The Partners of Addleshaw Goddard and Eugene F Collins have agreed to create an enhanced platform by merging their respective businesses which will quickly and directly benefit national, UK and international clients operating in, to and from Ireland.

The business, people and all 25 Eugene F Collins partners will become part of the Addleshaw Goddard group by 1 March 2022, accelerating each firm's strategic focus on providing a client-shaped service in growing markets around the world.

The addition of a well-established, full-service, Top 15 Ireland practice alongside offices in Germany and France extends AG's influence throughout the main business centres in Europe, bringing the total number of AG offices outside of the UK to 10. 

Eugene F Collins and AG will together deliver stronger client and sector offerings in a comprehensive range of areas, especially financial services, real estate, retail and consumer, technology and life sciences. The business has ambitious growth targets for the region and plans to double in size by 2025.

In a joint statement, John Joyce, Managing Partner of Addleshaw Goddard, and Mark Walsh, Managing Partner of Eugene F Collins, said: 

"This is an exciting moment for both firms, driven by the recognition that there is great chemistry between us and a shared commitment to finding the smartest ways of delivering the biggest business impact to clients of all sizes in Ireland, Europe and beyond."

John Joyce added a presence in Dublin for AG unlocks opportunities with more UK and international businesses doing business in Ireland:

"Ireland is a really key jurisdiction. It is a global hub for world-leading, fast-growing businesses in a range of sectors including FS, tech and life sciences and establishing a presence here fulfils a need we've been looking at for some time. The obvious strategic and cultural fit between AG and Eugene F Collins makes this a logical and very attractive proposition for both firms. They are a terrific business and we look forward to sharing the benefits with new and existing clients."

Mark Walsh who becomes Head of Ireland added that the combination with AG brings immediate scale and depth of expertise to Irish-based clients:

"Our firms have known each other for several years and as talks progressed, we have been struck by the business synergies as well as the compatibility of our cultures and vision. The ability to operate on a global platform in markets which are important to our clients, makes good sense for all staff and clients of Eugene F Collins. Combining forces on innovation and legal tech will also enhance our national practice and position the new business very well for further growth. We look forward to continuing to grow the firm with Addleshaw Goddard, delivering market-leading advice to our clients."

Eugene F Collins acts for blue chip clients, many with Irish HQs or roots, together with a range of businesses active across the UK and internationally. While the two firms have some clients in common particularly in the financial services, R&C and real estate sectors, their client portfolios are largely complementary. In recent months transactional teams have collaborated on a number of assignments which has reinforced the view that this will be a highly successful combination.

The merger with Eugene F Collins, which was founded in 1893, comes one year after AG launched in Paris and two years after opening in Germany, with both of those jurisdictions tracking well ahead of initial plans with already nearly 100 people on the ground.

ENDS

Addleshaw Goddard

Our business:

• Known for bringing quality, imagination and impact through 15 offices located in The UK, France, Germany, Asia and the Middle East
• Where we don't have offices, we work with firms well known to us to deliver local market expertise for clients including financial institutions, public sector bodies, successful businesses and private individuals
• 297 partners and nearly 1,000 other lawyers specialising in 50+ specialisms covering Corporate & Commercial; Finance & Projects; Litigation; Real Estate.
• Global FY21/22 turnover £321m; 12% YOY revenue growth
• Ranked #5 in the 2021 Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Report
• By combining legal expertise, technology, resourcing solutions and strategy consultancy we deliver material improvements to client businesses:
  • By combining strategy, psychology and training expertise, we created a leadership development programme for a client to equip its GC's for an uncertain future
  • Through smarter resourcing of routine legal work, we save clients over £20m in fees every year
  • AG Integrate, provides short- and long-term legal talent as and when needed
  • Our legal technologists cut one client’s legal costs by up to 30%; another saw 1.2 million documents reviewed in 10 days; a third saw 10,000 properties accessible from a single app

• Committed to a positive working culture for all and spanning all areas of gender and social mobility disability, ethnicity and the LGBT+ agenda

Our clients:

• In recent years we have acted for clients in nearly 100 different countries
• Our lawyers are specialists in financial services, energy and utilities, health and life sciences, retail and consumer, real estate and transport.
• 45 of the FTSE 100 are our clients; 24 years is the average length of relationship
• Advisor on 20% of all public M&A deals in 2021; Top 4 ranked firm by deal count in 2021
• Last year, around the world, we acted for: 700+ Financial Services companies and Funds; nearly 500 well-known Consumer brands and Retailers; over 800 Real Estate businesses and Investors; 200 Energy clients; over 150 Healthcare industry clients; and 160 Transport sector clients.

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Eugene F Collins LLP

Eugene F Collins LLP is a full-service business law firm, based in Dublin, Ireland. Established nearly 130 years ago, the firm has 25 Partners and more than 100 legal professionals. We advise many of Ireland’s leading corporate and international organisations across a breadth of industry sectors. 

Eugene F Collins is a partner-led law firm which commits to partner involvement in managing each client's legal requirements. 

We are consistently recognised as a leading Irish law firm by independent legal directories, Chambers Europe, Chambers Global and The Legal 500. Key sectors include hospitality, retail, financial services, real estate, construction, life sciences and pharmaceuticals.