A number of Irish law firms have been recommended in a European survey for use by in-house corporate lawyers. Arthur Cox heads the list for the second year running. Other firms highly recommended are McCann Fitzgerald, A&L Goodbody, William Fry and Mattheson Ormsby Prentice. The survey notes there has been an upsurge in IT and telecoms work. "Companies are competing aggressively for licences, and challenges have been made against awards to rival bidders."
It said the civil courts are about to come under scrutiny as the new court executive starts a drive towards improving efficiency. Also, significant activity is expected in media and intellectual property.
The survey noted there was a boom in product liability and medical negligence work. Tax practitioners reported a growth in tax led transaction and the top firms are keen to recruit tax experts to meet the demand.
To prevent conflict of interest problems the survey recommends offering a retainer and said retainers of £10,000 per annum have been quoted. Retainers of £3,000 are mentioned for senior counsel.