Law firm Matheson elects Darren Maher as new managing partner
Irish law firm
Matheson
has elected Darren Maher as the firm's new managing partner. He will take on the role following the completion of Michael Jackson's final term at the end of the year.
Mr Maher currently heads the firm's financial institutions group (FIG) and co-leads its corporate department.,
He joined Matheson following his graduation from UCD in 2003 and has spent his entire career with the firm. He has been a partner since 2012, being promoted to head of FIG in 2017, and later joining David Fitzgibbon atop the corporate department.
'I am delighted to have been appointed by my peers to lead Matheson during its next period of growth and development,' Mr Maher said.
READ MORE
'In today's rapidly changing business and geopolitical environment, clients require expert advice in order to succeed,' he added, noting his desire to continue to position Matheson as 'the firm to which clients go for advice on the most complex and high-profile matters'.
[
Lawyers strike gold as Russia's plane seizures spark lucrative litigation in Dublin
Opens in new window
]
Commenting on Mr Jackson's tenure as managing partner, Mr Maher said: 'The significant growth which the firm has experienced under his tenure is a testament to his outstanding leadership and vision.'
Mr Jackson described the 10 years he spent as managing partner of Matheson as a 'great honour'r.
He said Mr Maher was 'ideally positioned to lead Matheson through its next phase of growth'.
'I am confident that the firm will continue to go from strength to strength under his leadership,' he said.
Established in 1825 in Dublin, Matheson also has offices in Cork, London, New York, Palo Alto and San Francisco. According to its website, it has almost 900 people work across its six offices, including 127 partners and tax principals and more than 600 legal, tax and digital services professionals.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
17 minutes ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on the economic threat from the Middle East: yet more uncertainty
The US strikes on Iran cast yet further uncertainty on the international economic outlook. As if there was not enough of this around already. Inevitably, this will have implications for Ireland, too, though to what extent is as yet impossible to judge. The most obvious way in which this will affect western economies is the price of oil. It will fluctuate now based on the news from the Middle East, in a nervous market. Any sustained rise would lead to increases in petrol and oil prices for consumers and Irish businesses before too long. To judge how serious this could become, a few factors are important. One is whether there is any impact on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow channel between Iran and the Gulf states through which around one third of the world's seaborne oil is transported. It is unclear the extent to which Iran could block these shipments, but it could certainly cause some considerable disruption. In turn, if sustained, this could lead to a spike in crude oil prices. Goldman Sachs, the investment bank, predicted that oil prices could rise to over $100 a barrel if there was substantial disruption to oil flows through the Strait. READ MORE The second key issue will be whether Iran chooses to target the oil production facilities of US allies in the region, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The resulting disruption in production could hit supply and drive up prices. It would also cause nervousness in the market. All this means further risks facing the global economy, at an already uncertain time. Sustained higher oil prices would feed through into higher inflation and lower economic growth. This will be an issue, too, for Donald Trump, who will be conscious about the price sensitivity of US consumers, particularly to prices at the pump. Following the US bombings, the world now looks on to see what Iran does next. Like the rest of the EU, the Government here, already facing the uncertainty from US tariff policy, now has another risk to put into its calculations ahead of the budget.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Nato summit: ‘Trump whisperer' Rutte hopes to sell two-tier spending solution
Nato allies have reached agreement on a new defence spending target of 5 per cent of gross domestic product, as demanded by US president Donald Trump , who is due to attend the alliance's summit in The Hague this week. Last-minute complications thrown up by the Spanish government, when prime minister Pedro Sánchez demanded a special exemption from the new target, appeared by Monday to have been resolved by the use of more flexible terms for Madrid. The two-tier agreement – an increase of 3.5 per cent of GDP for military spending combined with an additional increase of 1.5 per cent of GDP for related non-military costs – is a major win for Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte. Rutte was referred to as the 'Trump whisperer' in 2018 when he persuaded the US president not to abandon the military alliance. His task now, in wartime, is even more onerous. READ MORE It is no exaggeration to say that in the current geopolitical climate Nato's future – perhaps even its existence – hinges on the capacity of its 32 member states to increase their military spending to 5 per cent of GDP, as demanded by Trump. The US president has repeatedly accused Europeans of sheltering under its nuclear umbrella without paying appropriately for the privilege. In March he said: 'If you're not going to pay, we're not going to defend.' Many European countries have, in fact, increased defence spending since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – although not by enough, either for Trump or the scale of the threats the Continent faces. Figures from the European Council show EU member states' total defence expenditure rose by more than 30 per cent in 2021-2024 to about €326 billion – about 1.9 per cent of EU GDP. Even so, only 22 of Nato's 32 members met its annual spending target of 2 per cent of GDP last year. Countries such as Canada, Italy and Belgium still lag behind but have pledged to reach the target by the end of this year. The US also falls shy of the 5 per cent mark. