Arthur Cox (law firm)

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Arthur Cox
HeadquartersTen Earlsfort Terrace
Dublin, Ireland
No. of offices5 offices in 3 countries
No. of lawyers312 (2020)[1]
No. of employees740 (2022)[2]
Major practice areasGeneral corporate practice
Key peopleGeoff Moore
(Managing Partner)[3]
Orla O'Connor
(Chair)[4]
Revenue€165,000,000
(2020 estimate)[5]
Date founded1920[6]
FounderArthur Cox
Company typeLimited liability partnership
Websitewww.arthurcox.com

Arthur Cox is an Irish corporate law firm headquartered in Dublin, with offices in Belfast, London, New York City, and San Francisco.[7] It is one of Ireland's leading law firms, being the largest by revenue[8] and the third largest by number of practicing solicitors.[9]

In 2020, it was estimated to be the nineteenth largest firm by revenue in Europe (excluding the United Kingdom).[8]

History[edit]

Arthur Cox & Co commenced practice in 1920[10] at 5 St Stephen's Green, in a premises shared with JS Evans & Co. Ltd.[11] There were two partners – Arthur Cox and John McArevey.[12][13] The firm initially benefitted from instructions from Sir Horace Plunkett, South Dublin Unionist Party MP, who Cox had met through a friend's membership of The Arts Club. This was despite Cox's father's close friendship with John Dillon, who had been a lifelong opponent of Plunkett's.[11] The firm was involved in certain aspects of the negotiations of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, with Cox claiming to have traveled to London by mail boat on eight occasions.[11] The principal business of the firm in its early years was Cox assisting his University College Dublin friends, Ministers Kevin O'Higgins, Patrick Hogan, Patrick McGilligan, who were engaged in the building of the Irish Free State.[11] In 1922, the firm was instructed by the first Attorney General of Ireland, Hugh Kennedy, to prepare an opinion[14] on the legal status of the Irish Free State in the aftermath of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, with Cox having been part of the delegation sent to London in 1921 to negotiate the terms of the treaty, whereas Kennedy had not been, to the regret of Michael Collins.[15]

Arthur Cox & Co acted as solicitors to the Irish White Cross, set up in 1920 to relieve the distress of the civilian population after the arrival of the Black and Tans. Arthur advised Áine Ceannt on her role as secretary and trustee of the association.[14]

Cox was widely acknowledged to be the architect of the Companies Act, 1963.[16]

Eugene McCague served as managing partner of the firm from 1999 to 2003, and as chairman from 2006 to 2013.[17]

Current practice[edit]

In 2011, Arthur Cox advised the Government of Ireland in relation to Ireland's sovereign bailout under the European Financial Stability Facility.[18]

In 2015, Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar recommended that Arthur Cox stop representing tobacco companies, as Arthur Cox also represents the Irish Health Service Executive.[19][20]

Arthur Cox was the top M&A legal advisor in Ireland in 2019 by both deal value and deal volume.[21]

In 2019, Arthur Cox was the subject of protests by the family of a Christian, former associate.[22]

In 2019, Geoff Moore took over as managing partner of the firm from Brian O'Gorman.[3][23]

Arthur Cox acts for Green REIT plc in relation to planning matters.[24]

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Arthur Cox announced it would not be paying bonuses to staff and would be "significantly reducing" partnership drawings.[25]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Matheson surges from third to top: Practising certificate figures for the year ending 31 December 2020". www.lawsociety.ie. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  2. ^ "About Us – Arthur Cox LLP". www.arthurcox.com. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b Legal News, Irish. "Arthur Cox selects Geoff Moore as new managing partner". Irish Legal News. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Orla O'Connor Appointed Chair of Arthur Cox – Arthur Cox LLP". www.arthurcox.com. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  5. ^ "The Lawyer's Top 100 European Law Firms 2021 ranking". The Lawyer | Legal insight, benchmarking data and jobs. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Our History – Arthur Cox LLP". www.arthurcox.com. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  7. ^ "International – Arthur Cox LLP". www.arthurcox.com. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  8. ^ a b "The Lawyer's Top 100 European Law Firms 2021 ranking". The Lawyer | Legal insight, benchmarking data and jobs. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Matheson surges from third to top". www.lawsociety.ie. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  10. ^ "This working life: 'At least I get to see the kids at breakfast now'". independent. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  11. ^ a b c d McCague, Eugene. (1994). Arthur Cox, 1891–1965. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. pp. 41–43. ISBN 0-7171-2194-1. OCLC 32210818.
  12. ^ Beesley, Arthur. "An Irishman's Diary on Arthur Cox – solicitor, senator and priest". The Irish Times. No. 2015–03–10. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  13. ^ "Our History – Arthur Cox". www.arthurcox.com. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Arthur Cox: witnessing history". Eolas Magazine. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  15. ^ Forrester, Margery Michael Collins 2nd edition Gill and Macmillan 1989 p.282
  16. ^ "Arthur Cox, more than just a Law firm". UCD LIBRARY CULTURAL HERITAGE COLLECTIONS. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  17. ^ Taylor, Charlie. "US fintech BlueSnap opens Dublin HQ, appoints Eugene McCague". The Irish Times. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  18. ^ SenGupta, Reena (6 October 2011). "Competitive advantage: Many firms in mainland Europe have emerged from the recession in better shape than their UK rivals". www.ft.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  19. ^ Beesley, Arthur. "Varadkar urges Arthur Cox to sever ties with tobacco industry". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  20. ^ Beesley, Arthur. "Arthur Cox faces queries from HSE over tobacco role". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  21. ^ Legal News, Irish. "Arthur Cox tops M&A adviser league tables for 2019". Irish Legal News. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  22. ^ Mahon, Brian. "Family protests against sacking of Christian solicitor". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  23. ^ Cooney, Rosanna. "The Sunday Interview: Geoff Moore, managing partner at Arthur Cox". Business Post. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  24. ^ Deegan, Gordon. "Green Reit recruits Arthur Cox to help get planning for new cinema". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  25. ^ Hamilton, Peter. "Top Irish law firms cut pay in response to Covid-19 financial hit". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 September 2020.

External links[edit]

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