A core part of Ireland for Law’s work is undertaking Trade Missions, where a delegation of Irish legal practitioners travel to other jurisdictions to promote Ireland as a destination for legal services, network with practitioners and potential customers and to learn from other legal jurisdictions as to how they administer justice.

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Our most recent Trade Mission saw us travel to Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. over 3 days in May. The Ireland for Law delegation included David Barniville (President of the High Court of Ireland), Rossa Fanning SC (Attorney General of Ireland), Kelley Smith SC (The Bar of Ireland), Catherine Dowling (Byrne Wallace), Kevin Gahan (Matheson), Mark Garratt (Director General of the Law Society of Ireland), and Dermot Ryan (Executive Director, Ireland for Law).

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Learn more about the Ireland for Law delegation members here.

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Ireland for Law wishes to thank all of those who assisted in putting together the Delaware, Pennsylvania and Washington DC programme including: Delaware Secretary of State Jeffery Bullock, Clark Hill, DLA Piper, ICON, Young Conaway, Brian McGlinchey, Irish honorary consul in Delaware, Arthur (Chip) Connolly, Connolly Gallagher LLP, Michael Houghton, Morris Nichols, the Embassy of Ireland to the United States, and IDA Ireland.

 

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Delaware, Philadelphia, and Washington DC Mission Recap

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On Monday, DLA Piper welcomed us to their premises as Kathaleen McCormick, Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery spoke with David Barniville, President of the High Court of Ireland, in a discussion moderated by Kelley Smith SC, the Bar of Ireland.

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Tuesday began with an event in the Young Conaway offices, Delaware. The 'Corporate Restructuring and Corporate Insolvency – The Case for Irish-US Cooperation' panel discussion featured members of the Irish delegation alongside Joseph Barry and Kara Hammond Coyle of Young Conaway.

 

Later that day, Justice David Barniville and Rossa Fanning SC spoke at Clark Hill, Philadelphia, on why General Counsel should choose Ireland for Law. The following morning at ICON Research, a more specific talk was held focussing on the benefits of choosing Irish Law for the life sciences sector.

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We rounded out an amazing USA Mission with as Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, Geraldine Byrne Nason, kindly welcomed us to her residence for a networking event. The Ambassador gave her endorsement to the Ireland for Law initiative to an audience of the Washington DC legal community and several others working in government and industry.

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David Barniville, President of the High Court of Ireland, spoke at the event, reflecting on the mission as a whole, and the positive response to the Ireland for Law message that Ireland is uniquely placed to partner with American businesses and the American legal community.

There are several reasons for this including our position as an English-speaking, common-law jurisdiction inside the European Union, meaning that contracts are valid immediately across the EU when businesses use Irish law.