International law firm Addleshaw Goddard LLP has marked its first year in Ireland with the launch of its energy practice.

The firm has recruited partner Gavin Blake, who has more than 15 years of experience advising clients in the energy sector, to head up the new practice.

The move is part of Addleshaw Goddard’s growth plans, set out after its merger with Dublin-based Eugene F Collins LLP in March 2022.

The firm aims to double the size of the business in Ireland over the next three to five years. It now has 29 partners in Ireland, and has recorded double-digit percentage growth in staff numbers over the past 12 months.

‘Natural next step’

Mark Walsh (head of Ireland, Addleshaw Goddard) said that the firm’s international energy group was one of the strongest in the sector, and that launching an energy practice in the Irish market was “a natural next step”.

“Energy and infrastructure projects encapsulate some of the most exciting opportunities for the country,” he added.

As head of energy and infrastructure in Ireland, Blake will also be a member of the firm's global team covering the sector.

The new partner is the current company secretary, and a past director, of the Irish Solar Energy Association, and trained initially as a solicitor with Eugene F Collins before the firm's merger with Addleshaw Goddard.