Established in 1825, Matheson is one of Ireland's oldest law firms. The firm is led by managing partner Michael Jackson and has six offices in Dublin, Cork, London, New York, Palo Alto and San Francisco.
Highlights
The firm has a strong practice in asset finance, banking and finance, both debt and structured finance capital markets, Investment funds, M&A, project development and restructuring and insolvency, achieving tier 1 status in all these areas, including a raise for asset finance where the firm’s ability is exemplified by the depth of referee comments for this area.
A notable highlight of the firms work includes advising on the establishment of the first ELTIFs in Ireland for PGIM Capital. Matheson acted as lead counsel to the client on the establishment of three sub funds and updating and drafting documentation for each fund. The funds reflect the firms leading expertise in handling strategically important market firsts in the industry.
The firm provided full legal advice to Smurfurt Kappa on its merger with WestRock Company to firm Smurfit WestRock. The significant cross border merger, with dual listings on the New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange, is one of the largest outbound mergers ever completed by an Irish company.
Testimonials 2025
“Matheson always bring huge expertise and a wider, global view to the table. They have unparalleled experience in the banking sector in Ireland. Quality of the people is key” - Banking and finance.
“Matheson are extremely knowledgeable and professional. Collaborative in their approach to drafting and advising on legal documentation for complex transactions. They also have a real understanding of the commerciality in the transaction and make sure everything is clear and understood throughout the documentation process.” - Banking and finance
“Technical expertise, partner availability, relevant experience.” - Banking and finance
“Matheson are a top tier Irish law firm who have high quality, respected lawyers - each at the top of their practice areas in the local market. We particularly know and trust Maireadh Dale, Lisa Tait and Carol O'Shea -each provide an efficient and solution focused service whilst ensuring deals reach completion within budget and on time. Their legal service and management of projects (particularly in REF and development finance) are second to none.” - Banking and finance
“Specific, tailored advice on complex transactions, with prompt turn-around times. The service is genuinely partner-led, and the partners always make themselves available.” - Banking and finance
“The team was well equipped to advise and document this non-standard structure. Good communication on the areas of potential complexity which meant that we could manage our customer's expectations in a timely manner.” - Banking and finance
“Really responsive, very outcome-focused whilst still concentrating on the detail, always ready to assist with commercially practical solutions even in difficult situations. Clearly very knowledgeable, with market-specific experience.” - M&A
“Matheson people are very customer friendly, knowledgeable and result driven.” - M&A
“Besides the skills and proficiency of Matheson team, we particularly appreciated their availability, dedication.” - M&A
“Matheson's team have an excellent level of expertise and the ability to apply that expertise in a practical and meaningful way. They are thorough but able to deliver decisive advice against demanding timescales.” - Project finance
Maireadh Dale
“Was very knowledgeable and understood the brief from our bank. Was very commercial when dealing with the borrower and practical in terms of managing billings. Very patient and represented the bank very well.”-
Stuart Kennedy
“Stuart always acts professionally and is extremely responsive. His knowledge of the aviation industry has been great to guide us through the beginning of our company and its complex structure.”
“Stuart Kennedy at Matheson stands out with his professionalism, his availability and his understanding of the requests and our structure.”
“Listens to what you are saying, meets tight timelines and is well organized.”
“Manages the team efficiently.”
“Very friendly, responsive and knowledgeable. Reliable pair of hands.”
Rory McPhillips
“Rory is commercially minded, has great industry knowledge and always goes above and beyond for his clients.”
“Again, he listens to the Client, gets the work done, solves the problems and delivers on time.”
Key clients
Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Banks PLC, NTMA, Smurfit Westrock, Hines, Amazon Conservation DAC, Dell, Bank International DAC, J.P. Morgan, Onate DAC, SPF Investment Management, L.P., Arrow Global, Group, BlackRock, Arini Capital Management Limited, Finance Ireland, Bracebridge Capital