EXPERTISE 

John is a Partner on the Corporate team. His practice areas currently are primarily private company M&A, venture capital, company law generally and partnership law. 

He has previously advised in relation to capital markets, in particular, debt capital markets, MTN programmes, commercial paper  programmes, standalone debt issuance, and he has advised on equity capital market issuances by Irish companies. He has also advised on equity fundraisings and on public company take-overs. 

In the area of venture capital he has advised on the establishment and marketing of venture capital funds, ongoing relationships between the general partner and limited Partners and investments by venture capital funds. He has acted for Seroba Life Sciences, one of the two leading Irish life science venture capital funds since the establishment of the first fund in 2001, and most recently in relation to the establishment of the €100 million + Seroba Life Sciences Fund IV in December 2021. 

Recent Experience includes advising: 

• Seroba Life Sciences on the establishment of each of Funds I to IV since 2001 and on more than 30 separate transactions relating to either investment or exit
• EIIS Management Ltd the manager of the Goodbody EIIS Funds on the establishment of the first such fund in 2016 and on Fund investments and exits since then
• Earlybird Health the German VC Fund on its seed Investment in Perfuze an Irish neurovascular devise company and subsequently advising EarlyBird, EQT Life Sciences, Seroba and SV Health Investors on the $25m Series A round by Perfuze  
• The shareholders of Walsh Whiskey on the equity joint venture with Illva Sarrono in 2013, the demerger and refinancing in 2018 and the sale of the company in 2021 to Amber Beverages Group   
• Columbia Ventures Corporation in relation to the sale of Magnet Networks Limited to Speed Fibre Group in 2020 having advised Magnet in the acquisition of the B2B telephony division of Imagine Telecommunications Group in 2016 and on subsequent roll up acquisitions