Matheson LLP > Dublin, Ireland > Firm Profile

‘Always super responsive; pleasant to work with; high quality of work; flexible.’

‘Stuart Kennedy is highly recommended. Takes a proactive approach and highly service oriented.’

‘Matheson are one of the best firms for aviation finance in Ireland. Real strength in depth. The fees are competitive and advice clear.’

‘Stuart Kennedy is our main relationship partner. My first choice for most matters on the transaction side. Additionally Yvonne McWeeney has been very helpful on several transactions this year. One thing that impresses me in particular is the lack of fee creep – if we agree a fixed or cap fee, they stick to it.’

‘Matheson is a highly collegiate firm with a strong client-focused ethos. They have impressed me with their approach to client management generally, making clients feel valued. They have wide breadth of talent and expertise.’

‘Donal O’Donovan is an excellent transaction lawyer – personable and very practical. Paddy Molloy is a hugely experienced, no-nonsense lawyer who can handle anything you throw at him.’

‘With Matheson the simple things are always done to an exceptional standard. Partner availability and responsiveness were in excess of expectations, while both Partners and Associates demonstrated significant levels of expertise to assist in documenting a complex transaction. They are never afraid to give an opinion and their insight formed a crucial part of our credit process for a particularly challenging transaction. Specific standout individuals referenced include Donal O’Donovan and Finnbahr Boyle.’

‘Matheson have the strongest team in Banking & Finance in Ireland. They have experience and depth across all areas and are always able to add value to a transaction.’

‘Their international network and knowledge of global banking markets is vital for us when we are dealing with international borrowers / sponsors.’

‘Donal O’Donovan and Patrick Molloy are brilliant to work with. They bring a huge work ethic, an eye for detail while retaining an ability to step out of the trees in order to see the woods. They make themselves available for discussions and advice whenever required and take control of the legal work for us in a very assured and collaborative manner. Beyond the deal, they are active in providing us with training, thought leadership and ideas for new ways of operating.’

‘The team at Matheson are excellent. Partners are always available and very responsive. Senior partners can call on their extensive experience to cut to the main issues.’

‘Excellent product / structure knowledge particularly in my sector. Up to speed with all innovations in the market.’

‘The team is commercial, delivers on time, and importantly, sets off with the knowledge of what its clients are trying to achieve in mind.’

‘Niamh Sheerin is an absolutely exceptional associate by the standards of any jurisdiction.’

‘Turlough Galvin is the partner we most frequently work with. We are entirely confident he supervises behind the scenes and ensures everything is to a standard.’

‘They delivered the required outcome on-time and within budget and we have been very satisfied with their work. We intend to continue using them in future.’

‘The partners that we have dealt with are Richard Kelly and Will Foot. Both partners are always personally available to address any queries or provide advice. They are highly responsive and always provide a very short turn-around on any matters raised with them.’

‘The Matheson team is always extremely practical in their approach. They understand what our objectives are as a client and work to find solutions as opposed to pointing out roadblocks.’

‘Eoin Shiel has been fantastic in the capital markets practice. He has been very responsive and works well with not just the legal function, but with our Finance and Tax groups as well.’

‘Always available, great personalities, will go the extra mile when needed, smart and tireless.’

‘The corporate team in Matheson is excellent. Very responsive, thorough, excellent negotiators and deliver advice on complex topics in a pragmatic and workable way.’

‘Caroline Kearns is a standout partner in the Corporate team in Matheson, Caroline is exceptionally thorough and an excellent negotiator. You know you are in safe, capable hands with Caroline.’

‘Eoin Shiel is a standout associate with Matheson. Very thorough, really gets into the detail of the transaction. Very knowledgable and practical.’

‘David Fitzgibbon and Enda Garvey are an excellent team.’

‘David Fitzgibbon is a superb lawyer who gets on with a diverse range of managers and board directors, and is well capable of dealing with awkward people when he comes across them.’

‘In the M&A context, I love how collaborative Matheson is with all other parties at the table. They work extremely well with our US counsel, as well as opposing counsel, which makes transactions more efficient and less costly to complete.’

‘David Fitzgibbon has been a delight to work with. David is always available and responsive, has great demeanour with our Board of Directors and takes a practical approach to his advice.’

‘Full engagement from the team over many years. The continuity of staff also saves time and energy in every new situation and at the same time ensures that prior experiences are fully used and taken advantage of. That several individuals are involved also give needed back-up when the relationship lasts for many years.’

‘Nicola Dunleavy has been a key person for us for many years. Her engagement and high knowledge and smart thinking is very valuable.’

