EY Law Ireland plans to grow to 50 lawyers by 2025. The firm already offers “multi-disciplinary expertise” from jurisdictions across EY’s network of more than 150 countries.

It specialises in digital, technology, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), employment and property.

EY Law was launched here last October, and is headed up by former Eversheds Sutherland Ireland managing partner Alan Murphy.

Between Ireland and Britain, the legal division of the global accountancy giant now has 200 lawyers. Law.com reports that this could rise to 1,000 soon.

Managing advisors

Alan Murphy (head of EY Law Ireland) said: “I think the 'Big Four’ [accountancy firm networks] are capable of being very strong competitors to the traditional law-firm model, because I think what the Big Four have to offer makes sense to clients.

“As someone said to me the other day, usually in a large transaction, it’s a job project-managing the advisors. Whereas, if you deal with a Big-Four offering in terms of that end-to-end service, you’re removing that job entirely. You’re dealing with one team that’s used to interacting with each other, and who understand each other’s capabilities.”

Philip Goodstone (head of EY Law in the UK and Ireland) said: “We would like to be between three and five times bigger over the next three years. We won’t grow for growth’s sake, but we are very committed to the strategy.

“Everything has to be ‘how do we find market-leading partners’ [and] ‘how do we ensure that they will work really well on our platform’?”

EY’s legal advisory and legal consultancy business will grow to include outsourced lawyers, as well as technology for in-house lawyers.

Double

Meanwhile, PwC has plans to double its legal division, while KPMG has recruited Baker McKenzie partner Richard Needham to lead its international business reorganisation team in London.

In 2019, Arthur Cox Managing Partner Geoff Moore told the Gazette that he expected big consultancy firms to continue expanding their legal offering.