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Market Leading Expertise

Our market leading Corporate M&A Group is consistently mandated on the most high-profile, complex and high value transactions in both the domestic and cross border markets. We work with our specialist lawyers and business professionals across the firm to provide the full range of corporate transactional and advisory services to our clients, including:

  • private company M&A;
  • public company M&A;
  • private equity;
  • venture capital and growth equity transactions;
  • joint ventures;
  • public company advisory and corporate governance;
  • restructurings, migrations and spin-outs;
  • corporate advisory and company law; and
  • company secretarial services.

We have a strong sector focus that allows us to work with clients with the benefit of a deep regulatory and market understanding of their businesses.

Our Team

Our Corporate M&A team comprises 16 partners, supported by one of the largest teams of M&A lawyers in Ireland as well as technical, in-house digital services and legal technology experts. With a number of M&A partners and other lawyers permanently based in our London and New York offices, the team is ideally placed to manage cross border transactions both on-the-ground and from different time-zones.

Deal Highlights

Our Experience

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

Commercial, Corporate and M&A: The Legal 500 2023
Recent Transactions

Public M&A

  • Smurfit Kappa Group on its proposed combination with US-based WestRock Company;
  • Horizon Therapeutics on its acquisition by Amgen;
  • Aon on its $13.4bn agreement to acquire NFP;
  • Circle Internet Financial Limited, an Irish registered global financial technology firm, on its $9 billion transaction to go public on the NYSE through a business combination with Concord Acquisition Corp;
  • MariaDB plc on its $672 million public listing on the NYSE through a business combination with Angel Pond Holdings Corporation; and
  • Irish registered limited partnership, ProKidney LP on its IPO and listing on Nasdaq through a business combination with Social Capital Suvretta Holdings Corp. III in a deal valuing the combined entity at $2.64 billion.

Private M&A

  • Cellnex on the sale of its Irish business, Ireland’s largest telecoms tower company, to Phoenix Tower International;
  • Vallen Distribution Inc. on its acquisition of Dublin based Eastland Engineering Supply Co. Limited;
  • Novo Nordisk on its acquisition of Neotope Neuroscience Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of Prothena Corporation plc) for $100 million upfront and up to $1.2 billion in development and sales milestones payments (resulting in Novo Nordisk acquiring Prothena’s clinical stage antibody PRX004 and broader ATTR amyloidosis programme);
  • Novo Nordisk on its acquisition of its first manufacturing facility in Ireland, through the acquisition of a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility (and its related business) in County Westmeath from Alkermes plc;
  • ALAFCO Aviation on the $2.2 billion sale of its aircraft leasing platform, consisting of 73 aircraft, to Macquarie Airfinance Group;
  • An Post on the sale of its shareholding in Premier Lotteries Ireland, the licensed operator of the Irish National Lottery, to La Française des Jeux;
  • AXA Group on its acquisition of Laya Healthcare Limited from Corebridge Financial, Inc., a subsidiary of AIG;
  • Bauer Media Group on its separate acquisitions of Cork's Red FM 104-106, iRadio, Media Central and Beat 102-103;
  • Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners on its acquisition of a majority stake in Elgin Energy, comprising a portfolio of 15 GW of solar PV and battery assets;
  • Octopus Renewables, one of the largest owners and managers of renewable energy assets in Europe, on its significant minority stake, and follow on investments, in Simply Blue Group, a marine project developer focused on early stage floating wind projects;
  • Tirlán on its acquisition of Glanbia plc’s 40% stake in Glanbia Ireland; and
  • Zoom Video Communications, Inc. on its acquisition of Workvivo

