Perhaps not surprisingly for a former professional sportsman, Jan Cunningham chooses a sporting analogy to describe the challenge of taking on the Managing Partner’s role at Belfast law firm Millar McCall Wylie.
“I always say that it was a bit like David Moyes taking over from Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United,” he smiles. “It certainly felt like that from my perspective.”
Jan Cunningham took over the reins from Peter McCall, one of the city’s top real estate lawyers, and one of the three founding fathers of Millar McCall Wylie alongside Conor Wylie and David Millar. The trio set up the firm back in 1997 with an office in Ballyhackamore. The East Belfast office still houses the firm’s private client and residential conveyancing practices, with the rest of the teams based in the city centre.
Millar McCall Wylie re-located during the summer from its former base at Imperial House. Donegall Square East, to the brand new City Printworks building in Queen Street, an old Victorian print warehouse carefully redeveloped by owner Pete Boyle and his team at Angus Properties.
Complete with restored original floors, metal beams and exposed brickwork, it must rank as one of the city’s most sympathetic and unique property restoration projects of recent years, and the team at Millar McCall Wylie are delighted with their new city centre base.
“We needed more space so we decided that it was time for a move,” says Jan Cunningham, who has been a partner since 2011 and leads the firm’s employment law practice. “We considered a couple of options but this place was by far the best.
“We’ve even used the office move to introduce open plan working right across the practice,” he explains. “All of us, partners included, work in open plan areas. Some might have had a few quiet doubts, but it seems to have worked out really well for everyone.
“What it also does is increase our appeal as an employer,” he adds. “It’s difficult enough to recruit young lawyers these days. Far too many of them are hoovered up by the big international firms which have opened in Belfast over recent years.
“So, when we do recruit talent, we have to be able to retain that talent. That’s where having a leading edge, ultra modern office base comes into play.”
With a staff of 60 plus, Millar McCall Wylie has come a long way since its early days in the late 90’s, but Jan Cunningham reckons that it’s important to hold on to its traditional values despite impressive growth over the years.
Peter McCall still helps to run a busy real estate practice, while Conor Wylie continues to command a reputation as one of the top private client lawyers around town. But a newer breed of partners is helping to drive the firm forward.
Jan Cunningham, a former Ulster rugby player and member of the 1999 European Cup winning team, is joined on the senior team by Damian McParland (Corporate & Commercial), Caroline Prunty (Litigation) by Chief Operating Officer, Christopher McCandless and by directors Simon Fleming (Real Estate) and John Finnegan (Banking).
“Our strength lies in our collegiality internally – the fact that we work closely together and the way we do so. Externally, it’s all about approachability. We try not to fall into the trap that some large law firms fall into, where their partners become a bit inaccessible. We want to stay close to our clients and to be available to them,” he says. “In short, we want to grow but we don’t want to lose sight of our core values.”
In terms of specialist areas, Millar McCall Wylie covers all of the bases. Among more recent developments are an Insolvency team led by Jason Byrne. In addition, it has built expertise in some less predictable areas. It has one of Belfast’s leading media teams, and through its relationship with Northern Ireland Screen, has acted as legal advisors on over 1,200 television, film and new media productions produced by independent filmmakers as well as major studios and networks.
Going forward, Jan Cunningham says that it will be all about managing further growth. “We have to build on our strengths, stay true to our ethos and continue to work hard for our clients. Those elements are the foundation we’re building our future upon.”