Our Firm

In September 1911 Navan was the largest town in Co Meath. It was a bustling market town with a number of saw mills, a cotton mill, a clothing factory, a number of bakeries and a regular fair where Farmers came to buy and sell animals and other produce.
It was, however, very different to today. Navan Carpets had not yet been founded, Navan O Mahony’s Gaelic Football Club did not exist, nor did Saint Patricks Classical School, and in that year, the Foundation Stone for the County Council Offices on Railway Street was laid.
In that year Ambrose Steen, the son of a Kilmessan farmer, qualified as a Solicitor. He decided to commence Practice as a Solicitor in Navan. He rented a room over the bicycle shop of James A Kearney at 33 Trimgate Street, and commenced practice on September 11th 1911. Our original records show that the capital for this venture was £20 which was provided by his mother.
The records show that over time his Legal Practice expanded and many people in the County began to use his services. A glance through the records shows the names of people whose grandchildren and great grandchildren are still clients of the Practice.
There were many turbulent years in Ireland before peace came, and Ambrose Steen was then appointed the first State Solicitor for Co Meath. His role as State Solicitor was to represent The State in all legal matters in Co Meath, including the prosecution of all crime in the County.
In 1940 he was joined in the Practice by his son Barry.
During this time Navan was expanding, both in business and in leisure activities. The manufacture of furniture was expanding, with men like John Hogg, William ‘The Bard’ Walsh, Peter Geraghty and Michael Reilly establishing successful businesses, and whose factories would later produce more furniture manufacturers such as Fosters, Sherlocks, Morans, McGoonas, Brennans and Nelsons. Navan Carpets, which became famous worldwide, was established in 1938.
In 1946 Ambrose passed away and Barry, his son, took over and was soon appointed State Solicitor for County Meath. He held that position until his retirement in 1982.
Barry was well known and highly regarded in the community and, in 1959, was a founder member of Navan Chamber of Commerce which quickly established itself and, in 1964, held the first of what was to become an annual Trade Fair. The Trade Fair grew until in 1981 it moved into a 40,000 square foot purpose built Exhibition Centre in Navan.
In 1970 Lead and Zinc were discovered just outside Navan in what was to prove to be the biggest such deposit in Europe. Tara Mines became one of the biggest employers in the area and spawned many other businesses.
In 1972 Brendan Steen, a cousin of Barry’s, and a native of Dundalk, and Vincent O Reilly from Navan, qualified as Solicitors and joined the Practice, becoming partners in January 1973, when the name was changed to Steen O Reilly & Co.
Our practice continued to expand and over the next number of years expanded into 34 Trimgate Street and ultimately into 31 and 32. When Barry Steen retired he was succeeded in the role of State Solicitor for Co Meath by Vincent O Reilly.
Brendan and Vincent have always been involved in sporting, social, and community activities, including Navan Chamber of Commerce, Round Table, Lions Club, Navan Rugby Club and Royal Tara Golf Club.
2004 saw a further development within our firm when Tony Hyland, Daragh Fitzsimons and Michael Finnegan, who had been with us for a number of years became Partners.
In 2006 the practice expanded further when W O Armstrong Solicitors, another long established County Meath firm [established in 1913] merged with us.
Our state of the art IT infrastructure and resources enable us to provide a fast, professional and efficient service to our clients. Among our many strengths is our back up team of loyal, dedicated, and extremely able Secretaries and Legal Executives, many of whom have been with us for over twenty five years.
2011: While we are very proud of the fact that we have clients who are the third and fourth generation of families to use us as their Solicitors, we always welcome new clients who, we hope, will also become long term clients!

 Steen O’Reilly Solicitors are now proudly celebrating 100 years and business and as they say....”Here's to the next 100 years”