Catherine Ardagh

The business mission took place over three days, Tuesday 8 to Thursday 10 September. It was organised by Ireland for Law, a government-supported initiative, established by the justice minister in 2019.

Ireland for Law promotes Irish law and Irish legal services to the international business community, particularly for particularly for commercial sectors where Ireland is already a world leader, including aviation finance, funds, insurance, tech, pharma and life sciences. It is among a number of initiatives that form part of Ireland’s response to Brexit.

Ms Ardagh said: “I have enjoyed participating in Ireland for Law’s business mission to New York and supporting this important initiative to promote Ireland’s legal sector internationally. The government is committed to strengthening Ireland’s position as a leading international legal centre and initiatives such as this mission play an important role in showcasing the expertise, professionalism and global outlook of our legal community.

“Over the course of the mission I engaged with business leaders and legal professionals in New York to highlight the strengths of Ireland’s legal system and to further deepen the strong economic and commercial ties between Ireland and the United States.”

Ms Ardagh attended seven separate engagements to highlight Ireland’s expertise and experience with topics such as anti-money laundering, litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution. The panel events featured pre-eminent speakers from Irish and US-based legal services and businesses.

The final engagement took place on Thursday afternoon, hosted by the American Irish Historical Society, on how Ireland’s court system and legal framework serve as a gateway for global corporations navigating European commerce, regulation, and dispute resolution.

Ms Ardagh was also joined on the mission by the Hon. Mr. Justice David Barniville, President of the High Court, Attorney General Rossa Fanning and former Taoiseach Enda Kenny.