Patrick Brown

The Belfast-based law firm advised on 73 deals during 2021 with an overall value of more than £1 billion. 

On a quarterly basis it has been the top-performing law firm, in terms of deal volume, in Northern Ireland in 22 of the past 26 quarters in Experian’s rankings.

Tughans’ transactional teams acted on a wide spectrum of deals during the year involving many different sectors and encompassing a range of structures, including the acquisition of Euro Auctions Ltd in Omagh by Canadian firm, Ritchie Bros Auctioneers, in a deal worth £775 million; the £150m strategic investment in Learning Pool by private equity house Marlin Equity Partners; the sale of FAST Technologies to Magherafelt manufacturing business Bloc Blinds; and acting for Metacompliance in respect of a major equity investment by Tenzing.

Head of corporate, James Donnelly, said: “For seven years, we have held the position of most active corporate law firm in Northern Ireland, which is a testament to the continued dedication of our teams to delivering results for our ambitious clients. We are proud to have played our part in significant transactions in the past year in what continued to be challenging circumstances. This ranking further strengthens our position as leaders in our field.” 

Fellow corporate partner, John McGuckian, added: “With a diverse portfolio of deals carried out throughout 2021, our team have worked with businesses and assets of all sizes across a variety of sectors. We are pleased to see a significant rise in deals on the previous year as certain sectors hit particularly hard by the pandemic are feeling more confident about the future. We have also experienced a very strong start to 2022.”

Tughan’s managing partner, Patrick Brown said: “To be the most active advisor in Northern Ireland for the seventh consecutive year reflects the talent within our Corporate Team under the leadership of James with Corporate Partners, John McGuckian and Paul O’Brien. We are proud that our lawyers have been recognised, however it is important to acknowledge that this is only possible because of the success and ambition of our clients.”