Browne Jacobson opens first overseas office with Dublin launch

Browne Jacobson has opened its first overseas office in Dublin.

The new Dublin office will initially focus on developing a market leading integrated end to end TMT practice focusing on Digital Transformation, Data and IP.

Two of the four founding partners, Jeanne Kelly and Ciarán Markey will be permanently based in the Dublin office with head of the firm’s commercial & technology group Declan Cushley and London head of technology, outsourcing and digital transformation Anthony Nagle dividing their attention between London and Dublin. The firm has also appointed senior associate Darragh Killeen with two further associates joining in the summer. The firm has also appointed Mike Rebeiro as the firm’s TMT and Digital Transformation Consultant. Mike was until recently head of TMT at Macfarlanes and before that spent his career at Norton Rose where he was head of their global TMT group. Mike will be working closely with Anthony Nagle as the firm roll outs and embeds its digital transformation ambitions across all its target market groups.

In a joint statement Jeanne Kelly and Ciarán Markey said : “Our links to Browne Jacobson go back several years. It has been a very positive long-term working relationship on both sides and there are strong cultural and practice synergies which we are confident will help to make the Dublin office a great success.

“The firm’s achievements in social mobility and inclusion are simply outstanding and something which we are excited and proud to be a part of and to bring to the Irish market. The initial focus of the Dublin office will be on non-contentious and contentious IP, technology, data privacy and digital transformation.

“We will be leading a strong team in Ireland integrated into a 40 plus lawyer team focused exclusively on this space across London and Dublin. This will bring a greatly enhanced offering to clients both international and domestic with increased international reach, EU 27 access and US links.

“Clients are increasingly transacting business and resolving disputes through Irish law. We believe that there is enormous opportunity to grow the Browne Jacobson Dublin office aligned with strengths of the Irish economy in particular in technology, life sciences and data privacy and we are very excited to lead this."

Declan Cushley, added:

“Given Dublin’s strategic location, talent pool and focus on tech and innovation as Europe’s Silicon Valley, there is a tremendous advantage in having a strong presence in Ireland.

“Being in Dublin provides us with a significant window on Europe and an avenue to our client base, particularly amongst our corporates and financial services sectors,  who continue to do substantial business globally.

“It also means we are perfectly placed to compete for premium cross border mandates from clients with interests in Dublin, London, EEA and the US as well as FDI opportunities.

“We also see our arrival as an opportunity to disrupt the Irish market through our hugely successful initiatives such as ‘Grow’ and our national reputation and track record as an employer committed to promoting social mobility, inclusion and equity within the legal profession.

“Anthony and I originally hail from Derry and Kerry and have been keen to do this for some time. We are delighted to be part of the firm’s first overseas office and indeed to have the opportunity to work as founding partners with Jeanne & Ciarán.”

Richard Medd, managing partner at Browne Jacobson, said:

“Legal services are becoming more international, and many of our clients who are doing business in and through Ireland expect seamless cross-border services.

“We are committed to establishing a strong presence in Ireland and the opening of an office in Dublin with leading Irish based experts is therefore an exciting and logical next step for the firm.

“Having an office in the heart of the city presents us with an important strategic opportunity to better connect with our domestic and international clients and offer the level of service and expertise, particularly regarding IP, technology and privacy, that they have come to expect.”

Browne Jacobson’s commercial and technology group has extensive experience advising both public and private sector clients on large scale, business critical IT projects, international patent litigation cases and complex, multi-jurisdictional data protection and privacy issues.

The team has also built a reputation for its innovative approach to delivering legal services to tech start-ups following the launch of its highly successful ‘Grow’ programme back in 2017 which is tailored specifically for high-growth companies at any stage of the startup journey. The firm currently works with over 100 high-growth businesses across a broad range of sectors.