He will succeed Julian Yarr following the completion of his third and final term as managing partner, having served in the leading role for 12 years.

Mr Widger is currently the head of ALG’s corporate and M&A practice and sits on the firm’s managing committee. His key areas of expertise include M&A, corporate finance and corporate governance.

A graduate of University College Dublin (UCD), he joined ALG as a trainee in 1992. He became a partner in 2001, joined the firm’s managing committee in 2008 and was appointed head of corporate in 2010.

Eileen Roberts, chair of ALG, said: “I’m excited to announce that David will become our next managing partner. David will bring a huge amount of experience and leadership to the role.

“He is widely considered to be one of the leading corporate lawyers in Ireland and has also been a key member of the ALG senior management team for many years.

“Having first joined the firm as a trainee, he is steeped in our culture and vision and is highly regarded by his fellow partners and colleagues in ALG.”

She added: “We’ve been fortunate to have Julian as managing partner. His sense of ambition and passion combined with his ability to encourage and develop all our people, has been the hallmark of the great success of the firm under his leadership.

“He has helped transform ALG into the progressive, market leading firm we are today. His energy and commitment over the years has been an inspiration to everyone in the firm.”

Mr Widger said: “I am thrilled to have been selected as ALG’s next managing partner. We have great clients and great people. I am really excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for our people and for how we further develop our service to clients.

“I have seen first-hand the enormous contribution that Julian has made for so many years and I look forward to working alongside him over the next six months in advance of taking up my new role.”

Mr Yarr said: “Having worked with David closely over many years I know that he will be a great leader for everyone in the firm and for our clients. He has an abundance of experience, great judgement and believes in our core values. Most importantly he cares deeply about the firm and has the ambition and determination to lead us to continued success in the years ahead.”