The private practice market in Ireland has gone through an unprecedented change, largely due to the establishment of new law firms predominately from the UK and overseas. These new firms have adopted aggressive recruitment tactics, successfully attracting high-profile Partners and their teams.

Ireland now has a much broader and more diverse private practice market, that presents different options for lawyers looking to move that are now wider than simply which is the highest payer. Irish firms now have to pay attention to developing collaborative cultures and transparent career progression to remain attractive and to retain the best talent.

Recruiting and retaining mid-level Associates remains significantly challenging with many Irish firms increasing their strategies to looking to attract returners from London and overseas. In particular, lawyers with experience in key demand areas include: banking & finance, funds, corporate, dispute resolution and technology. Brexit has also created a rise in the demand lawyers with expertise in public law,
regulatory and compliance.

Dublin remains the key legal centre in Ireland for the private practice market however, an increasing number of domestic firms have been strengthening their presence in other parts of Ireland including  Galway and Cork as well as strengthening ties in Northern Ireland.

The in-house market is Ireland returned with significant growth following the Covid 19 Pandemic over the last 12 months. Currently, the Irish in-house market offers plentiful options for lawyers at all levels seeking an alternative to a private practice career.

With a substantial number of US and European businesses setting up in Ireland over the last decade, Dublin boasts an impressive and diverse range of high-profile sectors notably including: technology, social media and life science/pharmaceutical. In-house legal teams within these sectors continue to grow at an expansive pace offering a range of in-house opportunities for ambitious lawyers.

When moving in-house, lawyers will still be attracted to brand profiles and the opportunity to work for one employer as opposed to multiple clients. From an in-house perspective, Brexit has created opportunities within competition, compliance and regulatory to meet the demand of the additional overseas organisations looking to set up and grow their presence in Ireland in 2023/24.

While the effects of Brexit have been over-shadowed by the pandemic and remains unclear, we would expect to see further organisations looking to set up in Ireland in 2023/24.