Your Law Firm
of Choice.
Carson McDowell is Northern Ireland’s largest independent law firm.
Who we are
Established in 1852 by William H. Carson and Alexander McDowell and today jointly led by Managing Partner Roger McMillan and Senior Partner Neasa Quigley, the firm has a considerable amount of heritage yet is passionate about creating a modern, dynamic, progressive law firm with people and clients firmly at its centre.
With over 200 people working in our Belfast and Dublin offices, we are renowned for having more experts working across more specialist areas of expertise than any other local law firm.
We have plenty to shout about...
1852
Established in 1852, our heritage tells a story of great success and growth in the heart of Northern Ireland.
200
We have over 200 people working across 28 specialist areas of expertise.
41
Carson McDowell is a law firm made up of a diverse range of talented people. We have 41 Partners leading our teams.
50%
More than 50% of Northern Ireland’s top 100 companies have chosen Carson McDowell as their legal representatives.
£
Each year we raise thousands for charity.
10
We recruit approx. 10 trainee solicitors each year.
2
We have offices located in 2 locations – Belfast and Dublin.
No.1
We have more top rankings in Chambers & Partners UK than any other local law firm.
A No.1
Ranked Firm.
We are recognised as market leaders and receive major recommendations across many practice areas.
Our Reputation
Carson McDowell has a reputation for providing exceptional legal advice and client service. Our commitment to excellence and finding innovative solutions to the most complex of legal problems sets us apart.
Our reputation is confirmed by our market-leading presence in the legal industry guides The Legal 500 and Chambers UK, where we are ranked number one across more areas of expertise than any other law firm in Northern Ireland.
Our Approach
We are proud to be the law firm of choice for many of Northern Ireland’s Top 100 and international companies doing business here.
We focus on delivering for our clients. We are a creative law firm that prides itself on finding the best bespoke solutions for our client’s problems. If the obvious approach doesn’t work, we will look for other ways of getting a result. No matter how challenging or complicated the instructions, we pride ourselves in finding the best solution underpinned by the highest quality and most commercially effective legal advice.
Above all, we invest time getting to know our clients; how they like to work, the issues affecting their businesses and how we can help, providing the best possible service.
We do more. Better.
Culture / Diversity & Inclusion
We are committed to fostering a culture that is all about creating an inclusive environment, accepting of every individual’s differences, enabling all employees to achieve their full potential and as a result, allowing our business to reach its fullest potential. If we value each person’s differences, then we are allowing each person to contribute their unique experiences, which can have an extremely positive impact on work, other employees, motivation, productivity and client experience.
As Northern Ireland’s leading law firm, we are committed to maintaining a truly inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected because of their difference – a place where every employee can be themselves so they can reach their potential and help us achieve our business goals.
Our vision is to have a respectful and supportive workplace that enables us to attract and retain a diverse workforce that represents our clients and community.
We currently hold the Diversity Mark Bronze award which demonstrates that for us, diversity and inclusion is not just about ticking a box, it is about taking action. For example, we offer diversity and inclusion training for all staff and our Diversity and Inclusion Committee leads a range of initiatives across the firm. 47% of our Partners our female, including our Senior Partner.
We have three key goals:
- Workforce diversity – recruit from a diverse group of candidates to increase diversity among the workforce that represents our clients and the wider community
- Workplace inclusion – foster a culture that encourages collaboration, flexibility and fairness to enable all employees to contribute to their potential and increase retention
- Sustainability and accountability – identify and break down barriers to full inclusion by embedding diversity and inclusion in policies and practices and making sure we are accountable for delivering results.
We have signed up to the Mindful Business Charter, which intends to remove unnecessary sources of stress and promote better mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.
Our Awards and Recognitions
Cyber Essentials Plus
Cyber Essentials helps to guard against the most common cyber threats and demonstrates our commitment to cyber security.
ISO
ISO 9001 is the internationally recognised standard for Quality Management. To maintain this ISO we continually monitor and manage quality across our business and identify areas for improvement.
Mindful Business Charter
We're the first independent professional services firm in NI to sign the Mindful Business Charter, a commitment to address the avoidable stresses in our working practices, to promote healthier and more effective ways of working.
Top Ranked Law Firm
Carson McDowell achieved ‘Tier 1’ rankings in 11 practice areas in the 2024 edition of The Legal 500 guide and ranks in 26 practice areas in Chambers & Partners UK.
Bronze Diversity Mark
The Diversity Charter Mark is awarded to companies following an independent panel assessment. It is a ‘mark of progress’ that publicly declares a company has reached the required standard of commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion to benefit all employees.
