Kirby Tarrant

With over 650 lawyers and 25 offices in the US, Mexico and Ireland, Clark Hill is now providing a full set of legal services to an international client base which is doing business in and through Ireland, complementing its full service offering in the US.

The merger with O’Gradys, with 19 solicitors, builds on the Irish firm’s 2018 growth.

John Hern, CEO of Clark Hill, said: “Ireland is the logical choice for our first expansion into Europe. It has the fastest growing economy in the EU, while the EU itself is the second largest economy in the world. It is a very attractive destination for large numbers of the world’s leading businesses, and so developing a significant presence there is an obvious step for us.”

Kirby Tarrant, partner in charge of Clark Hill’s Dublin office, added: “We can now offer Irish clients, large and small, access to the full suite of legal services throughout the US. We are ideally placed to serve the increasing needs of US clients doing business in and through Ireland, and equally to facilitate the globalisation goals of Irish SMEs wishing to expand into the US.

“In this era of globalisation, easy access to informed ‘on the ground’ legal advice is becoming more and more important. With offices on both sides of the Atlantic, we offer that ‘down the corridor’ service. Our clients, whether global organisations, SMEs or start-ups, can all rely on the same brand of personal attention and service excellence upon which our brand has been built.”

Welcoming the announcement, Martin Shanahan, CEO of IDA Ireland, said: “The development of Ireland as an international litigation and arbitration hub in recent times enhances Ireland’s reputation as a location for foreign direct investment within Europe.

“Clark Hill’s choice of Ireland as the location for its first European office demonstrates the country’s attractive business environment and talented, highly skilled workforce. The firm is a welcome addition to the strong base of legal services firms operating in Ireland.”

Clark Hill’s Dublin office offers a broad range of legal services in areas including M&A, financial services, commercial litigation, bankruptcy, restructuring, and commercial property. It also has capital markets, fintech, data security and cybersecurity capabilities.