KEVIN LYNCH

ACTIVITY We recently recruited additional staff to meet the work flows in the firm. The areas of growth for us have been commercial property and corporate transactions generally, but also ADR, particularly mediation, which sensibly appears to be the preferred option for many to resolve disputes which have arisen during the pandemic.

One other growth area has been in the investment funds and asset management sector, where the recent arrival of funds specialist Mark Browne has brought expertise in a new practice area to the firm.

PANDEMIC FALLOUT One common issue is where certain projects were postponed due to the pandemic and then re-started on short notice. This stop-start approach has caused a build-up of projects and work on the client side. One of our roles has been advising clients as to which projects or issues are on the critical path from a legal perspective and helping clients to create a realistic implementation plan in respect of other issues or projects.

‘Property transactions are taking longer to complete’

‘The pandemic shake-out has highlighted resilient businesses’

PEOPLE There has been a paradigm shift in recruiting solicitors to private practice. More than ever, a firm’s culture is a key determining characteristic in whether or not a recruitment process will be successful. By offering prospective employees an opportunity to engage with and design their working environment, we have been able to build a productive team.

M&A We expect M&A activity to remain buoyant, primarily due to a significant amount of credit in the market which is still looking to invest in viable projects. The pandemic shake-out has highlighted viable and resilient businesses, and there are firms looking for synergies to tackle rising costs. However, the war in Ukraine resulted in the slowdown of some transactional work in Q1 2022.