Big Revenue Jump for Ireland’s ‘Big Seven’

Data estimates from legal publication The Lawyer have revealed that Ireland’s ‘Big Seven’ law firms drew in a combined €755 million in revenue in 2017. This is an estimated €30 million more than in 2016 and comes despite mounting concerns about the impact of Brexit on the Emerald Isle’s economy.

The Big Seven regroups the country’s biggest law firms by earnings but there is a significant gap between the largest, Arthur Cox (estimated revenues of €150 million), and the smallest, Dillon Eustace (€37.2 million). A&L Goodbody, McCann Fitzgerald and Matheson also generated over €100 million in revenue for the year with William Fry close behind at €92.8 million.

While this all seems to paint a rosy picture, it is worth noting that none of the figures above were provided directly by the law firms themselves. Because they are not limited companies, these firms are under no obligation whatsoever to publish accounts, leading some, including The Lawyer, to criticise the lack of transparency. Mason, Hayes & Curran, the final firm in the septet, is unique in publishing its financials and these showed a slight dip, for the first time in six years, in annual earnings, down from €77 million in 2016 to €76 million in 2017.