New Partner Appointment at ALG

Corporate law firm A&L Goodbody (ALG) has announced the appointment of a new partner to its leadership team in Belfast.

Ciaran O’Shiel has been promoted to partner in the firm’s Commercial Litigation Department, bringing the total number of partners at its Belfast office to 18.

Ciaran leads a team that specialises in intellectual property, media and technology disputes, advising domestic and international clients on defamation, privacy, data protection and content related matters. He has established an extensive media law practice and is recognised as a leading individual for defamation and reputation management in Northern Ireland.

He has acted for technology and media companies in the High Court and Court of Appeal and has represented clients in patent, copyright, breach of confidence, trademark infringement and passing off cases. His experience also includes advising private and public organisations on business critical issues including regulatory risk and responding to data security incidents.

Michael Neill, Head of ALG’s Belfast office, said: “Ciaran’s appointment is testament to the firm’s ongoing commitment to our clients and to further diversifying the experience and dynamism of our existing leadership team to stay ahead of an ever-changing environment.

“Having joined the firm as a trainee solicitor in 2011, Ciaran is an excellent example of ALG’s commitment to recruiting, retaining and nurturing the very best legal talent. Together with this his wealth of technical expertise in litigation and dispute resolution, he brings the strong commercial focus, forward thinking and innovation that our clients have come to expect from any lawyer at ALG.

“We are proud to have such great talent across our team of over 120 high-quality lawyers and business support professionals in the Belfast office.”

In total, ALG appointed five new partners and now has 110 partners across its Belfast, Dublin, London, New York, San Francisco and Palo Alto offices.

Commenting on the appointments, ALG Managing Partner Julian Yarr said: "Congratulations to our new partners. Each of them is incredibly talented and a recognised leader – both with our clients and in our firm. Their diversity of skills and experience will enhance our culture and ensure our continued success and growth.

“As we emerge from the shadow of COVID-19, it's clear that the world is a different place. The dynamism and agility we need to display for our clients and our people has moved up a gear. We have invested heavily in developing well-rounded lawyers who have the ability to anticipate and adapt to the changing needs of our clients. These new partners are the result of this investment as we continue to build the law firm of the future, now."