Foot Anstey joins forces with McKees in national expansion

National law firm Foot Anstey has today expanded beyond England as it announces it is joining forces with Belfast-based law firm McKees.

With Northern Ireland’s professional service sector having undergone unprecedented growth, and it being a key market for many international clients, the tie-up is a critical next step in Foot Anstey’s ambition to service clients across Britain and Ireland. The tie-up will allow both firms to benefit from shared expertise, strong sector alignment and a cross-jurisdictional, united workforce. As part of the two firms joining forces, McKees will be known as Foot Anstey McKees from 2nd June 2025.

McKees shares many practice area strengths with Foot Anstey, including banking and finance, dispute resolution, real estate and corporate services. The two firms will be combining forces to benefit from aligned experience, in particular across the corporate, finance, retail and leisure, private wealth and real estate sectors.

Martin Hirst, Managing Partner at Foot Anstey, commented: “Today marks the beginning of an exciting chapter in Foot Anstey’s story as we cement our growth into a truly national firm. Northern Ireland provides a critical gateway to European markets, and the combination will offer significant opportunity to existing and new clients alike.”

“Like us, McKees is an ambitious firm with a loyal and impressive client base and rigorous focus on quality. It has been striking just how aligned we are in terms of culture, with a true focus on innovation and collaboration at every level.”

Chris Ross, Managing Director at Foot Anstey McKees, added: “The deal marks a significant milestone in our firm’s history, and we are excited to join forces with a firm that shares our values and ethos. It is clear that both firms share a commitment to delivering high quality client service, whilst fostering a collaborative culture to truly hone our legal talent. “

“Foot Anstey shares many of our own sector specialisms and we look forward to harnessing our shared networks and legal expertise – benefiting from the economies of scale the tie-up will offer.”

Further strengthening the firm’s presence in Belfast, Alastair Keith has recently joined the firm. With 20 years’ experience advising on corporate transactions across domestic and international markets, his expertise includes acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, group reorganisations, joint ventures, and board-level advice on corporate governance and company law compliance. Ranked Band 1 in Chambers and as a leading individual in Legal 500, Alastair acts for a broad range of clients, from high-growth SMEs to global corporates and international law firms.

McKees has also announced the promotion of Avril McCammon to Partner. Avril originally joined McKees as a trainee and now leads the Banking, Restructuring and Insolvency Team. With over 30 years' experience, she advises UK, Irish and international banks on secured lending, security documentation, refinancing, and cross-border transactions. Avril is one of three lawyers in Northern Ireland ranked in Band 1 by Chambers and Partners for Banking and Finance work.

Earlier this year, Foot Anstey announced the appointment of three lateral hires to its developer, construction and IP teams. In April, the firm announced the promotion of five to partnership and, in May, they bolstered their Manchester presence with the appointment of former General Counsel and Company Secretary of listed online retailer boohoo group, Tom Kershaw.