Accountancy firms merge practices

Two accountancy firms have merged to form a business that will turn over €10 million-plus a year and rank as one of the top 10 in the Republic.

HLB Nathans and O'Leary, Lehane & Co of Cork announced yesterday that they have merged their practices.

Nathans has offices in Cork and Dublin, while O'Leary Lehane is based in Cork.

The new entity will operate under the HLB Nathan banner, which is the bigger of the two, with 90 professionals.

In a statement yesterday, Nathan's managing partner, Gerard Quinn, predicted that it would have a turnover of €10 million in 2007, and would rank as one of the top 10 multi-disciplinary firms in the Republic.

The enlarged firm will employ 100 professionals, but yesterday's statement indicated that this would increase.

Mr Quinn said yesterday that there were a number of synergies between the two firms.

Ian O'Leary and Eoin Lehane said that the move was a progressive one for their company.

Viv Nathan founded Nathans in 1970.

The company is one of the leading accountancy firms in the country specialising in servicing small and medium-sized enterprises and family-owned businesses.

Nathans is part of the HLB network, which has offices in over 100 countries around the world.

O'Leary Lehane has been trading since 1986 and employs over 20 people. It is focused on professionals, the building business and high-net-worth individuals.