Matthew van der Want

Senior Associate

mvanderwant@hayes-solicitors.ie

Matthew is a senior associate solicitor in our Corporate team at Hayes solicitors.

Expertise

Matthew is a corporate and commercial lawyer with over 20 years of experience advising clients across multiple jurisdictions. He is admitted to practice in Ireland, England and Wales and South Africa. His practice spans mergers and acquisitions, investments, regulatory compliance, contract negotiation, and risk management. He has acted for major corporates, private equity firms, and public bodies on complex transactions, often in high-stakes, cross-border contexts.

Before relocating to Ireland, Matthew led a commercial law department in Johannesburg, South Africa and previously founded and managed his own boutique law firm.

Matthew combines sharp legal insight with practical business sense and brings a collaborative, solutions-focused approach to his work.

Experience

Advised Chiesi Farmaceutici on the Irish law aspects of its €1 billion+ acquisition of Amryt Pharmaceuticals

Advised an Irish tech startup in respect of three investment rounds institutional investors and Enterprise Ireland and providing legal services in relation to its general day to day commercial operations

Lead counsel to Glencore on multiple high-value commercial transactions in South Africa

Advised a branch of a foreign bank on security structuring, and related contractual arrangements

Represented the Royal Bafokeng Nation in major mining, infrastructure, and legislative matters, including appearances before South Africa’s Parliament

Advised South Africa’s Advertising Regulatory Board, including on regulatory enforcement and strategic litigation

Represented South Africa’s National Arts Festival in complex corporate transactions and restructurings

Advised on cross-border private equity transactions, shareholder arrangements, and corporate restructurings for clients across tech, energy, and finance sectors

Other

Matthew was a songwriter and recording artist in South Africa, releasing 7 albums of his songs, 3 of which reached the South African top 40 in the late 1990s. He has also written articles on a variety of subjects for national news publications and magazines in South Africa.

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