The Legal Cheek View
Pinsent Masons entered the Dublin legal market in 2017, following the Brexit referendum. Upon arrival, the firm swiftly attracted local talent, recruiting partners and their teams from leading Irish outfits. It set up shop at 1 Windmill Lane in the heart of Silicon Docks — a sleek, mixed-use development that blends exposed brick with modern glass for a striking visual impression. The building features a spacious lobby adorned with fresh flowers and warm gold LEDs, as well as multiple rooftop terraces, all just steps away from the south bank of the River Liffey and the iconic Samuel Beckett Bridge.
Before the Windmill Quarter became home to Pinsent Masons, it was a legendary recording spot where U2 and The Waterboys laid down some of their classic tracks. Just don’t expect to find an obvious sign for the firm on the street.
Dublin is a key growth base for Pinsents. Their strategic hires and growing teams are both disruptors and leaders, with special expertise in technology, particularly life sciences IP, renewables, and energy, plus financial services, especially banking, finance, M&A, and private equity. Trainees can also expect the full complement including real estate, AI, right across to pro bono, construction – and the newest department, tax. And, of course, this international firm has a strong advantage in cross-border deals and cases involving multiple jurisdictions. Clients range from tech startups to Barclays and from logistics giants to pharmaceutical innovators.
The Dublin office offers 4-5 TCs a year during their September-October application window, with first year trainees earning a healthy €46k, up €48k by the second year – and reviewed on an annual basis. NQs are paid a very competitive €76,500. All trainees have their tuition covered during the PPC at Blackhall. Selection for your four seats in the TC include corporate; IP; banking/restructuring and property; technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT); civil/commercial litigation; and energy and projects/finance. Trainees can make requests for preference.
Pinsent Masons is a global firm with around 500 partners and significant operations across 28 offices in Europe, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East. This international footprint offers trainees access to a truly global network, setting it apart from some of its Irish-headquartered competitors.
Despite its global scale, Legal Cheek understands that the firm’s smaller Dublin intake allows trainees greater access to senior lawyers, including the office’s 16+ partners, for hands-on training and professional development. Profit per equity partner sits at around €1 million, and the firm has recently expanded its presence in Ireland by launching Pinsent Masons Vario in Dublin — part of its drive to grow its flexible lawyering service for in-house legal teams.
The firm was an early mover on introducing programmes to ensure that LGBTQ+ lawyers found the firm a comfortable place in which to work, and is regularly voted a top employer across the world for it. Dockers blue-tiled pub is just around the corner for food or a drink afterwork, and catches the sun perfectly off the river, as do the tables outside Gerard’s, a coffee shop built into a repurposed wharf warehouse. For healthier brunches, try Sprout, or on busier days a Eurospar can service your quickest meal deals. There’s a gym and health bar nearby, too.
Pinsents seek 450+ Leaving Certificate points and a predicted or achieved 2.i or above, with scope for mitigating circumstances. After making the paper sift, expect an online SJT and case study, plus a short, pre-recorded video interview before being called to the one-day assessment centre, where hopefuls are tested via interview, a business simulation exercise, and a case study. For those wanting a little more insight, Pinsent Masons offer a summer internship every year.