George is a partner in the firm's Corporate M&A Group. In over 25 years of practice, he has advised on many of the most significant and complex Irish corporate transactions across a range of industry sectors.
George is listed as a leading corporate lawyer across a range of publications including IFLR1000, Chambers Europe and The Legal 500.
Mergers & Acquisitions
George's representative M&A transactions include many of the most significant takeovers (hostile and friendly) and mergers of Irish listed companies including; Independent News & Media / Mediahuis; IFG / Epiris; Allergan / Actavis ($66 billion); Willis / Towers Watson (merger of equals); Royalty Pharma / Elan (hostile takeover); Questcor / Mallinckrodt ($5.6 billion); Medtronic / Covidien ($42.9 billion); Actavis / Warner Chilcott ($8.5 billion); Auxilium / Endo International ($2.6 billion).
Private Equity
George also acts for a range of Private Equity institutions across a range of industry sectors, in particular Energy, Infrastructure and Telecoms. Recent mandates include advising Asterion Industrial Partners; AMP Capital; Aurelius; Bain Capital; Carlyle Cardinal Ireland; EQT; GLIL Infrastructure; Insight Venture Partners; the Irish Strategic Investment Fund; Macquarie Asset Management; and Partners Group.
George previously worked in the London office of a leading international law firm and has been a partner in Matheson since 2003.
Recent Private Equity/Growth Equity transactions on which George has advised include:
- GLIL Infrastructure on its acquisition of a majority stake in Invis Energy's portfolio of 11 operational wind farms (providing approximately 11% of Ireland's installed wind capacity).
- Asterion Industrial Partners on its acquisition of an 80% stake in National Broadband Ireland.
- The Irish Strategic Investment Fund on a range of investments in both listed and private companies across various industry sectors.
- Insight Venture Partners on a range of acquisitions, bolt-on transactions and exits including Fenergo and BrowerStack.
- AMP Capital on acquisitions, disposals and bolt-on transactions for various companies such as eNet and the National Convention Centre.
- Carlyle Cardinal Ireland and the founders on the sale of Sports Surgery Clinic, a centre of excellence for joint replacement and surgery for sports soft tissue injuries in Ireland, to UPMC.
Corporate transactions on which George has advised include:
- Cellnex on the EUR971 million sale of Cellnex’s business in Ireland to Phoenix Tower International.
- Radisson Hotel, Dublin Airport on its sale to the Dalata Hotel Group.
- An ad hoc crossover group of lenders on a $1.9 billion financial restructuring of Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE: MNK), which was implemented through a combined use of the US Chapter 11 bankruptcy process and an Irish examinership restructuring process.
- Aon, the global consulting and professional services firm, on its corporate re-domiciliation from the UK to Ireland and the listing of the new Irish holding company, Aon plc, on the NYSE.
- Weatherford International plc, the Irish NYSE listed parent of the Weatherford group of companies, on one of the largest and most complex cross-border corporate restructurings undertaken in Ireland. In a highly innovative legal structure, the transaction, which involved a $7.4 billion debt-for-equity swap and refinancing, was implemented through the first ever combined use of the US Chapter 11 bankruptcy process and an Irish examinership restructuring process.
- Orpea SA on the acquisition of a number of transactions resulting in Orpea being one of the largest nursing home providers in Ireland.
- Steris and Cimpress on their corporate migrations to Ireland and the subsequent listing of the Irish parent company on either NYSE or NASDAQ.
- Irving Oil on its acquisition of the Whitegate Refinery (Ireland's only oil refinery) and the subsequent acquisition of Top Oil / Tedcastles.
- Vermillion Energy in relation to its acquisition of stakes from Shell, CPPIB and Equior in the Corrib Gas Field.
- Allergan on its $66 billion merger with Actavis (NYSE).
- Auxilium Pharmaceuticals on its $2.6 billion acquisition by Endo International.
- Carne Group on its acquisition of The Asset Management Exchange from Willis Towers Watson and its acquisition of GAM's Luxembourg and Swiss third party fund management businesses
- Questcor Inc on its $5.6 billion merger with Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE).
- Actavis on its $8.5 billion acquisition of Warner Chilcott plc (NASDAQ).
- Royalty Pharma on its $6.5 billion hostile bid for Elan Corporation (NYSE).
- Admitted to the New York Bar
- Qualified as a solicitor of Supreme Court of England and Wales (non-practising)
- DePaul University, US (Law School)
- University College Dublin (BCL, International)