The merger is with top 20 Irish firm, McDowell Purcell.
European law firm Fieldfisher has announced a merger with top 20 Irish firm, McDowell Purcell, effective from 1st May 2019.
McDowell Purcell is a corporate firm led by Managing Partner JP McDowell. It has 16 partners and 50 lawyers and was established over 120 years ago.
The firm has a leading regulatory practice and also specialises in corporate and commercial, renewable energy, banking & finance, data protection, litigation and dispute resolution, employment, commercial property, insolvency & restructuring, and environmental & planning.
Michael Chissick, Managing Partner at Fieldfisher, says: “We are delighted to welcome McDowell Purcell into the Fieldfisher family. Ireland was the last piece in our international growth strategy and we are now in all the key commercial centres across Europe.
“Ireland is also one of the most successful economies in the EU. It is primarily an export-driven economy dominated by services including technology media & telecoms (TMT) and financial services – both of which are key sectors for Fieldfisher. Its corporate tax rate is the second lowest in the EU which, together with a young workforce, good infrastructure and English speaking population, makes it an excellent investment for us. And of course with Brexit on the horizon, it will also help us to continue to deliver services to our European clients
“Our US clients, and tech companies in particular, regard Ireland as a business friendly EU jurisdiction. A large percentage of our client base have Irish operations and have used Ireland as their EU HQ when expanding across the EU markets.”
JP McDowell adds: “McDowell Purcell has always strived to look at innovative ways to succeed and grow. We have worked collaboratively with Fieldfisher for a number of years now, and as a result of the strong relationship that has developed between the two firms, this merger is a natural fit for us. Fieldfisher is the firm to watch at the moment whose values, dynamism and increasing focus on alternative legal solutions are in line with our own principles and vision. The merger will allow us to provide clients with new product lines and process-efficient services, and to compete more effectively with the global firms that are now establishing a foothold in the Irish legal market.
“We are looking at developing our offering in technology, finance and life sciences and will be announcing new hires in these areas in the coming months.”
Fieldfisher has been the fastest growing UK headquartered law firm in the last five years according to analysis by Legal Business. Its revenue grew by 118% to £207m (Euro 239m) between 2013 and 2018.
The addition of McDowell Purcell brings the number of Fieldfisher offices to 25. The Fieldfisher worldwide network includes offices in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Belfast, Birmingham, Bologna, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Guangzhou, Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Manchester, Munich, Milan, Paris, Rome, Shanghai, Turin, Venice and Silicon Valley, USA.
ENDS
For more information contact:
Chris Bond, Communications Manager, Fieldfisher – 020 7861 4175 / 07407 312 618 chris.bond@fieldfisher.com
About Fieldfisher
Fieldfisher is a European law firm with market leading practices in many of the world’s most dynamic sectors. We are an exciting, forward-thinking organisation with a particular focus on technology, finance & financial services, energy & natural resources, life sciences and media.
Our growing European network of offices supports an international client base alongside our Silicon Valley and China colleagues. Among our clients we count social media sites and high street coffee chains as well as pharmaceutical, life sciences and medical devices companies, energy suppliers, banks and technology leaders.
Clients choose to work with us because we deliver commercial, pragmatic and innovative solutions through our exceptional legal expertise and experience, on time and on budget.
Our network has more than 1,500 people working across 24 offices providing highly commercial advice based on an in-depth understanding of our clients’ needs.
Fieldfisher was named the Legal Business Law Firm of the Year 2018 and was also ranked as one of Europe’s 20 most innovative law firms by the Financial Times.
