Brexit will potentially offer large amounts of legal spin-off work as a result of Ireland’s success in attracting life sciences and financial sector industries to Ireland, the Law Society Litigation Committee chair has said.

Speaking at a seminar on 29 October, A&L Goodbody’s Liam Kennedy SC said that a lot of this work had traditionally been off-shore, but Brexit offered the potential for more legal work to be done for the multinationals already here, and for Ireland to raise its presence.

"We are seeing a lot more high-powered legal work come here."

Schrems decision

"In the wake of the Schrems decision, a lot of Irish law firms will be advising clients internationally on the data-protection consequences worldwide.”

This will be equally true of regulatory and other work outside the Four Courts, he said.

The commercial courts will continue to need resources to maintain their high standards in terms of speed, he pointed out.

International dimension

Mr Justice Barniville of the High Court told the seminar that even during lockdown, there have been quite a few cases with a significant international dimension, involving US and European parties.

He said that dealing with those types of cases efficiently would show that the Irish jurisdiction was open for business.

"Obviously, all of that carries a need for further resources," Mr Justice Barniville said.

"I would have thought that, from January, solicitors will be receiving instructions on cases that might otherwise have gone to London," he said.