‘Digital regulation is high on our clients’ agendas’

MICHAEL JACKSON

ACTIVITY 2023 was a very strong year for Matheson, across all of our practice areas, with the firm enjoying better than expected double-digit growth. Standout performance came from a number of areas, including the firm’s Corporate M&A, Disputes, and Digital Economy groups. Matheson’s Tax team also saw a strong performance in 2023, cementing its place as the largest such team in any Irish law firm.

The Corporate M&A area continued to be very significant area for Matheson in 2023, and our team had a record year. The corporate team played the lead adviser role on a large proportion of the international transactions in the market, and this had a positive impact on our Competition and

Regulation team, which saw an increase in FDI screening work during 2023.

Technology disputes and regulatory investigations continued on a strong upwards trajectory, and we are also seeing an upwards trend in environmental and planning disputes. Digital regulation is high on our clients’ agendas and is driving work across a number of practice areas, including the crypto and digital assets space. We are also assisting clients to understand and comply with their reporting obligations under CSRD and how ESG targets can be woven into their business strategies.

OUTLOOK In 2023 Ireland didn’t experience the same drop off in transactional activity that was experienced elsewhere, and the pace of regulatory change has continued to be high. We have seen a really strong start to 2024, and talking to our counterparts in other large markets there is a strong sense that the M&A market generally has picked up and that there is more confidence around. The largest unknown is around what potential impact the election cycles in Ireland, Europe, the United States and elsewhere will have towards the end of 2024, so we may see some uncertainty creep in during the second half of the year.