William Fry picks up 12-lawyer corporate team after Eversheds' Irish shake-up

William Fry has brought on board a 12-lawyer corporate team from Eversheds Sutherland's former Irish arm led by ex-head of corporate Gerard Ryan.

The group includes four partners - Ryan, Enda Newton, Gavin O’Flaherty and Maria O’Brien - with experience across M&A, private equity, venture capital, capital markets and financial regulation.

No deal

The hires come as Eversheds recently relaunched its Irish business under its international LLP, ending the separate partnership structure it had operated for the Irish arm since 2005. The moves follow the collapse of merger talks between the two firms earlier this year - a deal that would have created one of Ireland’s largest firms by headcount.

According to the Irish Times, sources said Eversheds’ corporate lawyers had "strongly supported" the proposed tie-up. Leader Ryan had a long-standing connection to William Fry, having trained and practised there as a junior associate before moving to Eversheds.

William Fry is already regarded as one of Ireland’s top M&A firms. The firm employs over 500 staff across  offices in Dublin, Cork, London, New York, and San Francisco.

What they said

Andrew McIntyre, head of William Fry’s corporate/M&A group, said: "We are thrilled to welcome this exceptional team. Their deep experience and proven ability to navigate sophisticated transactions will significantly enhance our client offering.

"Their arrival strengthens the breadth and depth of our Corporate/M&A practice, firmly positioning us as the go-to law firm in Ireland for M&A transactions."