Ms Kate McKenna > Matheson LLP > Dublin, Ireland > Lawyer Profile

Matheson LLP‘s international focus and commitment to the life sciences sector has brought it a wealth of top clients in the pharmaceutical and medtech sectors, leading to a steady pipeline of transactional, corporate advisory and regulatory advisory instructions. It has continued to work on some of the highest value cross-border transactions in the sector The firm is also a healthcare litigation heavyweight, especially medical malpractice and product liability litigation, while also having a strong presence in healthcare transactions, including a number of recent hospital and nursing home deals. Litigator Rebecca Ryan is a leader in healthcare, disease and product liability cases. Kate McKenna is a key figure for life sciences regulatory matters, while David Fitzgibbon is at the forefront of life sciences M&A, along with John Coary. Emma Doherty specialises in corporate governance for both healthcare and life sciences businesses.

Matheson LLP is adept at the full range of project financing and development in Ireland, regularly working with a diverse client base that includes government bodies, private companies, domestic and international lenders, investors, and contractors. The firm is highly active across the transport, energy, telecoms, education, healthcare, and real estate sectors. The team also excels in project development, asset transactions, and bids for PPP projects, providing comprehensive support throughout all stages of project delivery. Garret Farrelly heads the practice and provides counsel on transport, infrastructure and energy projects, while Conor Blennerhassett is singled out for his infrastructure regulation and development work. Rhona Henry is perennially dominant in project re-financing transactions, and Kate McKenna is a key contact for merger control matters.

Matheson LLP is well-known for its broad capabilities across the telecom spectrum, handling investigations and transactional mandates. The team leverages its expert knowledge of local laws and regulations, assisting established and new telecom companies with competition and regulatory issues. Practice head Kate McKenna is well-known for advising regulated companies on regulations brought by ComReg, while co-head Carlo Salizzo is another key name to note.

Matheson LLP is at the forefront of merger control, especially phase 2 merger review cases by the CCPC. It continues to stand out for its expertise in media mergers and its experience with the Irish FDI screening regime. It has worked on all completed CCPC investigations of recent years and has represented clients in a series of major competition cases, including the headline trucks litigation. Niall Collins heads the competition and regulatory group and remains a market leader in merger control. Kate McKenna has also made an impression in merger control and competition litigation. Calum Warren is another emerging talent and Simon Shinkwin was recently promoted to the partnership.

Matheson LLP excels in handling a broad spectrum of contentious matters, such as judicial reviews, statutory investigations, and appeals, while demonstrating notable expertise in energy regulation, public infrastructure procurement and development, and freedom of information law. The team routinely acts for state and semi-state bodies, government departments and regulatory bodies. The practice is spearheaded by Michael Byrne, who leverages his expert knowledge of regulatory and administrative law to represent clients before all levels of Irish court. Nicola Dunleavy is a specialist in planning and environmental law, while Kate McKenna is the go-to person for competition, state aid and public procurement issues.