Carson McDowell retains all Belfast trainees as newly-qualified solicitors.

Carson McDowell has announced the appointment of Bobbi Murtagh, Paul Hadden, Ruth O’Gara, Clara Eccles and Emer Sweeney as solicitors following the end of their training contracts in its Belfast office

Bobbi, Paul, Ruth, Clara and Emer have joined the Healthcare, Banking, Commercial, Corporate and Procurement teams respectively.

Meanwhile, the firm continues to invest in developing the brightest legal talent, welcoming seven trainee solicitors into its solicitor training programme in Belfast for the next two years, alongside eight trainees currently completing their second year on the programme.

Roger McMillian, Managing Partner, said,

“At Carson McDowell we pride ourselves in providing a first-rate training programme which invests in the growth and development of future lawyers and our firm. It has been a pleasure to watch our newly qualified solicitors grow throughout their two-year training programme, each finding their specialism and legal career path.

Bobbi, Paul, Ruth, Clara and Emer are already valued members of our team and I look forward to watching their careers progress further over the years ahead as they grow their skills in their individual practice areas.”

Carson McDowell is regarded for having more leading individuals and top-ranked practice areas than any other local firm in respected industry guides Chambers UK and the Legal 500. The recent appointments see the firm now employ over 200 people in its Belfast and Dublin offices, with the latest recruits growing their legal team to 117 solicitors.

Commenting on the firm's growth, Neasa Quigley, Senior Partner, said,

“These appointments come in response to the firm’s continued growth and success across a number of sectors in Northern Ireland and reflect our commitment to developing talent internally to drive high performance across our business.

Becoming a newly qualified solicitor is a significant achievement for each individual. They will add to Carson McDowell’s market-leading teams and enhance our existing expertise to service our ambitious clients.”

Carson McDowell is committed to creating an inclusive environment enabling all employees to achieve their full potential. Neasa, also chair of Carson McDowell’s Diversity and Inclusion committee, added, “Gender diversity is balanced right across our firm including at senior management level, with 16 of our 34 partners being female and in our recent appointments with four of our five newly qualified solicitors being women.”

The leading law firm works closely with both Northern Ireland universities to promote law as a career choice for the younger generation. Most recently, the firm hosted its annual Summer Internship Programme giving students in their final year of study insight into a legal career.

Roger commented,

"This early investment of time supports students in making a more informed decision about their future and ultimately helps Carson McDowell retain talent. We have witnessed this with our five newly qualified solicitors who also participated in our internship, insight or open days before joining our training programme in 2020.

On behalf of all our partners, I wish each of them the greatest success in their new role.”

Pictured (left to right): Paul Hadden, Bobbi Murtagh, Clara Eccles, Roger McMillan, Managing Partner, Neasa Quigley, Senior Partner, Emer Sweeney and Ruth O’Gara