A&L Goodbody to expand Dublin headquarters to support continued growth 

  • ALG, in partnership with IPUT, has agreed to completely redevelop its office in the IFSC 
  • New headquarters will have additional 36% more space to support medium to long term growth plans for the firm
  • Building will use the latest interior design and technology to better serve clients and embed agile and hybrid working for its people
  • Redeveloped building will support ALG's climate goals by being Ireland’s first true net zero carbon office as defined by the World Green Building Council
  • ALG to remain in prestigious IFSC and will continue to support the north inner city through responsible business initiatives

A&L Goodbody LLP (ALG) has announced that it has agreed to completely redevelop its existing offices at North Wall Quay in Dublin. In partnership with IPUT, it will create a unique, best in class, sustainable building that will cater for the firm's ambitious growth plans and facilitate a new way of agile working. 

ALG currently has over 930 people with over 420 lawyers, including 112 partners, working across six office locations. 

Having experienced strong trading in 2021 which has carried through to 2022, ALG is very optimistic about a number of excellent growth opportunities beyond this year. The firm's new building will support this growth.

In the last 12 months the firm has appointed seven new partners and increased its lawyer numbers by 10%. ALG expects continued growth in 2022 with the creation of at least 50 new jobs. The roles will include lawyers, project & program managers, business & data analysts, marketing & client development professionals and operational support. The firm has also increased its annual trainee intake by 10% and will hire 150 trainees over the next three years. 

The majority of additional roles will be in the Dublin office but ALG expects to see expansion in its Belfast and London offices as well. 

The new office will be specifically designed to promote a new way of agile working which will embed the best of working from home and the office. It will incorporate the latest interior design and technology to build an office that fosters productivity, collaboration and innovation. It will also provide enhanced facilities and services to clients to reflect the physical and virtual world that now exists. 

Commenting on the announcement, Julian Yarr, Managing Partner at ALG, said: “Our office in the IFSC has been our home for over 20 years. In that time we have quadrupled in size. We now have the unique opportunity to rebuild our home for the future – for our clients, for our people and for the community we work in. It will facilitate our ambitious growth plans and will allow us to develop a new way of working – a more agile way of working – driving our business forward for the next 20 years.

We are staying in our home in the commercial heart of Dublin. We have built fantastic relationships with our local community through our responsible business and pro bono initiatives. It was important to us and our people that we maintain those links.To support our broader climate goals, it was also essential to have the most sustainable building possible and we're delighted we can achieve this with a net zero carbon rating. This will truly be a building built, in partnership with IPUT, for us, by us."

North Wall Quay highlights:  

  • Building size will increase by 36% to 155,000 sq. ft. adding two new floors, rooftop landscaped terraces, a new atrium to encourage collaboration and an entirely new client floor at penthouse level. 
  • Two levels of landscaped terraces provide unique panoramic views over the River Liffey
  • Focused on sustainable transport and workforce well-being, the building will include electric car charging stations, 200 bicycle spaces, 200 lockers, fitness room and changing facilities. 
  • In order to align with net zero carbon objectives and further enhance the workplace environment for its people and its clients, IPUT will re-develop North Wall Quay to meet the World Green Building Council’s requirement of a net zero carbon building. 
  • North Wall Quay will achieve leading global sustainability standards including: a BER A3 energy rating, LEED Platinum, Wired Score Platinum, Well Gold, NZEB Compliance and Cycle Score. 

The re-development of North Wall Quay will begin in the summer of 2022 and is due for completion in 2024. During the re-development period, IPUT will accommodate ALG within its existing portfolio, principally at No. 3 Dublin Landings and at The Exchange in the IFSC. IPUT has been a long standing client of ALG for over 50 years. The partnership with IPUT will deliver a landmark office building in the IFSC and will further cement this strong relationship.

Niall Gaffney, CEO, IPUT Real Estate, commented: “Our focus is to provide our occupiers with the most-sustainable real estate in the Irish market that meets the highest global standards for efficiency and environmental performance. In line with this ambition, we are delighted to work closely with A&L Goodbody to create Ireland’s most sustainable building at North Wall Quay. This new headquarters will set the new standard for low carbon office development in the market, while also significantly enhancing the workplace experience for A&L Goodbody employees.”

Date published: 16 February 2022