The legal division of Davies, a UK-based professional services and technology firm, is set to expand into the Irish market through the acquisition of Dublin’s law firm O’Brien Lynam Solicitors (OBL). This marks the first time Davies’ legal entity, Keoghs, has made an acquisition beyond UK borders. Upon finalising the deal, OBL will operate under the moniker Keoghs Ireland.
Co-founded by Jack O’Brien and Michael Lynam 25 years ago, OBL specialises in litigation claims, insurance work, as well as boasting success in property and banking practice. It intends to continue its focus in these areas after the acquisition.
In 2020, Davies initiated investment in its own legal firm, assuming control of the UK’s Keoghs, and the move to acquire OBL is its first international venture. OBL caters to multinational insurers, public limited companies, financial bodies, investment funds, and semi-government bodies, alongside corporate bodies and private persons. Their forte lies in insurance, litigation, property, banking, and commercial law.
Once the deal is finalised, Keoghs will be in a position to offer Irish clientele a broad spectrum of insurance litigation capabilities specific to Ireland. This includes expertise in specialist defence litigation for the London market and adjusters, as well as professional negligence knowledge.
The OBL staff will uphold the servicing of current clients and will lend advice and guidance to clients within the broader Keoghs and Davies network. This constitutes Davies’s third legal sector venture to date, which follows the seizure of Keoghs in 2020 and Shoreside Law earlier this year.
Dan Saulter, Davies Chief Executive, stated that the agreement with OBL denotes a significant milestone in Keoghs’ growth strategy, adding to their prevailing claims operations in Ireland. The team’s expert knowledge has earned them respect and the addition to their across-the-board solutions offering in UK and Ireland is highly anticipated.
For OBL, according to Mr O’Brien, this announcement represents a huge landmark in their quarter-century history, crediting their growth and market impact to the support of their clients and successes.”/
Mr. Lynam expressed that aligning with Davies and consequently becoming a component of Keoghs would permit us to capitalise on the profound knowledge that the Keoghs group possesses. He further mentioned that it would also provide us a chance to expand our services to our current clients within the areas of claims litigation, and in our property and banking departments.