Patrick Brown

Tughans advised on 79 of the 267 transactions which took place last year, according to the Experian MarketIQ M&A review.

Last year was the busiest-ever for M&A in Northern Ireland, with the number of deals increasing by 12 per cent and the total value increasing by 26 per cent to £850 million.

James Donnelly, head of corporate at Tughans, said: “It is a fantastic achievement to have held the position of most active corporate law firm in Northern Ireland for eight years in a row.

“It has been another incredibly busy year for M&A and investment activity and we are grateful for being engaged in so many interesting transactions. The Experian rankings are really a testament to the continued dedication and ambitions of our clients.”

Corporate partner John McGuckian added: “Our team have worked with leading businesses and investors of all sizes across a variety of sectors in 2022, and we are pleased to see the number of transactions rise once again over the past twelve months.”

Tughans’ managing partner Patrick Brown said: “To be the most active advisor in Northern Ireland for the eighth consecutive year reflects the talent within our transactional teams.

“Advising on 40 per cent more deals than the nearest firm in second place demonstrates our position as the leading corporate firm in Northern Ireland.

“This result comes as we enter a hugely exciting time for our firm, as we move our headquarters to The Ewart on Bedford Square, which will support both our continued growth and development of our culture of intelligence, collaboration, and innovation.”

Corporate partner Paul O’Brien said: “The firm has had a very strong start to 2023 and the pipeline remains healthy.”