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, it spent $997 billion on defence in 2024, roughly 3.4 per cent of GDP. However, this is the highest outlay among the major developed economies, exceeding the combined total of the next nine highest spenders. In the top job only nine months, Rutte tested a two-tier plan at an informal meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Turkey last month. On foot of their response, he has written to the 32 allies asking them to increase their military budgets to 3.5 per cent of GDP on 'hard military spending'. He has also proposed a further 1.5 per cent be earmarked for dual-purpose civil-military spending, such as infrastructure and cybersecurity – bringing the total to Trump's 5 per cent., The two together bring the total into line with Trump's demand for 5 per cent – handing the president the kudos. For those countries who complain the increase is too costly, the former Dutch prime minister has included a softener that suggests an incremental increase to the 5 per cent, initially by 2032, then by 2035. As part of Operation Orange Shield, fighter jets, attack helicopters and navy frigates will patrol The Hague during the summit, with Patriot missile batteries ringing the city and lockdown around the conference centre. Some 9,000 people, including 45 heads of state and government, are due to attend the meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday. King Willem Alexander will host a formal dinner on Tuesday. Total cost: €183.4 million.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Dispute over failed €23m sale of Leopardstown site by religious order
The sale of religious order-owned land in Leopardstown , south Dublin , to a developer for €23 million has fallen through due to a dispute over the provision of a school on part of the site, the Commercial Court has heard. Developer Rimor Magna Ltd is suing the trustees of the Legionaries of Christ in Ireland, owners of the land at Rocklands, which was to be sold to Rimor with a provision that it would also construct a new faith centre and school to replace the existing Creidim Centre and St Michael's House special school. It is claimed the sale fell through after a 2022 planning application for the school, faith centre and two office buildings was rejected by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Council on the grounds that the development failed to provide for a mainstream primary and post-primary school in accordance with Department of Education requirements. The claims are denied. On Monday, Rimor's case seeking an order that the congregation be prohibited from rescinding the contract for sale was admitted to the fast-track Commercial Court. READ MORE The application was made by Marcus Dowling SC, for the defendants, who said his clients did not want a substantial damages claim hanging over them and were seeking an expeditious hearing. Niall F Buckley SC, for Rimor, said that while not opposing the application for entry to the fast-track court, his side was arguing that it was given to understand by the defendants that Department of Education support was available for the plan but it was not. Mr Justice Mark Sanfey said while there had been an argument about delay in bringing the proceedings, any culpable delay was on the part of Rimor rather than the defendants. He was satisfied it was a suitable case for entry to the commercial list. He approved agreed directions between the parties and put it back to November. In an affidavit seeking entry of the case to the Commercial Court, Fr Mariano Ballestrem, manager of the congregation's affairs in Ireland, said the trustees terminated the contract with Rimor in November 2024 over its failure to comply with a special condition that it secure an acceptable grant of planning permission. The defendants also tendered the return of the €2.3 million deposit Rimor had paid. 'Insofar as the congregation is concerned, that was or should have been the end of the matter,' he said. Fr Ballestrem said Rimor's proceedings depend on a role allegedly played by a certain individual in the planning process. This individual held himself out as an agent of the congregation and represented that he had ascertained the requirements of the department prior to the lodging of the planning application and that the department would not object to the development, he said. After rejection of the application, the individual said the department would be satisfied with just one mainstream school on the development and represented that this strategy had been approved by the congregation, Fr Ballestrem said. However, at a meeting of the congregation in October 2023, there was no such approval and it was expected the terms of the contract would be complied with, he said. Fr Ballestrem said the congregation disputes that the individual had any significant role to play in Rimor's engagement with the department or that he represented the congregation in that regard. Rimor is claiming to have spent more than €1.7 million on efforts to secure planning permission. The defendants deny the claims, including claims for damages, brought by Rimor.
