Ogier is pleased to welcome three new lawyers to the partnership - investment funds specialist Richard Bennett and, from Ogier Leman in Ireland, dispute resolution expert Maria Edgeworth and real estate expert Gavin Fitzgerald.

Richard, Maria and Gavin have all graduated from Ogier's partner development programme.

"It's fantastic to be able to celebrate the progression that Richard, Maria and Gavin have each made. We take enormous pride in supporting the personal and professional development of our people, and these promotions further demonstrate Ogier's commitment to nurturing, recognising and rewarding home grown talent across our locations," said global senior partner Rachael Reynolds KC.

Richard, who is based in London, is a long-standing and valued member of Ogier's global investment funds team. He provides Cayman Islands and BVI legal advice to clients in European time zones and regularly advises on complex, cross-border structures. Richard's practice primarily centres on advising investment funds, acting for both private equity and hedge fund clients.

Richard also advises more broadly in relation to downstream corporate, finance and private wealth matters relating to investment and divestment activities, shareholder agreements, security arrangements, family offices and "fund of one" structures.

Maria is a lawyer in Ogier Leman's Dispute Resolution team. She advises on all aspects of commercial litigation, with particular expertise in the areas of property and construction disputes, and has experience running cases at all levels of the Irish Court system, including the Commercial List.

A CEDR Accredited Mediator, she has experience in alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation. Maria has a niche specialism in the area of liquor licensing, acting on behalf of some of Ireland's largest entertainment groups and advising on the licensing of many prominent venues, including restaurants, bars, theatres, cinemas, breweries, and distilleries. Maria trained at Ogier Leman prior to qualifying as a solicitor.

Gavin is a part of Ogier Leman's Real Estate team and has advised some of Ireland's largest commercial property businesses and regularly works with top tier Irish developers on several of their commercial property portfolios. Gavin was the lead counsel in three of Ireland's largest real estate transactions in 2022. Gavin advises on all areas of commercial property with a particular focus on commercial development, property finance, acquisitions and disposals, proptech and development structuring.

Ogier joined forces with Dublin based commercial law firm Leman Solicitors LLP in 2022, resulting in a combined firm, Ogier Leman. Ogier Leman offers legal services to the Irish market including corporate, banking and finance, real estate, dispute resolution and employment, and an international network providing banking, corporate and funds services.