‘Ruadhán Kenny, has been very involved the last years. His engagement, commitment and knowledge is very important for us.’

‘Working with the Matheson Team is a true partnership. The team always seeks to understand the business perspective before providing multiple solutions and options.’

‘Bryan Dunne is exceptional. He understands the business very well and always provides sound practical guidance and advice.’

‘The firm is at the cutting edge of employment law in Ireland. A very sophisticated team which provides practical advice.’

‘Russell Rochford is an amazing lawyer. He is very intelligent, practical and pragmatic and always has a great sense of industry trends. His practicality is exactly what is needed when advising outside clients who can’t always take the most conservative path. He advises on a range of employment issues, from complex redundancies to individualized issues concerning leave and discipline.’

‘Ailbhe Dennehy is an exceptional lawyer. The knowledge and expertise she has in her field make her an objective and trustworthy lawyer who gives well-rounded advice.’

‘Firstly it is the size and depth of their employment practice. Secondly is their breadth of experience and understanding of advising large employers in the financial services sector and the added dynamic of dealing with regulatory fitness and probity issues. Matheson delivers everything to clients in a trusted and knowledgeable way. They are able to interpret the regulatory landscape and summarize any employment impact, very helpful in connecting the dots.’

‘Unwavering 5 Star Service from both Partners and all associates. Their responsiveness, adaptability, tailored client-focused service, commerciality and consistent availability make them stand out from competitors.’

‘Russell Rochford is a key advisor in the employment realm, and his responsive and timely advice is always commercial and easy to use in day-to-day operations.’

‘All individuals show great attention to detail and make themselves available at short notice to provide key advice. Owen Collins and Garret Farrelly can be relied on to provide timely and excellent guidance and support.’

‘Matheson LLP provides incredibly timely and commercial legal support on the construction documentation and power purchase agreement negotiation. Their knowledge of the market and market norms/trends is incredibly helpful.’

‘The firm has a good overall legal and regulatory understanding of the Irish electricity market.’

‘Seán Scally is a go-to lawyer of choice for all construction and power purchase agreements in the UK and Irish market. His responsiveness and understanding of client’s requirements makes him super efficient and enables clients to negotiate strongly with counterparties.’

‘Seán Scally is instrumental in advising clients, very well versed in his area of expertise and is very thorough in the review of every single contract. He is also very commercially savvy and always directs client’s attention to key commercial points.’

‘Both Seán Scally and Owen Collins have excellent energy industry and policy knowledge and understanding of the priorities of Government.’

‘The Matheson team have a detailed knowledge and understanding of the legal arrangements which underpin the energy/electricity sector and combine that with an in-depth understanding of how the business functions.’

‘The Matheson solicitors are extremely knowledgeable about the sector. They are certainly market leaders in this regard.’

‘Kate McKenna is a stand out partner. Her availability, knowledge set and experience is matchless within the competition law sphere. Calum Warren is excellent, very practical, excellent availability and he explains complex topics very clearly.’

‘The team provided a depth of experience, bringing insights and perspectives from experience elsewhere. The team offers strong coverage which enables a broad agenda to be covered efficiently.’

‘Exceptionally strong team, very well-led by Niall Collins. Great depth in tech, financial services, and across a range of sectors. The team provides responsive, commercial and on-point advice. Excellent and first-choice in Ireland.’

‘Niall Collins is a fantastic leader for the team. Exceptionally astute, commercial, strategic in his advice. Fantastic client service. Trusted partner in Ireland.’

‘Kate McKenna is technically and strategically strong. Client friendly, collaborative and very impressive.’

‘Callum Warren provides excellent advice, is very solution focused and practical, as well as being incredibly responsive. All very valuable when trying to address complex issues in a commercial environment.’

‘The two stand out partners that I work with are Niall Collins and Kate McKenna. They are both multi jurisdictional but Kate is particularly excellent at media filings.’

‘They are certainly one of the leading Irish competition law practices and know the Irish regulator and courts very well – very capable.’

‘Large practice with good resources. Excellent restructuring knowledge and sector expertise.’

‘Kevin Gahan is an excellent and diligent restructuring solicitor.’

‘Matheson is a top legal firm. Having worked with many of their solicitors and teams over the years, I can safely say that their quality of service is consistently high across the entire firm.’

‘Brendan Colgan is an outstanding insolvency and restructuring lawyer. His practical and commercial advice is underpinned by a keen understanding of the law and experience handing complex cases. Brendan brings a personal touch to all client interaction, and I’ve never come across a lawyer who works so hard. Brendan is my trusted advisor and the first person I’m likely to call when facing a challenging case.’

