Browne Jacobson has continued to strengthen its position at the forefront of business and society through a year of strategic investment, innovation and expansion — with its growing island of Ireland presence.

The UK and Ireland law firm reported record revenue of approximately €174m (£148.8m) for the year, up 9% on the previous 12 months, driven by growth across all its core sectors including technology, health and life sciences, government, education, financial services and insurance, and acting for corporates across retail and supply chain, manufacturing and industrials, business services, energy and infrastructure and real estate and construction sectors.

This performance was achieved before any contribution from Browne Jacobson Northern Ireland (previously Davidson McDonnell), whose Belfast-based business (with revenue of approximately €6.4m) joined the firm in May 2026 as part of Browne Jacobson's strategic expansion across the island of Ireland. The deal marked a significant milestone in the firm's growth journey, creating a genuine all-island platform to support clients operating across the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the wider UK market and internationally.

Browne Jacobson also accelerated its investment in technology and innovation through the adoption and rollout of a sector-leading AI legal solution Legora, underpinned by a firmwide digital fluency strategy designed to equip colleagues across all offices, including Dublin, with the skills, confidence and tools needed to harness the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

Strategic growth across Ireland

The firm's commitment to its people is reflected in the growing uptake of a new inclusive parental leave policy across the firm, with three fathers in Ireland among a total of 20 across the UK and Ireland taking leave of up to 26 weeks of leave for new parents, over the last financial year.

The merger with Davidson McDonnell in May 2026 marked a significant milestone in Browne Jacobson's island of Ireland strategy, strengthening the firm's ability to support clients operating across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the wider UK market and ambitious global businesses. The firm is also deepening its focus on the med tech and life sciences sector, an area of significant and growing international activity across Ireland, positioning Browne Jacobson as the adviser of choice for international businesses operating in these dynamic sectors across the country.

In Dublin, the team has grown significantly across the board. Marie-Claire Scullion joined as the new Head of Employment in Ireland and has since been joined by Associate Jack O'Connor and Principal Associate Jennifer Murphy to complete the employment team in the Dublin office. Across the Browne Jacobson network there were 13 lateral partner hires during 2025/26 alongside annual partner promotions, reflecting the breadth and ambition of the Ireland growth strategy.

High-profile matters

The Ireland team has acted on a series of high-profile and complex matters during the year, including:

• Yoplait: Acting for Yoplait in complex Commercial Court litigation against Danone in respect of Skyr products.
• Blue Capital Markets: Successfully challenging the jurisdiction of the Irish High Court to determine an intellectual property right infringement claim brought by easyGroup against Blue Capital Markets.
• The Range: Advising on the acquisition of the majority of the Homebase stores in Ireland.
• Strong Roots: Advising on a winning deal in Finance Dublin's Deals of the Year 2025.

Other high-profile cases include antitrust litigation for Scania, acting for Testall Construction Testing Services and ENX to Phenna Group, advising Apiary Capital's investment in Spanish Point Technologies, and advising on the sale of Advanced Gas Systems to Safe Monitoring Group AB. Browne Jacobson Ireland is also the firm of choice for some of the world’s largest global tech brands. 

Richard Medd, Managing Partner at Browne Jacobson, said: "This has been a year of purposeful investment, bold ambition and significant progress.

"We have strengthened our presence across the island of Ireland, welcomed and promoted exceptional talent, accelerated our adoption of AI and continued to invest in the capabilities that will define the future of professional services.

"While we are very pleased to have delivered record profitable and sustainable revenue, what excites us most is the platform we have built for the future. We have invested with conviction because we believe the opportunities ahead for our clients, our people and our business have never been greater."

Ciarán Markey, Partner and Co-Head of the Dublin office, said: "Ireland is important to Browne Jacobson's growth strategy and the past year has demonstrated the strength and depth of our offering here. From landmark High Court challenges to strategic corporate transactions, our team is delivering outstanding results for clients across the Republic and internationally. The merger with Davidson McDonnell further cements our ability to serve clients on a truly all-island basis, and the calibre of talent joining us in Dublin reflects the ambition and opportunity we see in this market and there is more to come, here."

Jeanne Kelly, Partner and Co-Head of the Dublin office, said: "We are incredibly proud of what our Ireland team has achieved this year. The breadth of our work, from intellectual property and dispute resolution to corporate M&A and competition, shows the scale of the practice we are building in Dublin. Our growing recognition in the Legal 500 EMEA rankings, including our Corporate practice being ranked for the first time, is testament to the dedication and expertise of our people. As we continue to attract exceptional talent and invest in our capabilities, we are well positioned to be the firm of choice for ambitious businesses operating in and through Ireland."

Recognition for legal excellence

The Ireland team's expertise has been recognised through a series of prestigious accolades during the year. The team received top rankings in the Legal 500 EMEA 2026 across Commercial, Corporate and M&A, Dispute Resolution and Intellectual Property, with the firm particularly thrilled to see its Corporate practice recognised for the first time, a clear reflection of the growth of the Ireland offering.

The firm was also shortlisted for Corporate Firm of the Year at the Irish Investor Awards 2026, while the IP team was ranked among the world's leading trade mark advisers. These rankings reflect the dedication and expertise of the teams in delivering outstanding legal services to clients in Ireland.

Reflecting on Browne Jacobson's ambition to play a leading role in the conversations shaping the future of business, investment, innovation and economic growth, the firm launched its Investing in the UK and Ireland report during the year, drawing on research with 360 C-suite senior business leaders from £100m businesses to explore the opportunities and barriers facing organisations investing into the UK and Ireland.

The year also saw Browne Jacobson being recognised among Europe's most innovative law firms in the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Europe rankings.