Our People
Peers highlight Patrick Spicer as '"excellent and one of the better M&A lawyers in town."
M&A: IFLR 1000 2011
Patrick Spicer is highlighted as “smart and pragmatic”.
Corporate and Commercial: European Legal 500 2011
Patrick Spicer is a "calming influence, who instils confidence" say clients.
Corporate and Commercial: European Legal 500 2010
Recommended as a"sensible practical lawyer who really gets things done".
Corporate/M&A: Chambers Global and Chambers Europe 2010
Fellow practitioners highlighted Patrick Spicer as a key figure at Matheson Ormsby Prentice's M&A department: "Paddy Spicer is a very good guy, very pragmatic".
Mergers and Acquisitions: IFLR1000 2010
With a wide-ranging corporate practice, Patrick Spicer is "a pretty canny character who doesn't get flustered".
Corporate/M&A: Chambers Global and Chambers Europe 2009
Patrick Spicer is a "tenacious and fantastically responsive" lawyer.
Chambers Global and Chambers Europe 2008
Patrick is also recognised as a leading lawyer by a number of international legal directories, including European Legal 500 and PLC Which Lawyer.
Expertise
Patrick is a partner and head of the Corporate and Commercial Law Department of Matheson Ormsby Prentice.
Patrick acts for a large range of domestic and international clients and specialises in particular in public and private company mergers, take-overs and acquisitions, private equity transactions, equity fundraisings, joint ventures, reorganisations and refinancings.
Patrick has contributed articles to many leading international legal publications, including the Irish chapter to the Private Equity Handbooks (2005-2009) published as part of the PLC Cross Border Handbooks, and the Irish chapter to the European Mergers and Acquisitions Review (published by Law Business Research).
Education
Trinity College, Dublin, LLB
Highlights
Patrick has advised:
- William Grant & Sons Limited on the sale of Carolans, Frangelico and Irish Mist brands to Italian drinks producer Gruppo Campari for €129 million
- William Grant & Sons Limited on the €300 million acquisition of the international spirits division of C&C Group Plc
- two leading pharmaceutical companies on their purchases of large pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities
- Xerox Corporation on its acquisition of Irish Business Services Limited
- Syncreon and its shareholders on the investment by GenNx360 Capital Partners
- Verint Systems, Inc on its acquisition of Iontas Limited
- BC Partners on the Irish aspects of the €600m acquisition of the Spotless Group
- EcoSecurities Group plc in defending a hostile takeover bid from Guanabara Holdings BV and the subsequent recommended offer from Carbon Acquisition Company Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JP Morgan Chase & Co.
- Allied Irish Bank Group plc on the €1.3 billion merger between AIB's Ark Life division and the Aviva-owned Hibernian Life & Pensions
- Towercom Holdings Limited in its €155 million acquisition of eircom plc's mast tower business
- Brown Thomas on its disposal of A-Wear Limited to management backed by Alchemy Partners
- Kayfoam Woolfson group of companies on its acquisition by FL Partners
- sports goods retail chain Champion Sports on its acquisition by PCP One Limited
- the sellers of Connaught Electronics Limited on its acquisition by Valeo SA
- Greyhound Recycling on the disposal of part of its business to Greenstar and the acquisition of South Dublin Council's domestic and commercial waste business
