Ms Murtagh, Mr Hadden, Ms O’Gara, Ms Eccles and Ms Sweeney have joined the healthcare, banking, commercial, corporate and procurement teams respectively.

The firm has also welcomed seven trainee solicitors into its solicitor training programme in Belfast for the next two years, alongside eight other trainees currently completing their second year on the programme.

Roger McMillian, managing partner, said: “At Carson McDowell we pride ourselves in providing a first-rate training programme which invests in the growth and development of future lawyers and our firm. It has been a pleasure to watch our newly qualified solicitors grow throughout their two-year training programme, each finding their specialism and legal career path.

“Bobbi, Paul, Ruth, Clara and Emer are already valued members of our team and I look forward to watching their careers progress further over the years ahead as they grow their skills in their individual practice areas.”

The recent appointments see the firm now employ over 200 people in its Belfast and Dublin offices, with the latest recruits growing their legal team to 117 solicitors.

Neasa Quigley, senior partner, said: “These appointments come in response to the firm’s continued growth and success across a number of sectors in Northern Ireland and reflect our commitment to developing talent internally to drive high performance across our business.

“Becoming a newly qualified solicitor is a significant achievement for each individual. They will add to Carson McDowell’s market-leading teams and enhance our existing expertise to service our ambitious clients.”

Ms Quigley, who is also chair of the firm’s diversity and inclusion committee, added: “Gender diversity is balanced right across our firm including at senior management level, with 16 of our 34 partners being female and in our recent appointments with four of our five newly qualified solicitors being women.”

All five of the newly-qualified solicitors also participated in the firm’s internship, insight or opens days before joining the training programme in 2020.

“This early investment of time supports students in making a more informed decision about their future and ultimately helps Carson McDowell retain talent,” Mr McMillan said.