Ireland and New York Bar Associations Forge New Partnership
9.16.2026
New York State Bar Association President Taa Grays signs agreement while International Section Chair Helen Naves looks on.
A new partnership agreement between the New York State Bar Association and the Bar of Ireland was signed in Manhattan this week, formalizing ties between the two legal communities and strengthening cooperation between Ireland and the United States in international law and business.
The signing ceremony at the American Irish Historical Society between Taa Grays, president of the New York State Bar Association, and Seán Guerin, chair of the Council of The Bar of Ireland, capped off the group’s three-day trade mission to New York.
“This MOU is an opportunity to collaborate, to partner, to advance our respective missions and to learn from each other,” Grays said. “To work together and to bring harmony in the world.”
President Grays was joined by International Section Chair Helen Naves and section members Howard Fischer and Ed Lenci who were part of a panel discussing the advantages for American businesses of using Ireland as a forum for international arbitrations in Europe. Fischer said Ireland provides an attractive option for transactions involving both American and European parties.
“It’s a great choice post-Brexit for a transaction with an EU connection,” he said. “This is a gateway to EU law done in a common-law style.”
Leaders of Ireland’s governmental and legal establishments attended including former Taoiseach Enda Kenny, now president of Ireland for Law; Catherine Ardagh, minister of state at Ireland’s Department of Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration; Rossa Fanning, attorney general of Ireland, Justice David Barniville, president of Ireland’s High Court and Ireland’s designated arbitration judge, and Paul McGarry, former chair of the Bar of Ireland.
“Signing a memorandum of understanding with the New York State Bar Association is a real highlight,” Guerin told Irish Central.com. “When we consider the shared legal history and legal culture, what’s most important is not the ability to recognize procedural steps that look very similar in the other country as they do at home, or even a shared common-law background. It’s a shared fundamental commitment to the rule of law which underlies all of that.”
The trade mission is part of a growing effort by Ireland’s legal sector to expand its international profile. Ireland for Law was established by the Irish Government in 2019 to promote Irish law and legal services internationally, particularly in commercial sectors where Ireland already has a significant presence.
(L-R) Paul McGarry, Howard Fischer, Helen Naves, Joe O’Malley, Ed Lenci and Seán Guerin.