Clare O'Brien > A&O Shearman > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

A&O Shearman Offices

A&O Shearman
599 LEXINGTON AVENUE
NEW YORK, NY 10022-6069
NEW YORK
United States
Visit website 1 212 848 4000 1 212 848 7179

Clare O'Brien

Clare O'Brien photo
+1 212 848 8966 cobrien@shearman.com View profile View profile

Work Department

Mergers & Acquisitions

Position

Partner

Career

Clare O’Brien regularly advises major US and international clients on their public and private mergers and acquisition transactions, including public company restructurings, joint ventures and large public transactions.  She also provides counsel on corporate law questions, including corporate governance matters.

Ms. O’Brien has been consistently acknowledged as a leading M&A lawyer and has received numerous accolades including “Dealmaker of the Year”  by The American Lawyer, Top U.S.A. Women Dealmaker by the Global M&A Network 2021  as well as being named one of The Deal’s Top Women in Dealmaking 2021 and 2022 Lists for her work in Mergers & Acquisitions.

Prior to joining Shearman & Sterling, Ms. O’Brien worked with the law firm of Brady & Tarpey, P.C., where her practice included cross-border corporate transactions, litigation and domestic relations.  She began her legal career at the Irish law firm of Eugene F. Collins & Son.

Memberships

  • New York
  • Ireland

Education

Incorporated Law Society of Ireland

Irish Roll of Solicitors

Trinity College, Dublin

B.A. in Legal Science

Lawyer Rankings

United States > M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)

(Leading lawyers)

Clare O’Brien – A&O Shearman

Deploying a ‘commercial approach to negotiating transactions’, A&O Shearman has vast experience handling take-private acquisitions, complicated joint ventures, and cross-border M&A. Boasting an array of corporate specialists in the healthcare, tech, and finance sectors, the firm frequently acts on behalf of major domestic and international companies, with New York-based practice heads Scott Petepiece and Daniel Litowitz regularly providing ‘consistent top-tier advice’ when managing spin-offs, consortium investments, and stock mergers. Also in New York, Clare O’Brien is an expert on public company restructurings, while Creighton Condon is knowledgeable on shareholder activism. From Menlo Park, Daniel Mitz concentrates on representing global tech corporations. Former Global Managing Partner George Casey left the firm in January 2024. Following the recent merger between A&O Shearman and Allen & Overy LLP, the ‘hardworking, approachable’ team now has added expertise across the finance, tech, and energy sectors, regularly handling multi-jurisdictional acquisitions as well as sales of equity interests. Based in New York, Bill Schwitter chairs the corporate team and brings extensive experience managing securities issues and financing arrangements to the practice, while Kfir Abutbul is an expert on restructurings and workouts. The ‘very smart and experienced’ Stephen Besen focuses on joint ventures, Dario de Martino is knowledgeable on tender offers and divestitures, and Romain Dambre concentrates on carve-outs.

Lawyer Rankings

Top Tier Firm Rankings

Firm Rankings