Business News

Matheson named Ireland’s top legal adviser at Mergermarket European M&A Awards

By Business & Finance
08 December 2017
The substance behind the Irish-US trade and investment relationship is set to drive an even stronger flow of business between the countries over the coming years, according to Michael Jackson, Managing Partner of leading Irish law firm Matheson.
Pictured: Michael Jackson, Managing Partner, Matheson.

Matheson has been named Ireland’s Legal Adviser of the Year in the prestigious Mergermarket European M&A Awards 2017 held in London last night.

The law firm Matheson were named Ireland’s Legal Adviser of the Year in the prestigious Mergermarket European M&A Awards 2017 held in London last night.The awards acknowledge the achievements of the top dealmakers in Europe and recognise innovative legal advisory work for some of the region’s most complex and transformative deals during 2017. Mergermarket is a leading global business deal data intelligence provider. The shortlist for the Mergermarket M&A Awards is based on the league table data of top-ranked advisors from across Europe. Matheson was selected to win the accolade of 2017 Legal Adviser of the Year for Ireland by a panel of independent expert judges consisting of board members from leading banks and investment firms, as well as prominent academics and lawyers. The panel is charged with looking at how innovative structures are applied to complex M&A transactions.

Michael Jackson, Managing Partner of Metheson, said: “We are delighted that Matheson has been acknowledged for our work in the M&A sector with this prestigious and internationally recognised Mergermarket award. The judging panel highlighted the cross jurisdictional and complex nature of the transactions in which we were involved. This win reflects the high level of activity and the breadth and depth of experience within our corporate M&A team as well as our ability to draw on market leaders across all our practice areas to support M&A transactions in every industry sector.

“Matheson’s cross disciplinary M&A teams have advised bidders on more cross-border deals involving Ireland than any other Irish or international law firm in the last ten years. We are proud that their excellence has been recognised through this award.”

Matheson’s M&A team led on the only two public company takeovers announced and completed in Ireland this year advising Gurnet Point on its public takeover of Innocoll Holdings plc, a Nasdaq-listed global pharmaceutical and medical device company and Nasdaq listed, bio-pharmaceutical company Nexvet Biopharma plc on its public takeover by Zoetis, the leading animal health company.

This trend of market leadership in the public M&A sphere followed Matheson’s award-winning role in advising Worldview Capital in 2016 on its successful and widely-publicised hostile takeover of Petroceltic International plc. Other deals Matheson advised on this year included acting for global insurer Aviva on its acquisition of the Irish Life assurance, pensions and investment firm, Friends First and advising Scandi Standard on its acquisition of Irish family owned and Meath-based Manor Farm, Ireland’s largest chicken processor and market leader.

The year 2017 saw Matheson continue to secure significant growth in M&A deal value following a successful 2016 during which Matheson secured a 64% increase in M&A deal value. Remarking on this success and the extent to which M&A business is booming in Ireland, Robert O’Shea, Head of Corporate and Commercial at Matheson said: “The last two years have been very busy for us representing Irish and international companies. In 2018, we expect to continue to see a lot of growth in mergers and acquisitions and I look forward to seeing the firm have further success in that area. With offices in Dublin, London, New York, Palo Alto, and San Francisco, Matheson has a unique domestic and international vantage point on the strong level of interest in Irish mergers and acquisitions at present.”

Matheson’s dedicated international Tax Department, which advises on cross-border transactions in conjunction with legal and tax counsel from other jurisdictions, was both awarded International Firm in the Americas 2017 and European Financial Services Tax Deal of the Year, by International Tax Review. The company’s track record of success and innovative approach to achieving solutions for its clients resulted in Matheson being ranked Ireland’s Most Innovative Law Firm 2017 in this year’s Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards. In addition, the firm has been ranked in the FT’s Top 20 Most Innovative Law Firms in Europe.

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Pictured L-R: Gyles Brandeth (Awards MC); Matheson representatives Éanna Mellett, Susan Carroll, Michael Jackson (Managing Partner), Sandra Moran, George Brady and Alessandra Castelli from Mergermarket.