Mathew has a keen interest in transactional practices such as Private Equity and M&A. He also has strong number of partner/leadership level placements in niche areas such as technology, data privacy, and cyber security.

Mathew divides his time between working for law firm clients and in-house legal teams across EMEA with his core markets in London, Dublin, Frankfurt, and Munich, giving him good visibility across the entire legal ecosystem.

Prior to joining Fides Search, Mathew lived and worked in the UAE for 10 years. Here, he served as a Director of Instruction at one of the world’s Top 50 golf courses focusing on building academies, as well as developing the game at both the grass-root and elite levels. The highlight for Mathew was leading the UAE Special Olympics team in 2019 to 5 medals, including a Gold.

Representative experience:

• US Law firm – Employment Partner in a Tech focused law firm, London. Our client was looking for an employment partner who was both US and England and Wales qualified, with a focus on the technology sector. Naturally, this was a small talent pool, but we were able to meet the requirements for this growth hire.
• US Law firm – Data Protection lead, London. Our client had lost their data protection partner when they moved to open their own boutique. We were able to secure a partner with the necessary credentials from a UK firm to lead their practice in the UK, at a time when many firms were looking to hire in this advisory skill set.
• Big 4 – Commercial Technology and Digital Partner, London. The hire was one of the firm’s key strategic growth initiatives. We were able to find a partner from a UK firm with the relevant sector focus for the requirements of the brief, covering renewables, clean tech, and fintech.
• UK Law Firm – Technology and Commercial Partner, London. The client was seeking a partner whose practice focused on commercial advice in the technology sector but could also support clients with data protection and privacy concerns. The client was also looking for an experienced partner with an established book of business relevant to their firm.
• UK Law firm – Technology & Commercial senior lawyer, London. We delivered for a search, which directed us to source a tech transactions lawyer who would support the growth of their digital economy practice.
• UK Law firm – Head of Data Protection Partner, London. This search saw us find to lead this law firm’s data protection practice in the UK. The client was able to recruit a former magic circle lawyer, which would typically be challenging for them, and bring them in to lead their UK data practice after their previous partner moved on.
• Elite US law firm – Data Protection lead for Europe, Frankfurt. This top-tier US law firm had recently invested their national security and cybersecurity practice in the United States and was looking to hire a lead European lawyer in Frankfurt, Brussels, or London. We conducted a search simultaneously in all three cities and were able to secure their hire from a magic circle firm in Frankfurt.
• Office launch for a UK firm, Dublin. We partnered with a UK firm looking to open their first office outside of the UK. The brief was to find a multi-partner team capable of delivering a full-service TMT practice that included disputes, transactions, and advisory. During this process, Dublin saw a large number of international firms open offices, and we were tasked with finding a team that was both relevant to the brief and affordable enough to open the office sustainably. Since its inception in 2022, they have expanded from four to six partners, with a total team size of thirteen.
• Funds Practice for a UK Firm, Dublin. We searched for a law firm that had already established itself in Dublin. They had recently lost their entire funds practice to a US law firm, and we were hired to take over the search after another agency had failed. During this time, our client had also suffered significant losses in other practice areas, including corporate, disputes, and intellectual property. This was also the time when they decided to switch their fund offering from UCITS to AIFS, which presented another challenge, but we were able to secure them an experienced partner from a top-tier Irish firm who had previously worked for a US law firm.
• UK Law firm – Data Protection & Regulatory Enforcement Partner, London. The client (tier one in privacy and cyber) sought to grow their practice supporting clients navigate cyber incidents, enforcement action, and build their end-to-end advisory and disputes capability. This placement saw them hire an ex-US law firm lawyer, who had been the director of regulatory enforcement for the UK’s data regulator.

Due Diligence and Consultancy Projects:

• Technology Partner, Helsinki
• Private Equity and M&A Partner, Sydney
• M&A and Energy Partner, Madrid
• Capital Markets Partner, Warsaw
• International Arbitration Partner, Dubai
• International Arbitration Partner, Sydney
• Data Protection and Privacy Partner, Munich
• London Growth Strategy for a UK law firm

Mathew works with clients on assignments across the UK, continental Europe, and the Middle East. He has spent a considerable amount of time on the ground in different jurisdictions, including Germany and the UAE. He also speaks fluent German.