Lewis Silkin expands with the addition of IP, tech and media practice in Northern Ireland

Founded in 2006, Forde Campbell is one of Northern Ireland’s leading advisers to local start-ups, major UK and Irish companies, as well as overseas investors on issues ranging from IT contracts and data security to trademarks, trade secrets and reputation management.

Forde Campbell directors Mathew Forde, Rory Campbell and Katey Dixon will join Ciara Fulton (partner and head of office) and Adam Brett (partner) in Lewis Silkin’s NI practice as partners, with that practice now consisting of five partners and a wider team of 20 based in Belfast.

This follows the launch of Lewis Silkin’s employment and immigration offering in NI when it joined forces with Jones Cassidy Brett in 2021 and the continued growth of the firm’s Dublin office which, taken together, provides clients right across the island of Ireland, and beyond, seamless access to best in class advice regarding their most critical business assets – their people and ideas.

Giles Crown, joint managing partner of Lewis Silkin, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Forde Campbell to Lewis Silkin. Forde Campbell has established a well-earned reputation in the market as pre-eminent advisers to high-growth-potential enterprises in NI, sharing the passion we have at Lewis Silkin for creative, innovative and brand-focused businesses. This is an exciting time for Lewis Silkin in Ireland, as the addition of the Forde Campbell team follows our launch in NI last year with our specialist employment practice, and establishes a market-leading intellectual property, commercial and technology practice, building on our centres of expertise in Dublin, the UK and beyond. We warmly welcome Mathew, Rory, Katey and the team and look forward to a successful future together and with our clients.”

Mathew Forde, director at Forde Campbell, explained: “NI is on the rise as a real centre of innovation, with a thriving start-up community and significant investor interest, and as the business landscape continues to evolve legal needs are becoming more complex, and often international in nature. Joining forces with Lewis Silkin is an exciting next step for us as we continue to help our clients thrive in this dynamic environment.”

Síobhra Rush, partner and head of Lewis Silkin Dublin, added: “We are delighted to expand our island of Ireland presence even further in 2022 by joining forces with Forde Campbell and its expert legal team across commercial, technology, intellectual property and media law. In the past two years the scale and calibre of our teams both in Dublin and Belfast have continued to grow – with our combined employee base having increased just over threefold since 2020. The level of expertise and solutions we can now offer clients aligns with the current demands of the corporate landscape. For them, data, tech and cyber security issues, IP challenges and employment law concerns in particular are evolving rapidly and presenting them with many barriers to overcome.”

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