Bird & Bird is set to open in Ireland next month with two partner hires.
The firm has announced that its Dublin office will open on June 13, and will be based in George’s Dock, close to Dublin’s tech hub Grand Canal Dock.
The office was first announced by the firm in February this year, and will focus on the areas of data protection, intellectual property, and technology and communications.
Deirdre Kilroy joins from Irish firm Matheson where she was a partner in the technology and innovation team, first joining in 2017.
Meanwhile, Anna Morgan joins from the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) where she was a deputy commissioner and the head of legal affairs for the past five years.
Before that, she worked in private practice for 10 years, specialising in data protection and commercial and regulatory litigation. This included four years as a senior associate in Arthur Cox’s litigation & dispute resolution practice between 2012 and 2016.
A number of international law firms have established a presence in the Irish capital in recent years. Addleshaw Goddard announced plans earlier this year to enter the city via a merger with a local player. The firm agreed to merge with Irish firm Eugene F Collins, and plans to double in size in the region by 2025.
Ireland continues to attract law firms, with Taylor Wessing, Linklaters, and Hogan Lovells all opening offices in the country last year.