‘The FIG team at Matheson are exceptional. We have worked with them for over 5 years and during that time they have gotten to know our business and tailored their advice based on our structure and circumstances. There is a clear division of responsibilities on the team e.g. transaction work, regulatory advice etc.’

‘Darren Maher is second to none. His knowledge and experience of the Irish insurance market is exceptional and always keeps a breast of the most recent developments in the sector.’

‘Darren Maher is an exceptional lawyer. He has a rare combination of deep specialist knowledge and broad commercial and legal perspectives. This allows him to advise on complex issues and bring together threads from more than one area of expertise.

‘Kieran O’Sullivan is an excellent and diligent associate lawyer.’

‘The individuals I deal with are experts in their chosen fields. Gráinne Callanan is an expert in Insurance Regulation and a pleasure to deal with. Gráinne always gets to the crux of the issue and navigates a way through. This approach is a real asset to the firm and distinguishes Matheson from its peers in Ireland. Gráinne consistently goes the extra mile for her clients with no fuss or ceremony. Her goal is always to get to the best possible solution for the client.

‘Matheson have excellent regulatory knowledge in general, and a very astute awareness of how regulators perceive both the market and market participants. Matheson’s partners’ insights have proven invaluable to us on many occasions. In particular, Darren Maher has an outstanding grasp of regulatory matters and provides incisive, commercially-minded, and pragmatic advices, which are invariably proven right over time.’

‘In the litigation space, Matheson has successfully run a high-profile appeal for us in the High Court, and ultimately the Court of Appeal. Despite many twists and turns, Matheson, and April McClements in particular, consistently steered the litigation in the right direction and oversaw an outstanding victory for us in the Courts, vindicating our decision to commence litigation in the first place.’

‘April oversaw the drafting of excellent submissions, both written and oral on the day, which ultimately found favour with all three Court of Appeal judges. If Matheson believes that you have a state-able case, they can be relied upon to attain the optimum outcome achievable in the particular circumstances of your case. Their expertise in this area is second to no-one in the Irish market.’

‘Knowledgeable, and diligent effective service. Supported by an experienced team. Top funds firm.’

‘Frequent partner personal contact and available access.’

‘Top tier. Very experienced and capable team. They know everything that there is to know about structuring and documenting investment funds, market practice and regulatory expectations. Advice is timely and practical. The team is highly client focused and delivery across the different partners in the team is seamless. Billing is transparent and there are no surprises. The firm offers excellent value. The Matheson team work readily and efficiently with other firms on cross-border structures.’

‘Dualta Counihan – Can do attitude. Approaches complex and demanding matters without drama. Broad and deep experience of fund structuring mandates. Dualta is also adept at handling regulatory matters.’

‘Anthony Gaskin – Exceptional client service.’

‘The team has considerable expertise in this area and customises service for the project at hand and drives the closing accordingly.’

‘Ruth Hunter is very knowledgeable.’

‘The team are responsive, helpful and provides good clarity in situations and cases.’

‘Ruadhán Kenny and Nicola Dunleavy SC are exemplary in their advice and responsiveness to our needs.’

‘An experienced team, very hard working under great leadership.’

‘Nicola Dunleavy SC is the best in the business. Knowledgeable and practical and works tirelessly for her clients and her team.’

‘Matheson’s level of engagement with the client and keeping the client informed as to all aspects of the litigation is first class. The team at Matheson also see the bigger picture. They see how one piece of litigation could affect other areas of the client’s operations and advise accordingly.’

‘Nicola Dunleavy SC runs an outstanding team at Matheson and is fully engaged in all cases. Her knowledge and understanding of planning and environmental law are exceptional. She is very much focused on solutions and advising the client on what it needs to do to secure planning permission/environmental consent.

‘Matheson LLP’s team is incredibly knowledgeable and provides great insight into the project and many of the nuances associated with it. They are quite approachable and focused on ensuring client’s questions are answered in a timely and professional manner.’

‘Conor Blennerhassett is one of those individuals that go above and beyond what is required of him. He has a clear understanding of the deal and is able to explain issues in a way that is suitable for those who are unfamiliar with the law (particularly Irish law). Further, he was more than willing to assist with tasks that are outside of the original scope of the engagement as the deal progressed.’

‘Matheson’s team is well-informed, quick to respond, and considered in their approach to all work streams.’

