WEALTH May 4, 2026 0 Comments

Unlocking the Hidden Goldmine: Why Alan Murphy Says EY Data Services Are Suddenly Exploding in Demand—and How You Can Capitalize Now!

Ever wonder why juggling multiple advisors feels like herding cats in today’s cutthroat, regulation-heavy business jungle? You’re not alone. More and more organizations are waking up to a simple truth: having one connected team—legal, tax, advisory—all singing from the same sheet can save time, slash costs, and reduce headaches. Alan Murphy, Partner and Head of Law at EY Law Ireland, nails it when he talks about this surge in client demand for integrated, cross-border expertise that goes beyond traditional legal advice. It’s about partnership, nuance, and foresight in an era where legislation like the EU AI Act and cybersecurity mandates are reshaping how businesses operate globally. Clients don’t just want answers; they want a quarterback to steer them through complex deals, new regulations, and unforeseen risks like third- and even fourth-party exposures. As corporate governance scrutiny tightens and compliance grows more intricate, the call for holistic, streamlined solutions is louder than ever. Curious how EY Law Ireland is not just keeping pace but leading this evolution? Dive in and find out how connecting the dots might just be the game-changer your business needs. LEARN MORE

“Client demand is growing as organisations recognise the value of having one connected team” – Alan Murphy, Partner and Head of Law, EY Law Ireland

ACTIVITY

In an increasingly demanding and highly regulated business environment, clients are seeking simplification of processes and procedures and streamlining of advice, whether on day‑to‑day legal matters or more complex deals and transactions.

EY Law Ireland’s ability to offer not only cross-border expertise but also fully integrated, cross-service-line solutions — delivered in collaboration with EY colleagues in tax, corporate finance, consulting and other areas — enables us to provide a consolidated service solution that leads to efficiencies in time, cost and project management for our clients.

In an era defined by growing complexity and accelerating regulatory demands, we’re seeing strong momentum behind this approach.

Client demand is growing as organisations recognise the value of having one connected team, rather than navigating multiple firms for their legal, tax and advisory needs.

IMPACT OF LEGISLATION

The EU AI Act, the EU Data Act and new cybersecurity laws (such as the NIS2 Directive) continue to keep our team and clients busy.

These and other EU legislation introduce significant technology and data supply chain considerations, which are requiring our clients to strategise to a level of detail that they didn’t need to before in assessing — for example, third- and even fourth-party risks (risks not only from their direct service providers but also from those providers’ own subcontractors).

Consequently, we’re seeing an increased demand for the services provided by our EY data, regulatory and geopolitical colleagues.

The introduction of pension auto-enrolment at the start of 2026 impacted our clients for the latter part of 2025 as they prepared and budgeted for the scheme.

A new cohort of employers also came into scope to report their gender pay gap in 2025.

This saw our clients grappling with further compliance reporting within their business with many using it as an opportunity to review their employee population and start the process of preparing for EU Pay Transparency in 2026.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

There is definitely greater scrutiny (and demand for greater accountability) around corporate governance in Ireland.

Those companies that are subject to listing rules and reporting regimes are investing considerable time and resources, not only into being compliant but also adopting best practice.

We’re also seeing an increased demand from third-party stakeholders such as lenders/funders for greater corporate governance reporting and transparency as this is often a pre-condition to funding that companies must comply.

FUTURE TRENDS

Increasingly, our clients are not seeking legal advice in isolation. Particularly in more complex deals, they require a more holistic approach involving practice areas such as tax and corporate finance.

Picutred L-R: Olga Dursun, Director EY Law Ireland, Gina Aherne, EY Law Ireland, Alan Murphy, Head of EY Law Ireland and Susan Walsh, Director EY Law Ireland

Not only do they expect their lawyers to advise what the law is, but also to interpret the law, synthesise it with other advice and apply it to the commercial reality of their business.

They want their lawyers to partner with them in an increasingly regulated, high-paced, high-risk business environment.

They need their lawyers to advise them, not only nationally, but also internationally, and to be able to navigate them through unfamiliar jurisdictions with unfamiliar laws and practices: we increasingly find ourselves “quarterbacking” deals for our clients in other jurisdictions.