Client Successes
Smurfit Westrock Rings Bell at NYSE Listing
A Matheson team, led by Dublin-based partners David Fitzgibbon (Co-head of Corporate and head of Corporate M&A) and Susanne McMenamin, and New York-based partner David Jones; together with a Corporate M&A team comprising senior associates, Thomas Burke and Anna O’Carroll, associates, Darren Quinn, Leo Collins and Joanna Malek, solicitors, Megan Gantly, Kevin Lavin, Niamh L. Gallagher, Rachel Hodgins, David Dempsey, Zainab Masood, Evelyn Soye, William Annab, and Kevin Burns, and trainees, Ellie Glynn and Maura Sullivan, is pleased to have advised Smurfit Kappa Group, the FTSE 100 paper-based packaging company on its successful combination with WestRock Company, to create Smurfit Westrock plc, a global leader in sustainable packaging.
Having a market capitalisation of $25.5 billion, Smurfit Westrock will be an S&P 500 company with its primary listing on the New York Stock Exchange and a standard listing on the London Stock Exchange. The combination is one of the largest outbound mergers ever executed by an Irish company. It was announced in September 2023 and implemented via an Irish law scheme of arrangement and a Delaware merger with a subsequent listing on the NYSE and the LSE.
David Fitzgibbon, Co-head of Corporate and head of Corporate M&A said “Matheson is proud to have led the legal team supporting Smurfit Kappa on its combination with WestRock to form Smurfit Westrock. We extend our sincere congratulations to Tony Smurfit, Ken Bowles, Gillian Carson-Callan and the rest of the Smurfit Kappa team on bringing this combination to a successful close, and we extend our best wishes to the newly combined Smurfit Westrock team. This is one of the biggest and most complex transactions of its type on the market, and its successful completion is a testament once again to the skills and experience of Matheson’s market-leading Corporate M&A practice, and its proven ability to work with multinational clients on complex and strategic cross-border transactions."
The Corporate M&A team worked alongside a wider Matheson team including Anti-trust partners Niall Collins, Kate McKenna and Calum Warren, and senior associate Simon Shinkwin; Tax partners Tomás Bailey and Philip Tully, supported by associate Rachel O'Sullivan and solicitor Cliodhna MacCabe; Litigation partner Brendan Colgan with senior associate Kathryn Rice and trainee Peter Holland; and Employment partner Russell Rochford, supported by associates Conor Woods and Shane Gallen and solicitor Shauna Moran.
The Matheson team worked alongside US counsel, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, and UK counsel, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP.
Matheson Advises on Landmark Aircraft Litigation
Matheson is representing some of the world's leading aircraft leasing companies on the largest and most complex Commercial Court litigation to have come before the Irish courts.
This litigation relates to aircraft detained in Russia against the will of the lessor owners and is collectively in excess of $1 billion.
Matheson Advises Cellnex Telecom on Agreement to Sell Irish Towers
Matheson is pleased to have advised Cellnex Telecom, Europe's largest operator of towers and telecom infrastructures, on the agreement to sell its Irish business to Phoenix Tower International.
The Matheson cross departmental team included George Brady, Katherine Hall, Rachael Toland Burke, Conor Blennerhassett, Hilda Wrixon, Niall Collins, Simon Shinkwin, Jessica Brannigan, Zainab Masood, Patricia Einfeldt and Kelly McGann among others.
Cellnex has been operating in Ireland since 2019 and this deal represents the 'next chapter' in line with their strategy, to achieve the goal of consolidating, simplifying their corporate structure and focusing efforts in the existing growth opportunities.
Corporate Transactions - Recent Deal Highlights
Matheson’s market-leading team has advised on some of the most high profile deals this year. With the fundamentals of the Irish economy remaining strong, we expect to see continued interest into 2025 from international corporates and PE sponsors in Irish assets with financial services, TMT and energy continuing to drive much of the deal activity.
Matheson's Impactful Business Programme
Diversity & Inclusion Conference 2024
Matheson LLP and the 30% Club Ireland proudly hosted the 2024 Diversity and Inclusion Conference at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin. The event centred around exploring and addressing the critical challenges faced by next generation leaders in today’s evolving workplace.
With insights shared from both employer and next generation perspectives, the conference heard from leading Irish business employers on how organisations can adapt to support the career development and well-being of future leaders, while also focusing on the importance of diversity and inclusion in driving innovation and growth.
Matheson Partners with Elephant In The Room
A global mental health awareness campaign which uses art as a channel to break down barriers and encourage conversations about a topic that often goes unspoken.
Matheson is the first law firm in Ireland to partner with the Elephant in the Room organisation, and this initiative shines a spotlight on the importance of mental health and wellbeing within the workplace. Following the launch, employees of Matheson were invited to participate in a competition to contribute their ideas of a design for the elephant, along with a brief explanation of the meaning behind their concept as well as a name for the sculpture.
Partnership with Irish Refugee Council
Matheson lawyers provided free legal assistance to Afghan nationals located in Ireland to apply to the Irish Government under the Afghan Admission Programme for temporary immigration permission for their family members to enter and reside in Ireland.
Trainee Secondment
Matheson trainees were seconded to the IRC's Independent Law Centre. The secondment supports the Irish Refugee Council meeting the unmet legal needs of people seeking international protection in Ireland in a strategic manner, promoting and delivering early legal advice and representation to people from the early stages of the asylum process.
Scholarship in Law Plus Winner Announced
Matheson is delighted to announce Ciarán Cronin as the winner of the 2024 Matheson Scholarship in Law Plus in association with the University of Limerick (UL). The scholarship was launched in 2022 as part of UL's 50ForFifty initiative, a celebration of the university's first fifty years. The annual scholarship is open to first year undergraduate Bachelor of Laws (Law Plus) students in UL.
As winner of the Matheson Scholarship in Law Plus, Ciarán will receive:
- a bursary of €5,000 for the academic year; and
- a position on Matheson’s First Step Programme, a dedicated programme for undergraduate students.
Matheson Partners with the 30% Club
In 2024, Matheson entered into a partnership with the Irish chapter of the 30% Club, the global campaign aimed at achieving greater gender balance at leadership levels for better business outcomes. As a firm, we have been members and supporters of the 30% Club since 2015 and are proud to be able to increase our level of support by funding the 30% Club Country Executive Role for the year.
Additionally, our Managing Partner, Michael Jackson, holds one of four new positions on the 30% Club's CEO Advisory Board.
Recent Award Wins
Matheson Wins Law Firm of the Year at The Lawyer European Awards 2024
International Tax Review Names Matheson as Ireland Tax Firm of the Year
Matheson Wins Seven Awards at the Women in Business Law EMEA Awards
Matheson Wins Thirteen Deals of the Year by Finance Dublin
Matheson Wins Ireland Firm of the Year at the Chambers Europe Awards 2024