The pan-European law firm Fieldfisher is planning to create 125 new legal and business support jobs in Belfast, saying it was attracted by the “pool of graduate talent” available in Northern Ireland.
The announcement follows last month’s decision by US law firm Baker McKenzie to expand its Belfast office, taking on 150 new staff.
The Fieldfisher roles “will be based at its new offices in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter and attract average salaries of around £25,000”, adding £3.6m to the local economy, says the Belfast Telegraph. “Around ten jobs are already in place.”
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Last month the company said it would also expand its presence in Manchester, leasing another floor of the FreeTrade Exchange building in the city centre.
“The office has seen a 25% headcount increase in six months,” says the Manchester Evening News, “including four new partners since the start of April this year.”
British law firms are also looking across the Irish Sea to guard against the risks of a hard Brexit.
In total, 1,644 English and Welsh solicitors have registered in the Republic of Ireland since 2016, ensuring that they can operate under EU protections. Eversheds has the biggest individual tally, while the UK’s “magic circle” top four firms have registered more than 300 between them.
Christina Blacklaws, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, told Legal Week: “Law firms and solicitors are doing everything they can to ensure they continue to meet their clients’ needs seamlessly when we leave the EU.
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