Clyde & Co has become the latest UK firm to enter the Republic of Ireland, opening a base in Dublin for its Irish law insurance practice.
In a move announced today (13 May), insurance partner Garrett Moore has relocated from London to Dublin to ensure he continues practising Irish law ‘whatever the outcomes of Brexit’.
Moore will initially be the only lawyer operating from the office. The firm’s five other Irish-qualified lawyers will continue operating from London and Manchester. ‘We have been working in Ireland for nearly ten years now,’ Moore told Legal Business. ‘We have reached a critical mass whereby we have a number of clients, so it makes sense to have a brick-and-mortar presence in Dublin. It also provides certainty from the perspective of Brexit.’
Clyde’s announcement follows a number of other law firms launching in the Irish capital since Britain voted to quit the European Union in June 2016, opening the prospect for Ireland to become the only English-speaking common law jurisdiction fully integrated into the EU. The number of lawyers qualifying in Ireland has also grown significantly in the last three years.
Fieldfisher launched a Dublin base last month, following in the footsteps of firms including DLA Piper, Lewis Silkin, Simmons & Simmons, Covington & Burling and Pinsent Masons.
For Clyde, the Dublin opening follows the launch of its second German office in Hamburg in February last year. The firm also deepened its domestic footprint in 2018 with the launch of an office in Bristol.