Belfast-based law firm Tughans has been ranked as Northern Ireland’s most active legal advisor for corporate and property transactions by leading industry data provider Experian, claiming the accolade for the 10th year in a row.
Tughans, which is involved in the funding of tech startups with Techstart, advised on 94 of the 346 transactions recorded in 2024, which equates to more than 25% of all reported deals during the year, according to the latest Experian M&A report.
Tughans’ market leading Corporate team has worked in conjunction with the firm’s Real Estate, Banking and Finance, Contracts and Technology, Employment and Dispute Resolution teams on a large number of significant deals in 2024.
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These included the acquisition of Firmus Energy (Supply) by Yuno, investment in Axial3D by 57 Stars, investment in Blair’s Caravans by Melior Equity Partners, investment in Woodland Kitchens by BGF and the sale of the Roe Park Resort to the Galgorm Group.
Over the past 10 years Tughans has advised on a total of 717 qualifying transactions, an average of 71 a year, or more than one each week. This means the firm has acted on over 25% of all reported deals in the market since 2015.
The types of transaction the firm has advised on over that time includes acquisitions, sales, mergers, venture capital deals, management buyouts, private equity fundraising, refinancing and large-scale property projects.
The deals have also spanned multiple sectors including: technology, construction, manufacturing, real estate, hospitality, retail and many more, and include clients who range in scale from multinational companies to family-owned enterprises, startups, and every type of business in between.
The team at Belfast-based Tughans, which is involved in the funding of tech startups with Techstart
James Donnelly, Head of Corporate at Tughans, said: “We’re proud to have once again been named the most active M&A adviser in Northern Ireland. The accolade is testament to the hard work of our talented team but also to the ambition of our clients, who have put is in this position for a tenth consecutive year. The ranking provides validation of our reputation as a firm that gets deals done.”
Corporate Partner John McGuckian added: “The market has changed considerably over the 10 years since Experian first ranked Tughans number one for the volume of transactions we advised on, not least in the maturity of private equity and venture capital investment in NI companies. This market has grown exponentially and we are proud to have played a part in the growth journeys of many significant local companies by facilitating these fundraising rounds.”
Patrick Brown, Managing Partner of Tughans, said: “Tughans has been the most active law firm in NI for the last decade because we give the same level of service, care and attention to the sale of a small family-owned business as we do to managing a multimillion-pound tech acquisition. We are grateful to our clients for the trust they have placed in our teams and look forward to continuing to support them as a trusted advisor and strategic partner in the year ahead.”
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