Horwich Farrelly opens new Northern Ireland office

Horwich Farrelly has opened a new office in Northern Ireland.

Matthew Fitzpatrick will return as a partner to the specialist insurance law firm to head up the office, having spent time at two of Northern Ireland’s most prominent law firms.

Fitzpatrick worked for Horwich Farrelly for over 10 years, completing his training contract with the firm and becoming the manager of the firm’s Liverpool branch before returning to Northern Ireland. His wide-ranging experience includes litigation, commercial, insurance construction and personal injury disputes.

Most recently he dealt with one of the largest ever injury settlements in Northern Ireland’s history.

“It is a great privilege to return to Horwich Farrelly at such an important time in its growth”, said Matthew Fitzpatrick.

“When I first joined the firm there were just 40 employees.

“This has now grown to over 750 staff, building a strong reputation as the leading name in litigation in England and Wales.”

Local experience

And Fitzpatrick said he would use his local experience to drive the firm to become a leading insurance specialist in Northern Ireland.

He added: “There is a real desire to change the way litigation is dealt with in Northern Ireland; it is often a long drawn out process that is simply costing people and companies too much money.

“At Horwich Farrelly we intend to modernise the way cases are handled.

“We accept that the changes will be met with resistance by some, however we have the skills and expertise to achieve our goal.”

A number of experienced individuals have already relocated to Belfast from other offices to support Fitzpatrick in building Horwich Farrelly’s presence in the Province, with further expansion planned.  

Ronan McCann, partner at Horwich Farrelly, said: “We are delighted to welcome Matthew back to the team; he has the right expertise and attitude to head up our Belfast operation.

“He is a leading figure in all areas of insurance litigation in Northern Ireland with impressive results behind him.

“Combining his vision for the firm with his expertise, we are confident that Matthew will be instrumental in ensuring Horwich Farrelly builds a strong reputation in Northern Ireland.”