Matheson opens San Francisco office to tap into tech ecosystem

13 Jul 2017

Image: IM_photo/Shutterstock

Matheson makes key move as Ireland gears up for more Silicon Valley investments, especially post-Brexit.

Dublin-headquartered law firm Matheson is to open its third US office, this time in San Francisco, to serve the needs of Irish and US tech firms.

The company said the opening of the new office is in response to increasing demands from clients on the west coast for Irish legal services.

‘The US west coast is an important technology and innovation ecosystem with significant investment into Ireland’
– MARK O’SULLIVAN

“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,” explained Matheson managing partner Michael Jackson.

“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.”

Global tech focus

Matheson opens San Francisco office to tap into tech ecosystem

Pictured at the announcement of Matheson’s San Francisco office opening are (from left): Mark O’Sullivan, west coast head partner; Anne-Marie Bohan, head of technology and innovation; Chris Bollard, partner, technology and innovation; Michael Jackson, managing partner; Emma Doherty, partner, international business group; and Robert O’Shea, head of the corporate and commercial department. Image: Jason Clarke

The office will be led by Matheson west coast head partner Mark O’Sullivan, together with technology and privacy partner Chris Bollard.

O’Sullivan said: “The US west coast is an important technology and innovation ecosystem with significant investment into Ireland.”

“Face-to-face relationships are as important to us as they are to our clients, and all of our global offices are partner-led.

“The global technology industry is booming, fuelled by advancements in emerging areas such as AI and data analytics.

“Post-Brexit, Ireland, with an already large presence of technology multinationals, has the capacity to benefit from additional US investment into Europe.

Matheson already employs 650 people at its Dublin headquarters and operates five offices globally.

“The opening of our San Francisco office will support our continued collaboration with our clients and help them to remain competitive as they deal with the complexity of the current market conditions.

“Furthermore, working with the strong Irish Government support network and the IDA on the west coast, we can play a part in integrating more of these companies into Ireland, ultimately creating revenue growth and job opportunities,” O’Sullivan said.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com