Dentons set to open Irish office

International firm Dentons – the largest law firm in the world by headcount –is opening its first office in Ireland.

The Dublin office will be fully functioning from April with intentions “to grow the office quickly”. The news is a marker of the growing interest and expansion into the Irish market, particularly after the UK leaves the EU.

Since the Brexit vote in 2016, several other firms have opened offices in Dublin, including DLA Piper, Pinsent Masons, Simmons & Simmons and Fieldfisher.

The new Dentons office will be led by Irish lawyers Eavan Saunders and Peter O’Brien and will initially focus on transactional work, particularly in the financial services, real estate, energy, infrastructure and technology sectors.

Elliott Portnoy, global CEO of Dentons said: "Dublin is a leading offshore funds centre, a global centre of aviation finance and nine out of 10 of the world's largest tech companies have their European headquarters in the city.

"Dentons' strategy is to be in all of the places our clients do business, providing them with high-quality lawyers who are also established leaders in their markets. We are delighted to have attracted a partner of Eavan's calibre to lead our Dublin office. Ireland is a priority market for many of our clients. However, many of the strongest firms in Ireland rely on referrals from firms outside of London. That is why we are opening our own office rather than combining with another firm at this time."