Top 10 UK firm plans disputes support launch in depressed Northern Ireland job market

Partners at top Irish law firms have voiced their support for Herbert Smith's plans to open an office in Belfast to handle volume disputes work, arguing the base will provide a further avenue for law graduates in a depressed job market.

Herbert Smith announced last week that it would be opening in Belfast in April 2011, with the office set to provide support for high-volume disputes work – with staff reviewing and analysing large volumes of documents in litigation, arbitration and regulatory investigations.

The base, which will initially open with 10 solicitors and 10 legal assistants, will also handle contentious work from outside the litigation department including competition investigations and employment disputes, with the firm expecting to grow headcount rapidly.

Dispute resolution partner Graeme Johnston, who has been overseeing the launch, said: "We considered a number of locations and options including South Africa, India and various parts of England and Wales, but in the end Northern Ireland outweighed the others for a combination of reasons.

"There are a lot of really great lawyers and law students there with not enough jobs and the standard of education is extremely high. It's more cost-competitive than any credible location in England and it's still geographically convenient for London."

Global disputes practice management solicitor Libby Jackson will head the office on the ground, with overall management responsibility resting with global disputes head Sonya Leydecker and financial services regulatory partner Jenny Stainsby in London. City senior associate Lisa McLaughlin will relocate to Belfast to head up quality management, with the firm also currently in the process of hiring an operations manager.

Commenting on the launch, Arthur Cox Belfast managing partner Alan Taylor (pictured) said: "I think this move by Herbert Smith is good for Northern Ireland. It's an encouraging investment made during challenging times. Belfast is a good location in terms of ensuring a strong delivery on the quality of the work and a receptive, well-motivated work force."

A litigation partner at a top-tier Northern Irish firm said: "We have a lot of young qualified solicitors out of work at present and on the basis that these are the guys to be employed, albeit in administrative roles and on low wages, I think it is a good thing. It also shows confidence in the ability of our lawyers."

Another litigation partner at a large local firm added: "I think other UK firms will look at this; however, we're not worried about losing talented junior lawyers to them – in fact, I think it could be a good thing for the market as there are too many graduates unable to find jobs."