Insights
2016 was an extremely busy year for legal recruitment in Dublin, and 2017 has largely continued in the same vein. Top tier Irish law firms have added staff both here and within their international operations, while international law firms continue to boost their presence in the Irish market. There has been increased demand for the services of legal candidates with an associated and steady rise in salaries. The immediate aftermath of Brexit sparked confusion with a number of Irish based Solicitors receiving counter-intuitive offers of work in London, however as the dust settled in the months after the June vote the trend of UK qualified Solicitors applying to be able to practice in this jurisdiction became clear. As noted, a number of high profile international law firms have added staff in the last number of months as a result of the uncertainty the referendum has caused and there are more than just rumours that others will establish operations in Ireland in the near future. We expect continued growth in the market in 2017 and a stable to positive outlook for salary growth. We also expect the flow of returning emigrants to continue as it has for the last number of years.