Law firm Matheson has announced the opening of an office in San Francisco, the the firm’s third US office and its fifth office globally. Matheson said the opening is in response to increasing client demand on the West Coast for Irish legal services.

Managing partner Michael Jackson commented: “The opening of our San Francisco office continues our track record of servicing our clients where they are located and providing immediate access to Irish legal advice and support on the most complex legal matters.  Our new San Francisco office allows us to support our West Coast client base with operations in Ireland, and also our Irish client base accessing international markets.

“We are seeing growth in the areas of technology, data protection, fintech, intellectual property, international corporate transactions and tax.  The new office will focus on these areas as well as other key areas including pharma, medtech and financial services.”

Matheson’s SF office will be led by Mark O'Sullivan, together with technology and privacy partner Chris Bollard, who joins the firm on August 1. “The US West Coast is an important technology and innovation ecosystem with significant investment into Ireland,” said O’Sullivan. “Face to face relationships are as important to us as they are to our clients and all of our global offices are partner-led.

“Post-Brexit, Ireland has the capacity to benefit from additional US investment into Europe. Working with the strong Irish government support network and the IDA, we can play a part in integrating more of these companies into Ireland, ultimately creating revenue growth and job opportunities.”

In Association with

Matheson has also announced seven new senior appointments.

• Robert O’Shea has been announced new Head of the firm’s Corporate and Commercial Department.

• Anne-Marie Bohan has been appointed head of Matheson’s Technology and Innovation Group.

• Pat English has been appointed Head of the firm’s International Business Group.

• Darren Maher has been appointed head of Matheson’s International Financial Institutions Group.

• Ciaran Healy has joined the firm as a new partner in the Corporate and Commercial Department.  He has joined Matheson from Mason Hayes & Curran and previously worked with Clifford Chance in London.

• Deirdre Kilroy comes to Matheson from LK Shields where she was Head of Intellectual Property and Technology.

• Chris Bollard is an expert in IT law, data privacy, e-commerce and intellectual property and previously worked with Arthur Cox.

Photo (l-r): Mark O’Sullivan, Anne-Marie Bohan, Chris Bollard, Michael Jackson, Emma Doherty and Robert O’Shea.