Paul Carlyle

The office, in the heart of Dublin’s business district, will allow the firm’s lawyers to continue to support clients with their European legal requirements - including European intellectual property and competition matters - when the UK leaves the EU. The firm will also be able to enhance its support to existing clients in Ireland and those establishing a presence there.

The firm’s Irish presence is led by Paul Carlyle and Joanna Boag-Thomson, partners in the firm’s media and technology team, and Gordon Downie, an acknowledged leader in the field of UK and EU competition law and regulation.

Shepherd and Wedderburn has an expanding roster of international clients and is currently supporting clients active in more than 120 jurisdictions outside the UK. These include a growing number of clients in Ireland, including the Single Electricity Market, the wholesale electricity market for the island of Ireland.

Andrew Blain, managing partner of Shepherd and Wedderburn, said: “Our ongoing focus is on our clients and ensuring they continue to receive European legal advice of the very highest quality, regardless of the outcome of Brexit negotiations.

“By establishing a presence in the Republic of Ireland, clients will be safe in the knowledge this will continue to be the case and there will be no disruption of ongoing projects or our ability to support clients on a wide variety of European matters in the future.

“While primarily about continuity for our existing clients, this project will also create opportunities to grow and expand the reach of our business and brand in new and existing markets.”