Justin is a partner in our Corporate team, specialising in corporate finance, mergers & acquisitions and private equity transactions. He has extensive experience in corporate transactions with particular emphasis on all aspects of offers for, or the acquisition or disposal of, interests in public companies and the regulation of such transactions, public offers of equity securities by Irish and foreign issuers, private equity transactions and investment and acquisition transactions involving management groups.
Justin has advised bidders, shareholders, financial advisers and other parties involved in many of the public-to-private transactions which have taken place in Ireland involving quoted companies over recent years in addition to many high profile and complex transactions involving the acquisition of or investments in enterprises.
He also regularly advises in relation to the resolution of disputes between shareholders and demergers/separations of interests in complex and sensitive investment and shareholder matters.
Justin is a member of the board of directors of the Irish Takeover Panel as the nominee of the Law Society of Ireland. International directories have consistently ranked Justin as one of Ireland's leading corporate lawyers over the last several years – such recommendations are included in the current editions of PLC Which Lawyer and the Chambers Global Guide to the World’s leading lawyers.
Specialties
- Corporate
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Securities Law
- Public to private transactions
- Private Equity/ Management Buy-outs
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Represented B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. KGaA, the oldest private bank in Germany, in relation to the sale of fund administration subsidiary Metzler Ireland Limited to Universal-Investment Group for an undisclosed sum. Metzler Ireland Limited has assets under management of c. €2.8 billion (2020).
- Advising IMC Exploration Group plc in its all share acquisition of the Karaberd gold mine in Lori Marz, northern Armenia by means of a reverse takeover transaction with MVI Ireland s.r.o, conditional on the issue of an FCA approved prospectus, a waiver of Rule 9 of the Irish Takeover Rules by the Irish Takeover Panel and shareholder approval by IMC’s shareholders.
- Advising Goldman Sachs International in connection with the €718m offer by way of recommended scheme of arrangement by Causeway Consortium Limited for Applegreen plc.
- Advised the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment on corporate/company law aspects of the National Broadband Project.
- Advised SCISYS on its inversion under an Irish holding company and admission to AIM and Euronext Dublin and on the recommended offer by way of scheme of arrangement by CGI, Inc.
- Advised JP Morgan Securities plc on its role as financial adviser to Mediahuis NV in connection with its recommended offer by way of scheme of arrangement for Independent News & Media plc.
- Advised Wells Fargo Securities International Limited on its role as financial adviser to Henderson Park NV in connection with its recommended offer by way of scheme of arrangement for Green REIT plc.
- Acted for Tetrarch Capital in the acquisition of Citywest hotel and golf complex, Ireland’s largest hotel.
- Acted for Regan Development Holdings limited in the acquisition of the Regency Hotel out of examinership.
- Acted for Activision Blizzard, Inc. in its $5.9bn recommended offer by way of scheme of arrangement for King Digital Entertainment plc.
- Advised Dragon Oil plc in relation to the recommended £3.7bn cash offer by Emirates National Oil Company.
- Advised Deutsche Bank A.G. in relation to the recommended €1.4bn offer by IAG for Aer Lingus.
- Advised Credit Suisse Securities (Europe) and Goodbody Stockbrokers as Joint Global Coordinators in connection with the €400m placing and IPO of Cairn Homes plc.
- Advised Ormonde Mining plc in relation to the hostile approach from Almonty and $90m debt and equity investment by Oaktree in its Tungsten mine at Barruecapardo, Spain.
- Advised Irish Residential Properties REIT Plc on its €200 million placing and admission of its share capital to the Main Market of the Irish Stock Exchange.
- Acted in the sale of DKM Economic Consultants Limited to Ernst & Young.
- Advised Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners in its acquisition of the renewables business of Bord Gáis Éireann.
- Advised Mediaforce in its acquisition of 14 regional newspapers.
- Acted for the providers of finance arranged by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and J.P. Morgan Securities for the $7.3bn offer by Royalty Pharma for Elan Corporation plc.
- Acted for the shareholders of Vordel Limited in its sale to Axway AG.
- Acted for Celesio AG in the disposal of Cahill May Roberts Limited to Uniphar plc.
- Advised Samsung on Irish law aspects of the $1.375bn (consideration comprising cash and Seagate shares) sale of its hard drive division to Seagate.
- Advised Terra Resources in its reverse takeover of Sterling Green Group plc, AIM and ESM listing and placing.
- Advised Fastnet Oil & Gas plc on its acquisition of Pathfinder Hydrocarbon Resources Limited (Morocco).
- Advised Clondalkin Group limited on the acquisition of Catalent Ireland.
- Advised Orogen Gold Limited on its reverse merger with Medavinci plc.
- Advised on Berkshire Partners LLP, Advent International Corporation and Bain Capital Partners LLC in their joint $1.2bn bid by recommended scheme of arrangement for Skillsoft plc.
- Advised Dragon Oil plc on the recommended £2.4bn offer by Emirates National Oil Company by means of a scheme of arrangement.
- Advised the Irish Takeover Panel on the challenge by way of judicial review by Ryanair plc to its decisions restricting communication by Ryanair in connection with its hostile bid for Aer Lingus plc.
- Represented the Shareholders of Sligo Champion in its sale to Independent News and Media plc.
- Represented the Shareholders of Tuam Herald in its sale to the Midland Newspaper Group.
- Advised Gaslink, the new Irish independent system operator for the Irish gas transmission network, on the unbundling of the operation of the Irish gas transmission network out of the state-owned vertically integrated incumbent, Bord Gais Éireann.
- Advised Valero Corporation on the acquisition of the Irish downstream assets of Chevron.
Recommendations
Chambers & Partners, 2021
Justin "was excellent at managing all parties during the transactions."
Legal 500, 2021
‘Leading Individual’ Justin McKenna is “is pragmatic, effective and personable. He gets the deal done.”
Chambers & Partners, 2020
Justin is "efficient, straightforward and always extremely easy to deal with".
Legal 500, 2020
Justin is an "exceptional partner, always at the end of a phone and always very thorough in his detailed advice"
Chambers & Partners, 2019
“Provides excellent results"
Chambers & Partners, 2019
"Very informative, personable and knowledgeable."
Legal 500, 2019
Justin is recognised as a “Leading Individual”.
Authorship
The European Lawyer Reference - Mergers & Acquisitions - First edition, 2012
Getting the Deal Through - Securities Finance - Irish Chapter - 2012
Mergers & Acquisitions - The European Lawyer Reference Series 2012
