Lewis Silkin, Second Belfast tie-up

Lewis Silkin, Second Belfast tie-up

Deal acquires UK firm's third office on Ireland Island, gains technology, IP and media expertise

Forde Campbell and Lewis Silkin have teamed up to strengthen their local expertise in technology, intellectual property and media in Northern Ireland.

Added to its existing Belfast and Dublin offices, the London-based firm now has 25 employees in Belfast, marking its third Irish office.

Mathew Forde, Rory Campbell and Katey Dixon, as well as existing partners Adam Brett and Ciara Fulton, will become partners of Forde Campbell, which now has five partners in Belfast.

As of last summer, Lewis Silkin will have a physical presence in Belfast for the first time after merging with employment law specialist Jones Cassidy Brett.

With a clientele ranging from local start-ups to the major UK and Irish companies and international investors, Forde Campbell was founded in 2006. The firm provides counsel on matters like IT contracts, data security, trademarks, trade secrets and reputation management.

With a thriving start-up community and significant investment interest in Northern Ireland, legal needs are becoming increasingly complex and often international as business landscapes evolve," Forde said, adding that the combined firm represented an "exciting next step" for the firm in the region.

Forde Campbell's reputation as a market-leading IP, commercial and technology practice will complement Lewis Silkin's existing hubs in Dublin and the UK, said Gil Crown, Managing Partner of Lewis Silkin.

In Northern Ireland, Forde Campbell has a well-deserved reputation as a pre-eminent advisor of high-growth potential businesses, reflecting Lewis Silkin's commitment to creative, innovative and brand-focused companies.

In addition to Lewis Silkin, another top UK firm, Gateley, has also acquired Belfast-based reputation management and media law boutique Paul Tweed for $2m in 2020.

One of the largest employment law firms in the US, Ogletree Deakins, announced last September that it was opening a legal support office in Belfast with economic development organization Invest Northern Ireland.

Burges Salmon, Ashurst and Hogan Lovells have all opened outposts in Dublin following the post-Brexit restrictions on UK-based lawyers practising EU law from Ireland without having a physical presence there.