The Maynooth/Matheson tie-up offers a fast-track route into Ireland’s financial services sector.
Prizes
Matheson is pleased to announce that three Maynooth University law students have been awarded prizes for their contributions on the specialised Funds Law course delivered by Matheson as part of the Maynooth University LLM in International Business Law.
The pair have both been awarded a six-month internship based on their results and a competitive interview process.
In addition, Sofia Vdovichenko from Dublin has been awarded a legal writing prize, having received the highest grade for her written assignment forming part of the course assessment.
Fund domicile
Speaking at an event to honour the award recipients and their families at Maynooth, Matheson head of investment funds Tara Doyle said “Ireland is an international leader in financial services and continues to stand out as a leading international fund domicile.
“It is increasingly important that Ireland exhibits its strengths internationally, particularly in a post-Brexit world in which many UK-based financial services companies are moving some of their operations abroad.
“Designing third level programmes that ensure a supply of talented graduates with relevant, specialist skills is a key element in ensuring Ireland’s ongoing competitiveness in the international financial services arena.”
Matheson partnered with Maynooth University Department of Law in 2013 to deliver the first specialised funds law course to be taught at an Irish university.
Each week, Maynooth University LLM students leave the campus to attend lectures in Matheson’s offices, giving them unique exposure to a law firm.
The Irish funds industry directly employs over 16,000 people in Ireland across 10 different counties.
Ireland is recognised internationally as one of the world's leading jurisdictions for funds, and is responsible for administering over 40% of the world’s alternative investment funds.
The world’s major fund service providers have established a presence in Ireland, and the value of assets under administration in this country has surpassed the €4 trillion mark.
Matheson acts for funds with 30% Irish market share of assets under management.
Collaboration
Managing partner Michael Jackson commented “Education is the first step towards excellence. Matheson’s collaboration with Maynooth University allows us to help expose the students on the course to an area of law in which Ireland continues to excel.
“It also allows us to introduce them to an internationally focused professional environment. We also benefit by learning how business can better interact with academia to produce the leaders of the future and by gaining a greater understanding of the factors which motivate today’s excellent graduates.”
Partner Liz Grace, who created and wrote the Funds Law course, said: “Six years on from writing the Funds Law course, I am absolutely delighted to see it go from strength to strength.
“It has been our great pleasure at Matheson to continue the collaboration with Professor Michael Doherty and Maynooth University.
“Partnerships such as this between academia and industry are vital – in order to pass complex regulatory knowledge to our third level students – and to develop the skills base necessary to ensure Ireland's continued success in international financial services.”
Professor Doherty, head of Maynooth University Department of Law, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, said: “The innovative nature of the course is a model for what can be achieved when industry and academia engage in such a collaborative way, with benefits not only for those directly involved, but also for the wider economy, and the entire third level education system.”