British law firm expands with two new positions in Belfast expanding 'home grown' operation
The hires at Lewis Silkin mean that the firm now employs a total of 60 lawyers, paralegals and support staff in Northern Ireland
British law firm Lewis Silkin has created two new positions in Belfast, expanding the intellectual property, media law and commercial dispute resolution elements of its practice.
The latest hires mean that the firm now employs a total of 60 lawyers, paralegals and support staff in Northern Ireland.
The Belfast dispute resolution team works with a wide range of commercial clients, helping to manage the risk areas of their business and implement effective solutions to resolve disputes quickly.
The growing team is led by Lewis Silkin partner Mathew Forde who says that the latest expansion comes from growing demand for the provision of high-quality services in Northern Ireland.
“Lewis Silkin’s Belfast operation is home grown, and that means providing local knowledge and specialisms to businesses and individuals in Northern Ireland, while benefiting from Lewis Silkin’s much broader GB and Ireland-wide networks, experience and depth of know-how.
"The majority of our team are either dual or tri qualified meaning that they can work across a range of jurisdictions.
“As a team we’ve been growing and evolving to stay ahead of the ever-changing nature of the industries we work across, to ensure we are providing clients with the legal protection and advice that they need across different jurisdictions.”
The team advises clients across a range of sectors, in particular, digital media, technology, manufacturing, product design, food and drink.
The growth sees the appointment of Emma Wightman as a senior associate, joining with extensive expertise and experience as a commercial litigator in managing complex legal cases and providing strategic counsel to a diverse range of business clients.
Last year, Megan Kerr joined the dispute resolution team as an associate after completing her training contract. Megan was one of Lewis Silkin Belfast’s first homegrown solicitors after the firm offered her a training contract in 2022.
In addition, Katie Major recently joined Lewis Silkin’s London team as a senior associate. A graduate of Queen’s University Belfast, with both NI and ROI qualifications and expertise, media law specialist Katie will also support the Belfast team in multi-jurisdictional disputes relating principally to defamation, privacy, harassment and data protection.
The team includes not only litigators experienced in High Court and intellectual property tribunal work but also experts in alternative dispute resolution, international and domestic arbitration, and mediation.