EU markets.”

Photo: JP McDowell (left) and Michael Chissick