Matheson Adds Fourteen New Partners

(l-r:  Aisling Kavanagh, Eunan Hession, Hilda Wrixon, Dara Higgins and Conor Blennerhassett)

The new Matheson partners and their practice areas are;

Robert Barrett - (Corporate M&A)

Robert advises both international and domestic companies on corporate law matters, including private M&A, shareholders' agreements and joint ventures, equity fundraisings, reorganisations and general commercial matters.

Having previously worked in a global law firm in the United Arab Emirates for a number of years, Rob has extensive experience in advising on cross-border M&A transactions (acting for both buyers and sellers) across a range of sectors.

Conor Blennerhassett - (Corporate Energy & Infrastructure)

Conor advises on large-scale infrastructure, energy and construction projects, with specialised experience in contract negotiation, risk allocation, development structuring, financing, transactional  matters (including due diligence and transaction document negotiation), corporate law matters and operational advice (including regulatory issues and operational problem solving).

Conor’s primary focus is on infrastructure development and transactional projects (greenfield and brownfield), particularly concessions, PPPs, debt-financed and similar private sector-led development structures.  Conor works with clients such as infrastructure funders, sponsors, contractors and operational teams.  Conor is ranked as a leading practitioner in the IFLR100, Legal 500 and Chambers international legal directories in the project development, project finance, PPP and transport practice areas.

Finnbahr Boyle - (Finance & Capital Markets)

Originally from New Zealand and currently based in the firm's London office,  Finnbahr has experience across multiple jurisdictions advising lenders, sponsors and borrowers spanning a range of industries in relation to financing transactions (both domestic and cross-border) including bilateral and syndicated loans, leveraged and acquisition finance, fund finance and restructurings.

Gráinne Boyle - (International Business Group)

Gráinne advises international clients on Irish legal issues associated with doing business in and through Ireland.  She practices Irish corporate law, with a primary focus on advising US and other international clients doing business in and from Ireland.

She provides advice in relation to inward investment and establishment projects, international corporate reorganisations, post-acquisition integration and consolidation projects, spin-off transactions, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, cash repatriation strategies, general corporate governance and compliance matters.

Gráinne provides ongoing corporate governance advice to her clients in relation to the Irish corporate legal matters which arise in connection with the day-to-day operation of their Irish business (particularly the leading technology companies who have chosen Ireland as the location for their EMEA headquarters).  As part of this role, Gráinne regularly provides training to boards of Irish subsidiaries on director’s duties and best corporate governance practices.

As a result of her key relationship role with clients and international law firms in this location, in 2019, Grainne was seconded to Matheson’s San Francisco office during which she acted as local counsel for her existing clients.

Alan Bunbury - (Finance & Capital Markets)

Currently based in the firm's London office, Alan advises on all aspects of debt capital markets transactions with an Irish connection, including collateralised loan obligation transactions, asset-backed securities, repackagings, asset-backed commercial paper programmes, corporate bond issuances and segregated managed account structures.

Alan also advises Irish corporates and investment funds and their counterparties in relation to derivatives transactions, repurchase transactions, securities lending and prime brokerage arrangements and the operation of netting and set-off in Ireland.

Michelle Daly - (Tax)

Michelle practices in Matheson's tax department, primarily advising clients in the financial sector, including asset management, aviation leasing, securitisation and debt capital markets and insurance.  Michelle has spent time working in Matheson's New York office.  Michelle has a particular expertise in advising Irish domiciled investment funds, including UCITS and QIAIFs, and their managers. 

Michelle also advises many fund managers who have invested in aviation assets, and alternative asset classes such as pharmaceutical royalties.  In recent years, Michelle has worked on the establishment of a number of large direct lending fund platforms which are domiciled in Ireland.

Orlaith Finan - (Asset Management)

Orlaith practices financial services law and advises many of the world’s leading financial institutions, investment banks, asset management companies and service providers carrying on business in Ireland or through Irish vehicles.

Orlaith has extensive experience advising a wide range of domestic and international clients on the structuring, establishment, marketing and sale of both UCITS and alternative investment funds in Ireland across the full range of investment strategies and asset classes.

Enda Garvey - (Corporate M&A)

Enda specialises in international and domestic private M&A, private equity transactions and corporate reorganisations and debt and equity fundraisings.  He has extensive private equity experience and has advised on many of the most high profile investments made by international private equity funds in Ireland in the past 5 years.

Alongside his private equity practice, Enda advises a number of domestic and international corporate clients on their corporate and transaction activity, in the energy and infrastructure and agri-food and beverage sectors. A frequent speaker and writer on corporate law and private equity related matters, he regularly lectures on corporate law at the Law Society of Ireland.

(l-r: Alan Bunbury, Enda Garvey, Orlaith Finan and Finnbahr Boyle)

Eunan Hession - (Asset Management)

Eunan practices financial services law and advises many of the world's leading financial institutions, investment banks and asset management companies carrying on business through Irish domiciled investment funds and Irish domiciled management companies.

He advises a range of domestic and international clients on the establishment, authorisation, operation and ongoing regulatory compliance of all types of investment funds in Ireland, including UCITS, AIFMD structures and hedge funds. Eunan also advises fund service providers on their regulatory and compliance matters.  He also has extensive experience of advising on the establishment and authorisation of UCITS management companies and alternative investment fund managers in Ireland.

Dara advises clients on VAT, Customs and Trade law, Excise and Relevant Contracts Tax.  He specialises in Indirect Taxes across all industry sectors including, real estate and construction, financial services, import / export, technology, aviation, energy and pharmaceuticals.

Dara also has significant experience in the area of tax controversy and regularly acts for clients in the context of tax appeals and audits and investigations.  He also has a broad client base consisting of both domestic and international clients, many of which have complex global supply chains.

Aisling is a commercial litigator specialising in insurance disputes. She manages high value, large scale complex disputes, and has acted in high-profile litigation in both the English and Irish Courts. Before joining Matheson, Aisling spent over six years as a litigator with a leading firm in London, where she acted in energy, construction and insurance disputes.

Her practice includes insurance disputes, commercial and financial services dispute resolution, and arbitration.  In terms of her insurance disputes work, Aisling advises domestic and international clients on policy wording interpretation, complex coverage disputes, D&O claims, professional indemnity claims, including any potential third party liability, and subrogation claims.  She has extensive experience with alternative dispute resolution processes, and has advised in complex mediations and arbitrations, including under ICC and LCIA arbitration rules, and she has advised on disputes before the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman.

Aisling is a member of the Law Society of Ireland, the Insurance Institute of Ireland and the British Insurance Law Association.  She is a lecturer on the Law Society Diploma of Insurance Law, has presented in seminars and has contributed to a number of industry publications.

Ian O'Mara - (Corporate FIG)

Based in the firm's new London office, Ian specialises in financial services regulation.  He has advised payment institutions, electronic money institutions, credit institutions, MiFID investment firms, and other financial institutions and investors in the financial services sector on compliance with regulatory standards and the impact of new regulatory developments at Irish and EU levels. 

Hilda Wrixon - (Commercial Real Estate)