Global law firm doubles Belfast staff numbers

GLOBAL law firm Eversheds Sutherland has announced plans to double the size of its Belfast office by 2020.

The expansion is expected to bring the headcount to over 30 in the next 18 months, with a focus on litigation, real estate, employment and banking.

The current number of staff is 15 including three partners.

Originally set up as a satellite office in 2015, with only six staff, the permanent presence in Belfast city centre was established due to the demand for its services.

The announcement comes as the firm is also set to grow its Dublin office, which already houses 275 people. Eversheds Sutherland Ireland managing partner Alan Murphy (left) said: “Since the opening of our Belfast office in 2015 we have gained a real foothold in Northern Ireland which has been reflected in our growth in colleague numbers and revenue.

“The success of the Belfast office has been fantastic in such a short space of time and it has given us the confidence to invest to meet the demand for our services. We are hugely committed to Northern Ireland and are thrilled that our performance is allowing us to build further.

“We are assured that our ambition and ongoing success will attract a range of talent who want to work for a law firm with global reach from Belfast.”

Speaking about the impact Brexit might have on business, he continued: “Brexit has offered, and continues to offer, challenges and opportunity for our local and international clients and to have such a strong presence across the island of Ireland we can assist them seamlessly.

“Many of our partners and staff work on a cross border basis which is a great asset for our client base and our own colleagues in the likes of the US, Far East and European centres.”