Addleshaw Goddard completes major cross border merger
Leeds-based law firm Addleshaw Goddard (AG) has merged with Eugene F Collins, in Ireland.
The deal is said to be the largest merger between a UK-headquartered legal business and an independent Irish practice.
The merger has completed today – 1 March 2022 – with new assignments and client opportunities already secured for the enlarged business
Mark Walsh transitions from Eugene F Collins managing partner to head of Ireland. And Sean Twomey, who was managing partner between 2009-2015, will join the global AG Board.
Four Eugene F Collins partners will also join the firm’s executive teams leading AG’s four operating divisions – Libby Garvey (Finance & Projects), Deborah Kelly (Corporate & Commercial), Maura Connolly (Dispute Resolution) and, Kathi O’Riain (Real Estate).
The business, which will be known in Ireland as Addleshaw Goddard, has ambitious growth targets for the region and is planning to double income and headcount in Dublin by 2025.
The combination between AG and Eugene F Collins is expected to deliver stronger client and sector offerings in a range of areas, especially financial services, real estate, retail and consumer, technology and life sciences.
John Joyce, Addleshaw Goddard managing partner, said: “The merger is a very exciting development for each firm but also one full of opportunity for every single client operating in, to and from Ireland.
“As one enlarged global business, the Partner group is excited about the future and absolutely in no doubt that, together, building on Eugene F Collins’ strong market reputation, we will be able to unlock more opportunities for our people, bring more imagination and more impact to our work and help more clients to succeed.”
Walsh, Addleshaw Goddard head of Ireland, added: “There are many opportunities for businesses based or doing business in Ireland and so it is crucial we have the appropriate reach and expertise to meet their requirements.
“A merger with AG introduces immediate scale in markets which are important to clients of Eugene F Collins. The early feedback from contacts and staff has been overwhelmingly positive with the benefits of a combined approach already reaping rewards.”
The merger with Eugene F Collins, which was founded in 1893, comes one year after AG launched in Paris and two years after opening in Germany. It extends AG’s influence throughout the main business centres in Europe, bringing the total number of AG offices outside the UK to 10.
