The Legal Cheek View
The world’s largest law firm grew even bigger in 2020 when Dentons entered the Dublin market, securing a number of partners from Ireland’s Big Six firms in the process. Operating out of 20 Kildare Street, Dentons’ blackwash, sleek, old money office combines Georgian elegance with a leafy lobby, smart tech, and modern amenities – inside and out. Here, your neighbours are grand government offices, members’ clubs, and the National Museum of Ireland for a cultural hit. Whether you’re commuting or unwinding with a stroll towards St Stephen’s Green, browsing the shops along Grafton Street, or enjoying a drink in one of the Joyce-awarded pubs or five-star hotel bars nearby, Dublin 2 offers a touch of opulence. Around the corner, artists in trilby hats paint scenes of the Shelbourne as Viking Splash Tour buses rumble past.
Dentons is the world’s largest law firm by lawyer headcount, operating from 80+ offices internationally. Dublin has been a success for Dentons – global revenues sit at some €350 million – so it seems clear the firm is consolidating that success, especially in its commercial and corporate work. The firm’s specialisms include M&A, especially, and banking and finance, capital markets, employment, technology, tax, white collar crime, dispute resolution, and litigation. Big name clients include Credit Suisse, Marks & Spencer, Airbus, and high-powered investment firms. Following the PPC, trainees will experience four different practice areas exploring at least three distinct areas of law (including contentious and non-contentious work), with preferences set between each move.
In Dublin, training contracts were announced in 2023, so Legal Cheek understands intakes to be relatively small. Those lucky few, however, will have their FE1 and PPC fees covered, enjoy 24 annual leave days, a pension scheme, and €45k paid annually. Upon qualification, FE1 exam costs are reimbursed and newly-qualified solicitors will earn around €80,000. Secondments are also on offer, subject to availability, business needs, performance, and eligibility. Dentons graduates benefit from dual qualification in Ireland and England and Wales, opening up work across the border and providing opportunities to act for clients in multiple jurisdictions.
The Dublin office is headed by Eavan Saunders, a leader in M&A and PE who qualified in Ireland. Legal Cheek spoke to Saunders about her return to Dentons — the firm where she trained in London — to lead its expansion into Dublin. There, she identified “a gap” in the market for a firm based in Ireland that could meet the standards of the City or Wall Street. Even so, Dentons’ Dublin office is “not relentless, but it’s high-calibre”. By combining “the Irish lifestyle with international work” and maintaining a strong work ethic, Saunders says the firm has created a “happy office” with a truly international reach, serving clients across Europe, the US, and all 26 counties of Ireland.
Inclusion is big at Dentons, with affinity groups like GLOW (LGBTQ+), Fusion (Asian Professionals), BPN (Black Professionals), Inspire (Gender Equality), Accessibility (Disability), and a Parents and Carers network.
Dentons look for a strong academic performance with at least a 2.i and at least 480 Leaving Certificate points, but accept relevant mitigating circumstances and consider each application in context with help from the Rare Contextual Recruitment System. To make a direct application, candidates must have completed all 8 FE1 exams. Dentons want individuals willing to contribute to growth, success, and client service – disinterested in the idea of a ‘typical’ trainee, reflecting the firm’s global outlook. Applications are considered on a rolling basis, with early applications encouraged. Dentons will cover the cost of one FE1 sitting per subject, with a total of eight exams per candidate and pay all first-attempt exams and course fees associated with the PPC, including application fees. Candidates who have already completed their FE1 examinations will retrospectively be reimbursed by Dentons for a total of eight exams per candidate — or one sitting per subject.
While Dentons offers a hybrid working model, there are plenty of nearby spots to suit every mood — whether you’re after a cocktail at the Saddle Room or a yoga session at the health spa down the road. Around the corner, the Bestseller wine bar offers 1920s grandeur with Parisian bistro charm. Inside, you’ll find cowhide chairs, chequered stone floors, and a door marked Bible House. It’s a great place for pastries, coffee, a hearty Irish breakfast, or a glass of wine from their well-curated selection. For something quicker, Beanhaven serves no-fuss coffee and wholesome bites, while Tang, just opposite, puts a Mediterranean spin on brunch. And of course, there’s St Stephen’s Green — atmospheric in winter and a true haven when the sun is shining.
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General Info
Dentons’ trainee programme is open to applicants from all degree disciplines who have already completed all FE1 examinations or are in the process of completing them. The vacation scheme, meanwhile, is open to applicants from all degree disciplines in their penultimate or final year of their undergraduate degree, and to graduates.
Total intake for Dentons trainees are not listed.