IRELAND

Significant recruitment momentum continues to gather pace in Ireland with the majority of law firms and in-house legal teams aggressively recruiting once more to meet demand across a broad range of legal disciplines. Clearly, we live in fairly ‘uncertain times’ due to the impact of Brexit and presidential change in the US both of which could have a significant impact on investment in Ireland. 

However, confidence has lead to a demand in practice for lawyers with experience of banking, finance, asset finance, aviation finance, corporate M&A, construction, competition and litigation. Equally so we have witnessed a rise in the number of in-house roles, notably within technology, social media, finance and pharmaceuticals.

For many Irish lawyers gaining London experience is unquestionably a ‘right of passage’ with substantial financial and career benefits. However, with such renewed confidence in the market in Ireland (and of course Brexit), we are starting to see an increase in lawyers considering a return home from London in the short to medium term, rather than staying the current average of around four years. This additional flow of candidates often with niche and highly marketable skills unavailable in Ireland, has led to more opportunistic hiring from the large Dublin firms. Even when firms have a potential lack of budget they are often faced in reality with an opportunity too good to be missed.

Demand remains high for candidates with 3-5 years PQE and an increase in work at the more junior end has meant that there will be more lateral NQ recruitment between firms than in previous years, with promising signs for 2018. NQ’s are advised to gain experience where possible, in areas where there is the most demand which is currently in corporate, construction, financial services, banking, investment funds and real estate.

We regularly meet with candidates and clients across Ireland and can meet you locally at your convenience- we will come to you. For a a confidential discussion about your options or about the current Irish market, or if you are considering a move to London or overseas, please get in touch via the numbers in our Contact Us details at the top of the page.

Download a copy of our Ireland Market Overview & Salary Survey 2018.

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