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ByrneWallace and LK Shields to merge in January

Two of Ireland’s largest law firms, ByrneWallace LLP and LK Shields Solicitors LLP, have agreed to merge their firms to create Byrne Wallace Shields.

The deal is one of the largest involving two Irish law firms and will create a firm with over 430 employees – including 220 solicitors.

The merger will take effect from 1 January.

The managing partner of the merged firm will be Feargal Brennan, current managing partner at ByrneWallace.

Senior partner

Richard Curran, managing partner of LK Shields, will become senior partner in the merged firm.

Byrne Wallace Shields says that it will offer strength in depth across the key areas of corporate and commercial law – including corporate and M&A, banking and financial services, EU and competition, tax, litigation, property, infrastructure construction and energy, regulatory, public sector, employment, technology, and cyber and data privacy.

The two firms said that the merger would create a larger, better-resourced, more dynamic firm to service the needs of existing clients and to target larger mandates from existing and new clients.

'Similar culture'

They said: “We see this merger as a strong vote of confidence in the Irish economy. Our firms share similar cultures and values and we both enjoy the support of loyal clients, both domestic and international.

“We believe that this merger will enable us to provide enhanced services to those clients in support of their growth ambitions, and to compete for new Irish and international business."

Byrne Wallace Shields will be based in the current offices of ByrneWallace LLP on Harcourt Street in Dublin.

All of the partners in LK Shields Solicitors LLP will become partners in Byrne Wallace Shields.