US firm Armstrong Teasdale has opened a Dublin 2 office, with plans to concentrate on corporate and capital markets, intellectual property, and employment and immigration law.

Armstrong Teasdale is one of the top 200 law firms in the US.

The Fitzwilliam Hall branch will be led by Daniel O’Connell, and partner Yvonne Costello will be responsible for the firm’s expansion.

Costello practises in corporate matters, as well as mergers and acquisitions.

She is a is a dual-qualified solicitor in England and Ireland and is an associate of the Irish Taxation Institute.

The firm said that O’Connell, with over 30 years’ experience, had a substantial corporate practice, representing clients in a diverse range of industries.

During his time as managing partner of Kerman & Co, a firm acquired by Armstrong Teasdale in February 2021, he was responsible for managing the firm’s Dublin office.

“Post-Brexit, it was absolutely essential that Armstrong Teasdale establish a concrete presence in Dublin,” O’Connell said.

“Dublin clearly is a special place and continues to be a booming business market. Together with a clear client focus, we are committed to establishing a strong presence in Ireland through the addition of a highly talented team to broaden our capabilities.”

Chair David Braswell said that the Dublin office would initially focus on building out its expertise, and that the firm, based in St Louis, Missouri, would also leverage this move to further expand its sports law practice in Europe.

Armstrong Teasdale was recently named Sports Law Firm of the Year by Lawyer Monthly, with a suite of high-end clients. 

“Dublin is a key stepping stone in our European expansion plans. We now have important footholds in both the UK and EU markets in a post-Brexit environment, and are better positioned to serve our clients in Europe and beyond,” said Braswell.

Global growth plans 

“We look forward to the Dublin office serving as a catalyst for our ongoing global growth plans.”

Armstrong Teasdale managing partner and IP lawyer Patrick Rasche pointed to Dublin’s concentration of technology, financial services and life-sciences companies as a significant draw to the Irish market.

“We provide intellectual-property services to some of the world’s most sophisticated companies – some of which now have a position in Dublin, but many of which have operations in the EU,” Rasche explained.

“We will now shift our focus to rapidly growing this office and expanding our service offering in Ireland.”