A US law firm is to create 78 new jobs in Belfast with the opening of a legal support centre. Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labour, employment and immigration law firms in the US, has 53 offices located throughout the US, and in Europe, Canada and Mexico. It represents a diverse range of clients across many industries, including many of the Fortune 50 corporations in the US.
Welcoming the law firm to Northern Ireland the Economy Minister Gordon Lyons said: “The legal services sector in Northern Ireland continues to grow and I am pleased to announce that Ogletree Deakins – a well-established international firm — is setting up here.
“The law firm plans to open a legal processing centre in Belfast where the team will provide administrative and paralegal support to meet the growing demand for the firm’s global mobility services.
“This investment will provide employment opportunities for graduates and those with one-to-three years paralegal experience, as well as some leadership roles, generating annual salaries of £1.78m into our economy once fully operational.
“With a pool of 600 new law and legal studies graduates a year, I am sure the firm will find the talent it needs; in fact it has already filled 25 of the positions available.”
The roles are to be created over the next three years, with an average salary of £22,891.
Invest Northern Ireland has worked closely with the firm, organising a virtual visit programme to help secure the project. The agency has offered £312,000 of support towards the 78 new jobs.
Matthew Keen, Managing Shareholder, Ogletree Deakins said: “We had a real need for additional quality paralegal team support for our growing immigration practice. Northern Ireland’s strong pipeline of quality graduates and strong staff retention rates were keys to our decision to locate here. It gives us the confidence that we will have access to outstanding staff members to allow us to continue to expand, scale and be successful long-term.”
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