‘Conor Blennerhassett is a standout in relation to the depth of knowledge, commitment to timelines, and engagement during the negotiation stages.’

‘Matheson’s team has a strong knowledge of the sector, commercial and solution-based approach, collaboration across departments with a central point of contact.’

‘Conor Blennerhassett has good market and technical knowledge, a commercial/pragmatic/ solution-based approach, proactive on transactions and business development. Garret Farrelly is a commercial and solution-based approach, appropriate delegation to associates which results in more efficient deal management.’

‘The subject matter expertise, commercial approach and responsiveness of Garret Farrelly and Conor Blennerhassett make this practice unique and which potential clients would wish to know.’

‘Conor Blennerhassett has been an outstanding lawyer to work with. He has been incredibly responsive and has provided top-tier advice. He develops a great understanding of the needs of a client quickly and consistently goes a step above by providing succinct advice that is easily understood by the business which demonstrates his depth of knowledge and expertise in the Projects and PPP.’

‘Matheson advises on all aspects of real estate and construction law, including lease structures and agreements, sale of commercial property and land and property acquisition. Also, advice and preparation of Contact for Sales – Negotiation of Contracts. The service provided by Matheson is of high quality, and we have found them to be reliable, practical and solution-driven. Answer the queries promptly, provides commercially focused advice, and their vast knowledge & skills have been extremely helpful in all real estate and construction law matters.’

‘Leonie Dunne is invaluable in helping through complex legal structures and deals. She is astute, clear, and practical, always straightforward to understand and gives practical and straightforward advice. She is very knowledgeable and has a pragmatic and commercial approach to issues and contracts. She is decisive and delivers arguments with confidence and gravitas. She is always on hand to answer any questions.’

‘The team at Matheson are always available when you need them to assist with a query. They are very good at taking an issue and offering a workable solution. Cillian O’Boyle is very approachable and understands the key issues when dealing with a matter.’

‘The team is very approachable. Cillian O’Boyle is friendly and professional. The firm provides fast solutions to urgent problems.’

‘Brian Doran is a high-class operator, very knowledgeable and well-connected. Passionate about the transactions he is working on and a strong person to have in your corner. Michael Hastings is hard-working, intelligent, phlegmatic.’

‘Matheson real estate team has a strong knowledge of the renewables sector, with significant experience working on large transactions in the sector, which means that they can provide practical, commercial and up-to-date advice. They are very responsive and reliable, which is essential in this fast-moving sector. Unlike many other real estate practices, their high-quality output means.’

‘Cillian O’Boyle has excellent knowledge of the renewables sector, which means advice from the real estate team is practical, commercial and reflects current industry practice.’

‘Matheson’s real estate team provides excellent customer service, knowledge of Irish laws, and sound negotiating advice. They bring a high level of organisation, detailed reasoning, and examples to lead clients’ teams as they progress in the leasing process. They are critical and creative thinkers who look outside the box to solve and foresee problems before they occur.’

‘The team provides the highest quality of service. Matheson have a deep understanding of the Irish and international tax landscape and are able to provide sound advice to navigate complex issues.’

‘Shane Hogan, Brian Doohan and the team have exceptional client service. They are extremely responsive and will gather answers to complex questions in a very time efficient manner. They really understand our business and offer sound solutions when needed.’

‘Great team effort and committed to client request.’

‘Barry McGettrick is my key contact; proactive with a problem-solving focus.’

‘An excellent team – consistently impresses both in terms of quality of legal advice and in its delivery. The team understand the commercial and business practicalities faced by telecoms and tailor their advice to meet clients’ needs. Their ways of working are top quality and always available, even on short notice to assist with legal /regulatory queries. They are flexible and practical and demonstrate excellent commercial and telecoms industry knowledge. They are very responsive to emails and calls and offer great support.’

‘Kate McKenna and Simon Shinkwin are stand-out lawyers and have proven expert awareness of the telecoms industry and the challenges facing its clients in this industry. In particular, Simon Shinkwin is extremely responsive and impressive in delivering solutions-orientated advice and support to a very fast-paced business.’

‘The team in Matheson is well-resourced, very responsive and sharp. When necessary, they work seamlessly and actively manage the cases.’

‘The individuals in Matheson bring a broad range of skills and experience and are equally approachable. Kate McKenna is a master of her practice area and is equally comfortable giving technical and strategic advice.’

‘The team very quickly takes briefings, listens patiently, asks pertinent questions, and builds a key team in response to specific legal issues that are outstandingly tailored to the client’s business. Matheson offers incredible insight into the inner workings of the market, including the politics, contentions and key people. The team is fully invested in dilemmas and determined to construct the very best legal responses and strategies entirely suited to clients’ reality.’

