Pinsent Masons might open its first office in the Republic of Ireland in order to round out its client offering in the UK and Ireland following the former’s recent vote to leave the EU. The firm currently has referral relationships with four or five different Dublin-based firms, though it is not clear whether a merger or a local team hire would be the preferred route to establish a presence in the city. ‘Dublin is an important legal market and will continue to be so,’ commented a Pinsents spokesperson, citing a large volume of cross-border legal work generated from the firm’s established office in the Northern Irish city of Belfast. ‘As you would expect, we periodically review with our referral partners how best we can service client demand, however it would be inaccurate to characterise any of those discussions as merger talks.’ The Irish legal market has garnered particular attention over the last few months from UK-based lawyers and firms looking to continue their practice in the European Union after Brexit. According to the Law Society of Ireland, a record-breaking 186 UK solicitors were admitted to practice in Ireland during the six months to June this year.

Sources: Legal Business; The Lawyer