Law firm sets out growth plans as it unveils new look

The firm, which has increased turnover by 75% since 2015, has also pledged to continue its annual recruitment drive throughout that period.

Founded in 1997, Millar McCall Wylie now employs over 40 staff between its offices in Belfast city centre and Ballyhackamore. It has this month rolled out a new brand identity that it describes as being ‘reflective of its vibrant culture and diverse range of services.’

Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, 2020 was a record breaking year for Millar McCall Wylie, having more than doubled its number of individuals on the Leading Lawyers listing, with five partners recognised across a broad range of sectors. An additional five partners were rewarded Recommended Lawyers status and partner Damian McParland was ranked as one of Europe’s leading corporate lawyers in this year’s Chambers Europe. In addition, the firm was awarded the Insider Dealmakers Corporate Law Firm of the Year in 2020.

With strengths across corporate, commercial and private law, a major driver of growth for the firm has been its success within film, television and media legal services, having worked with NI Screen, HBO, New Regency, Fox Studios, Microsoft/Xbox, Netflix and Disney. It has advised on over 1,200 TV, film and new media productions with total budgets in excess of £2 billion, including all seasons of Game of Thrones, Derry Girls and Line of Duty as well as recent US major productions including The Northman starring Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skaarsgard and The School for Good and Evil starring Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne and Regé-Jean Page.

The firm also continues to win new high-profile clients in a re-emerging real estate market having this year, for example, advised on the £70m financing of the 227,000 sq. ft Merchant Square office development in Belfast City Centre.

Director Conor Wylie said: “We have been steadily evolving in recent years as we expand our areas of specialism and bolster our teams with more talented people. Since the firm was founded, we have grown our core services to include areas such as media, technology, family and employment law. This is in order to meet our vision of offering expertise for everyone.

“We continually invest in the very best people to guarantee the highest quality service to our clients and support the local legal profession overall.

“We place a real focus on maintaining a supportive, empowering culture for our people and have brought four trainees and a further four newly qualified solicitors into our team within the last two years alone. This will continue year on year with plans to recruit around 15 new staff within the next three years.”

Speaking about the firm’s vision for growth and new look, Director Peter McCall added: “We have set ambitious targets for the next three years, driven by the confidence we have in our people and services.

“Our new brand identity better reflects the vibrant nature of the firm today, the diversity of our talented workforce and the broad range of services we offer our clients. It really captures the sense of optimism we have for a bright future ahead, as we enter into a new chapter.”

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