Up To 125 New Jobs To Be Created By European Law Firm

Up to 125 new jobs are to be created in Northern Ireland at the new office of European law firm, Fieldfisher.

Fieldfisher is the latest well-known law firm choosing Northern Ireland to grow its business. It is the current holder of Law Firm of the Year from The British Legal Awards and The Legal Business Awards.

Welcoming the announcement, Alastair Hamilton, CEO of Invest Northern Ireland said: "Northern Ireland's legal sector has gone from strength to strength and has attracted several of the UK's Top 50 firms. This is one of the priority sectors for inward investment and we are delighted Fieldfisher has joined this growing sector.

"Over the next three years Fieldfisher will be building its team in Northern Ireland with 125 roles across a range of functions. With an average salary in the mid £20,000s this investment will generate over £3.6million in annual salaries."

Invest NI has offered £630,000 towards the creation of the new jobs.

Michael Chissick, Managing Partner, Fieldfisher said:"We began exploring Northern Ireland as a base for this new office in early 2017, attracted by the stable supply of experienced and skilled people.

"Our new centre here will include senior positions in legal and risk management, as well as middle level technical and business support roles. We also have a number of roles suitable for graduates.

"The strong partnership between academia and industry was another attraction to investing here and ensures we will be able to work with colleges and universities to develop a future pipeline of qualified graduates.

"We have been through an incredible period of success and have been the fastest growing large UK law firm for the last two years. Northern Ireland is the next strategic stage in our continued growth and we are very excited to be able to provide a centre of excellence to support our offices around the world."

Fieldfisher has also established a strategic partnership with Holywood firm Donaldson Legal Services, now Donaldson Legal Consulting LLP. This took effect in late 2017.

Alison Donaldson, Managing Partner of Donaldson Legal Consulting, will also become Managing Partner of Fieldfisher Belfast. She added: "Our partnership with Fieldfisher has been very successful and the services we provide have helped the firm maintain its competitive edge, particularly in the financial services sector.

"This is a great time to join our team and work for one of Europe's most dynamic and exciting law firms."

(MH/CM)