International law firm Bird & Bird will add two partners to its Irish office in the coming months, exceeding its initial growth target. The addition of IP and data litigator Ann Henry and corporate specialist Brendan O’Brien will see Bird & Bird Ireland grow to five partners and continue the rapid expansion of the firm’s Irish office.
Ann and Brendan will join existing partners including IP and technology specialist Deirdre Kilroy, data protection expert Anna Morgan, IP and tech litigator Michael Finn, and a growing team of associates and business services staff. The team will continue to grow the firm’s strong offering in Ireland, including in the areas of data protection, intellectual property, corporate and technology and communications.
Working closely with existing Bird & Bird partners around the network, Bird & Bird Ireland provides clients with a holistic offering – combining leading local Irish knowledge with the global expertise of the firm’s international team.
Ann Henry
Ann is one of the leading IP and data litigators in Ireland. She has rich experience in representing international companies in pan-European litigation, particularly in the areas of patent litigation and data privacy disputes. Ann’s specialised skill set will not only benefit the firm in the Irish market but across Bird & Bird’s international network.
Ann is one of the co-founders of the IP and Data Protection Committee in the Law Society of Ireland and is recognised in all major legal directories. She is ranked by Legal 500 as a “Leading Individual” for dispute resolution in Ireland and is ranked as one of the “Top 250 Women in IP” globally by Managing IP.
Brendan O’Brien
Brendan has almost twenty years of experience advising international companies and investors on a broad range of corporate law matters, including private company M&A, equity fundraisings, joint ventures, shareholder arrangements and corporate reorganisations and refinancings. Brendan also counsels corporate clients on a broad range of governance, compliance and commercial matters.
Brendan will establish and lead Bird & Bird’s Corporate practice in Ireland as well as advise and support the firm’s local and international corporate clients seeking to invest in and through Ireland, particularly from the US and Asia Pacific.
Christian Bartsch CEO at international law firm Bird & Bird, says:
“We are thrilled to exceed our growth target after year one and to welcome Ann and Brendan to the team in Ireland. It’s been an exciting year for our Irish team providing legal advice to some of the world’s biggest brands and organisations on complex, multi-jurisdictional issues and disputes, both in Ireland and internationally. We’re really excited to continue establishing and growing our firm in Ireland, offering distinctive and specialist legal services in the region.
The depth of Ann’s expertise in IP, tech and data litigation alongside Brendan’s experience advising clients on a wide range of corporate matters will ensure that we remain the go-to law firm for our clients on some of the most important and complex issues in the international data litigation, intellectual property, corporate and technology and communications sectors”.
