THE world's biggest law firm Baker & McKenzie officially opened their Belfast global services centre today at the new City Quays office development.
The company, which has recruited 100 of a planned 256 people in Belfast, is the first tenant in the new grade A offices at Belfast Harbour.
The firm has taken oven the top two floors of the four-storey building.
Baker & McKenzie's global director of operations Jason Marty relocated from Chicago to Belfast to serve as the initial executive director.
And he said there were significant opportunities for growing larger that initial plans.
"We have 100 staff at the moment with more arriving in August. I think the plan is that this time next year, we'll be at 200 and then reach capacity in the year following," he said. "It's very very conceivable that we'll go beyond that."
The company's global chief operating officer Craig Courter added: "When we came and looked at the buildings and realised this building was a potential, we were really excited about it.
"The harbour was able to guarantee the building would be open on time, and everything we have been told has come true."
Baker & McKenzie announced plans to set up in Belfast last August in an investment, backed by £1.28 million from Invest Northern Ireland.
In terms of revenue, Baker & McKenzie is the world's largest legal company and it already employs 11,000 people in 47 countries.
The firm made the move after making several visits to the north including to the investment conference hosted by British prime minister David Cameron at Titanic Belfast in 2013.
Company executives said a visit to their offices by then enterprise minister Arlene Foster also helped persuade them to set up in Northern Ireland.
They are the latest Chicago head-quartered company to enter Northern Ireland alongside the likes of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Allstate and Caterpillar.
City Quays 1 is the only top grade office development to complete in the city this year and goes some way to addressing what has been described a chronic shortage of high-class business space in Belfast.
The building is the first of a phased development which will also see a further nine-story block of offices, retail and restaurant space.
There are plans too to build a hotel on the site.
