'We’ve become trusted advisers to many organisations': Belfast law firm builds one of Northern Ireland’s largest corporate teams with series of new senior hires

Northern Ireland full service commercial law firm Davidson McDonnell has invested in a series of new hires to add to its fast-growing corporate team to meet significant growth in client demand for business services.

The company, which recently marked 10 years since its foundation in Belfast, confirmed the addition of five new staff to its corporate team in the last year. These appointments included three senior practitioners, bringing the number of staff specialising in corporate transactions to 10, one of the largest dedicated teams in Belfast.

It said the investment reflects the increase in demand for specialist legal advice across the full range of corporate matters, but especially acquisitions and disposals of businesses and private equity investment. Demand for corporate restructuring and succession planning advice - particularly in family business, remains strong.

Director Raymond Duddy said: “Our combined experience and knowledge of local and regional transactions - coupled with expertise developed internationally continues to underpin our growth.

"We’ve become trusted advisers to many organisations – within Northern Ireland and further afield who engage us to provide practical, solutions focused advice designed to support clients in delivering on their key business goals.

“Davidson McDonnell is proudly investing in our resource so that we can deliver the best advice to meet current and future client needs.”

Eimhéar O’Kane and Greg Turton lead the latest cohort of additions to Davidson McDonnell’s corporate team, bringing UK and international experience to the team headed up by directors Vicky Dummigan and Raymond Duddy, and supported by Christopher Bullock, Louise McCaffrey and Jenni Noble.

Eimhéar O’Kane joins Davidson McDonnell as a senior solicitor from the Dubai office of Clyde & Co where she practised as a specialist corporate/M&A lawyer. A graduate of Queen’s University Belfast, Eimhéar started her career at a leading local law firm before moving to Dubai in 2018.

Senior solicitor Greg Turton joins the team from the corporate transactions team at CMS Law in London, specialising in venture capital and M&A transactions for a range of national and international clients. A graduate of the universities of Sheffield and Newcastle, Greg qualified in 2019 at Bird & Bird.

Earlier this year Lindsey Harten also moved into the corporate team, bringing over 20 years of experience of distressed M&A, restructuring, finance and corporate governance work to the group. Lindsey continues to run a highly regarded insolvency practice alongside her increasing involvement in M&A and equity funding work.

Legal executive Adam Evans and Lucy Moran, a degree apprentice completes the corporate team. Lucy joins as part of a partnership with Ulster University, with Davidson McDonnell providing a fully funded four-year degree programme.

These latest additions complement an increasingly international focus for some of the firm’s clients and uptick in in-bound private equity investment across Northern Ireland. Among a wide range of transactions, Davidson McDonnell’s corporate team has recently completed transactions for a number of high-profile clients including Kainos, W&R Barnett and Wirefox.

The team has noted increasing activity within the hospitality and leisure sector, providing advice on transactions involving the Bushmills Inn, Raddison Blu and Park Inn hotels in Belfast and Belle Isle Estate, and within the healthcare sector, with recent deals including the disposal of Runwood Homes NI portfolio and the investment by BGF into CWC Group.

Davidson McDonnell is also the lead legal adviser behind Belfast’s iconic Loft Lines development, part of a major £175m regeneration project.

In the busy private equity market, Davidson McDonnell has advised on a variety of private equity and VC investments in recent years, involving several well-known investors, including Bridgepoint, Bowmark, BGF, Whiterock, Clarendon, Techstart and Foresight.

Davidson McDonnell director Vicky Dummigan explained: “Davidson McDonnell has established a strong reputation assisting clients on high-value, complex commercial transactions across a variety of sectors, and I’m delighted that demand for our services means we can continue to build a top-quality team with a reputation built on experience and trust.”

The firm, which was established by Ross Davidson and David McDonnell in 2015, has grown rapidly to become one of the region’s best-known full service legal specialists, providing corporate/M&A, property, commercial litigation, banking and private client advice to many of Northern Ireland’s largest business names and high-net worth individuals.

Last year, Davidson McDonnell was recognised as one of the most active legal advisers in Northern Ireland's M&A sector, with a significant number of high-value transactions handled – Experian Market IQ’s M&A Review highlighted the company as a key player in the local market.