‘The wonderful team at Matheson brings something specific to the table, and the team grew organically according to the client’s unique needs and is highly customised to those needs. Matheson has proved outstanding in providing just the right level of resources, which is often a challenge. Kate McKenna’s initial guidance is substantive and sound. She is fantastic at contextualising a fast-changing issue in terms of general regulation and specific technical-legal realities. Simon Shinkwin has a similar ability to digest significant amounts of information, interpret a variety of data, listen carefully to clients’ questions and opinions, provide highly trustworthy feedback on those questions and opinions, and collate various documents and resources to our strategic advantage.’

‘The team at Matheson is always available at short notice and have a great understanding of time pressures. From a client perspective, the advice is always clear, succinct and addresses the points fully.’

‘Simon Shinkwin stands out. He is very responsive and commercial and has good insight into what the rest of the telecoms market is doing.’

‘Joe Beashel is exceptional in terms of knowledge, practical advice and judgement.’

‘The fintech team is market leading, with a broad practice and excellent knowledge of the industry and its regulations.’

‘Joe Beashel is an outstanding lawyer and market leader in the fintech space. He has a great team in which Ian O’Mara and Ciarán Moloney stand out in terms of knowledge, speed of delivery and responsiveness.’

‘The team has a first-class understanding of the Irish financial services regulatory landscape.’

‘Joe Beashel is an excellent lawyer with a deep understanding of the market. Ian O’Mara is a top-class lawyer and is always on hand to give focused, commercially astute advice.’

‘The team is very responsive. Regardless of how significant an issue is, it gives great confidence and comfort to know that Matheson is always available to provide support.’

‘Joe Beashel has his finger on the pulse of industry and regulator. He always seems to know the right level to pitch issues with regulators. Louise Dobby has great agility to read into matters at short notice.’

‘A very commercial and knowledgeable team. It goes the extra mile for its clients.’

‘Matheson LLP is a go-to firm for complex construction projects in Ireland. Their consideration & scenario planning from a legal perspective is hugely helpful when dealing with challenging transactions.’ 

‘Nicola Dunleavy and Ruadhán Kenny have strong engagement and high knowledge.’

‘Rhona Henry with support from junior team members, offers excellent service. Regular meetings to help ensure all are fully aware of implications, what the other side may be considering / legal angles and options that are fully presented, debated and thought through.’

‘Rhona Henry is an excellent lawyer and has an innate ability to condense incredibly complex and contentious issues into digestible pragmatic legal and commercial advice.’

‘The team are proactive, knowledgeable and always willing to go the extra mile to support clients and achieve the best possible outcome, in any given matter.’

‘Points of law and relevant legislation is always well researched and advice provided is therefore always comprehensive and appropriate to the bespoke situation of the individual client.’

‘The team always acts very professionally, even in difficult and highly emotive situations.’

‘The healthcare team are highly professional and led by Rebecca Ryan who is the epitome of professionalism. Extremely knowledgeable, conscientious, empathetic with every client, she is always willing to go over and above for every client.’

‘The healthcare team are always very responsive to all messages and requests and always reply in a timely fashion. As a team, they demonstrate great understanding that the clients often find themselves in very difficult and challenging professional and personal circumstances, providing allowances for clients in relation to same.’

‘Will continue to be my #1 firm to go to for any legal related work. Quality of work is always exceptional.’

‘Great team, creative, smart and tireless.’

‘The team has a very good understanding of the business and of the competitive environment in which the business operates. Advice is always practical and tailored to the situation at hand. Technical and legal expertise is always up-to-date, and always recognises and seeks to mitigate the risks.’

‘Anne-Marie Bohan and Rory O’Keeffe go the extra mile and are always focused and pragmatic.’

‘A terrific team led by Yvonne McWeeney (supported by Kevin Mahony), very technical and extremely proactive. Her team has great strength in depth with the ability to react to drive forward transactions with short deadlines and cross-jurisdictional parties involved. Her team provides a first-class service on all aviation transactions and is a go-to firm for other areas that require legal input.’

‘Both Yvonne McWeeney and Kevin Mahony have fantastic interpersonal skills, and nothing is ever too big a deal for them. They are technical but very commercial and can spot issues coming before they arrive.’

‘The firm is growing its offering in this space. They make good use of technology, e.g. use of e-discovery software etc. The team collaborates well with external experts, e.g. forensic accountants.’