Private Equity

  • Winthrop Technologies, Europe’s leading dedicated turnkey data centre delivery provider, and its shareholders, on its strategic partnership with funds managed by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities and affiliated funds;
  • Macquarie Asset Management on its acquisition of the Beauparc Group, Ireland's largest recycling and processing led waste-to-resource business, and the Beacon Hospital, one of Ireland's largest private healthcare providers;
  • Asterion Industrial Partners, a specialist European infrastructure investor, on its acquisition of an 80% stake in National Broadband Ireland;
  • Bain Capital LP on its acquisition of the Pan European food business, Valeo Foods Group Limited, from CapVest Partners LLP;
  • AMP Capital on the sale of the assets of the Irish Infrastructure Fund for sale, comprising controlling stakes in the Speed Fibre Group (Magnet Networks, Airspeed and Enet) and the Convention Centre Dublin PPP project;
  • CashAnalytics on its sale to GTreasury, a lead provider of corporate digital treasury systems and a portfolio company of private equity investor Hg Capital. 
  • Draycott SCR and Purever Industries, on their acquisition of Ardmac;
  • Graham Partners, a US-based specialist investor in advanced manufacturing solutions, on the acquisition of Taoglas, the Irish-based distributor of antennas, filters, cables, and connectors;
  • Lead Edge Capital, a growth-stage fund based in New York and California, on the sale of Immedis Limited, an Irish global payroll software developer, to UKG, one of the US' largest privately owned software groups;
  • Macquarie Capital Principal Finance on its investment in digital technology and cyber security company, Viatel Technology Group Limited;
  • Waterland Private Equity, an alternative investment fund manager, in relation to its investment in MTM Engineering, an Irish data centre cable specialist, and in relation to MTM Engineering's subsequent acquisitions of CET Connect and ATSS Ventures; and
  • Waystone on the completion of an investment by Montagu Private Equity and Hg Capital and the follow on acquisition by Waystone of KB Associates and Centaur Group.

Restructurings

  • An ad hoc crossover group of lenders on a $1.9 billion financial restructuring of Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE: MNK), which was implemented through a combined use of the US Chapter 11 bankruptcy process and an Irish examinership restructuring process;
  • The principal ad hoc group representing bond holders on a $5.3 billion debt-for-equity swap, refinancing and re-listing of Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE: MNK), which was implemented through a combined use of the US Chapter 11 bankruptcy process and an Irish examinership restructuring process;
  • Weatherford International plc on one of the largest and most complex cross-border corporate restructurings undertaken in Ireland, involving a $7.4 billion debt-for-equity swap and refinancing implemented through the first ever combined use of the US Chapter 11 bankruptcy process and an Irish examinership restructuring process; and
  • Azorra Aviation acquisition of a portion of Nordic Aviation Capital's aircraft leasing platform, consisting of 37 aircraft, as part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy process. 
Accolades

"The practice is unique in how it aligns with the in-house legal teams, and is always alert to risks, and looks beyond that which is specifically raised with them. Very reliable, excellent negotiators and very good availability"
Commercial, Corporate and M&A: The European Legal 500 2024

"The customer service, responsiveness and expertise provided by the Matheson team is outstanding."
Corporate / M&A Chambers 2024

"Matheson is an excellent adviser. The team are commercially minded, technically excellent and extremely responsive."
Corporate / M&A Chambers 2024

"The lawyers are always very practical in their advice and understand what we need to do as a business."
Corporate / M&A Chambers 2024

"The team at Matheson are very detail-oriented, commercial and responsive."
Corporate / M&A Chambers 2024

"The lawyers are extremely responsive and knowledgeable - real subject matter experts."
Corporate / M&A Chambers 2024

"Extremely knowledgeable of their market, able to provide timely responses, created a strong working relationship with us, capable team to consult on various issues, professional team, able to write up formal responses to external parties."
M&A: IFLR1000 33rd edition 2023

"Excellent commercial awareness, expertise and responsiveness."
M&A: IFLR1000 33rd edition 2023

"Incredibly well organised, detailed and very commercial."
M&A: IFLR1000 33rd edition 2023

"The corporate team in Matheson is excellent. Very responsive, thorough, excellent negotiators and deliver advice on complex topics in a pragmatic and workable way."
Commercial, Corporate and M&A: The Legal 500 2023

"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."
Commercial, Corporate and M&A: The Legal 500 2023

"Very informative and helpful, with key experience to advance our cross-border merger."
IFLR1000 2022

"The team was not only excellent from a technical perspective, but also proactive and with a deep knowledge of the market and factors involved."
IFLR1000 2022

"Excellent technical and drafting skills. Extremely efficient in solving difficult negotiations, thanks to good negotiation skills and personal involvement. Overall very nice people to work with."
IFLR1000 2022

"Excellent at the mechanics of the transaction and providing information and support to the board."
IFLR1000 2022

"We moved our business from a smaller local firm to Matheson because we wanted greater confidence in our external counsel’s willingness and ability to keep the transaction on our desired timeline. Matheson consistently delivered on their promises thereby compelling other parties to stick to their agreed schedules. Matheson instilled confidence not just in our internal stakeholders but in all parties to the transaction that everything was being managed professionally and expediently."
The Legal 500 2022

"High responsiveness and involvement on the matters, very good drafting skills, very good knowledge of the overall business / financial context of the matter, excellent negotiation skills and engagement with the other side to get the deal go through."
The Legal 500 2022

"Strong corporate practice with impressive bench-strength."
The Legal 500 2022