Charleen
O'Keeffe
Partner
Charleen is a partner in our Disputes and Investigations Department, specialising in Intellectual Property (IP) and regulatory law.
Charleen works with a wide range of national and multinational clients, from global life sciences and healthcare companies, to leading consumer goods companies. She is a recognised leader in the life sciences sector, with a particular expertise in the intersection of regulatory law, competition law and patent litigation.
As a skilled litigator, Charleen brings extensive experience in guiding clients through complex Irish and multi-jurisdictional IP disputes. She advises leading global companies including innovator pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies in high-stakes international disputes.
By providing strategic local advice and representation, Charleen and her team serve as a critical component in cross-border disputes. Charleen joined Matheson in June 2026 from another large Irish law firm, where she had been a partner since 2020.
Charleen advises clients in the life sciences sector on every phase of a product’s life cycle from product development, clinical trials, data exclusivity, regulatory approval to commercialisation and product safety / recall / liability.
She is a lecturer on the Law Society of Ireland’s IP Diploma and PPC courses and has been recognised for several years by the leading directories for her work in Life Sciences and Healthcare and in IP.
Experience and education
Her experience includes advising:
- a global biopharmaceutical company, as part of a multi-jurisdictional dispute, on the defence of a blockbuster monoclonal antibody against a biosimilar challenge;
- a global pharmaceutical company, in an appeal of the Controller of Intellectual Property’s decision regarding the grant of a supplementary protection certificate (SPC);
- a global pharmaceutical company, as part of a multi-jurisdictional dispute, in defence of patent revocation proceedings;
- global and domestic companies on the development, protection, commercialisation, and enforcement of their brand portfolios across a range of sectors, including food and beverage, luxury goods, and cosmetics;
- global pharmaceutical company, as part of a multi-jurisdictional dispute, on the enforcement of their non-traditional trade mark;
- an international brand owner / licensor on its intellectual property portfolio, including seeking pan-European injunctive relief;
- a global food and beverage company, as part of a multi-jurisdictional passing off / trade mark dispute;
- a global consumer goods company on the management of its intellectual property portfolio, including coordinating the use of product claims across multiple jurisdictions;
- life sciences companies on regulatory matters, including data exclusivity, marketing authorisations, clinical trials regulation, compassionate use programmes, SPCs, parallel imports, product safety and recalls, and the medical devices regulatory regime, and;
- an international medical device company on injunctive relief under the Trade Secrets Directive and implementing regulations.
- University College Dublin, BCL
- Intellectual Property Office of Ireland
- Law Society of Ireland
