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Aoife O'Gorman

Ee-fahShe/HerSpecial Counsel
We are grateful to Aoife O'Gorman and the DLA Piper team for providing excellent advice to Yamaha Motor on this highly complex cross-border transaction, contributing with business acumen and a good sense for progressing the transaction smoothly and successfully.
Haruka Onishi, Legal Manager, Yamaha Motor Ventures
About

Aoife O’Gorman is a highly experienced M&A, corporate and commercial lawyer with significant international experience in the Financial Services, Healthcare and Technology sectors. Aoife focuses on corporate legal work (both public and private) and her recent work spans a broad spectrum of corporate activity, including venture capital, M&A and corporate governance.

Aoife’s depth of experience, skill set, and cross disciplinary knowledge distinguishes her from her peers. She is regularly appointed as the lead associate for key clients and frequently draws from her own previous in-house experience to ensure that the client’s own objectives and commercial drivers are at the forefront of every transaction.

Aoife is highly regarded by clients for her commercial acumen and her ability to build rapport with all members of a transaction team.

Aoife has particular expertise in advising clients on corporate governance, M&A transactions (buy and sell side), joint ventures, venture capital, transaction structuring and delivery and due diligence. 

Aoife is a dual-qualified solicitor, admitted in Ireland and New Zealand.

Aoife is heavily involved in the firm’s global pro bono practice and was appointed as Co-Director, Pro bono for New Zealand in 2021.

 
Bar admissionsBarrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New ZealandSolicitor regulated by the Law Society of Ireland

EXPERIENCE

  • Acting for Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd's on its successful acquisition of Robotics Plus and subsidiaries.
  • Advising John Deere on its acquisition of 100% of the shares in Cloudscape Limited
  • Acting for Tracksuit on its consecutive series A and series B capital raise and secondary sales.
  • Advised Ecolab Inc. on all aspects of its cornerstone investment in New Zealand software company Fingermark. 
  • Advised Bessemer Venture Partners, a US venture capital fund with over US$5 billion under management, on its Series C investment in Halter USA, Inc and its subsidiaries.
  • Advising a large offshore investment manager on its submission to a competitive bid process to acquire a mjaority shareholding in one of New Zealand's largest forest owners.
  • Advised Energy Bay Limited on its inaugural New Zealand based joint venture to construct and operate a NZD$45 million Solar Farm in Maungaturoto.
  • Advised Olympus on all aspects of its first ever VC investment outside the US.
  • Acted for Bank of Queensland on the sale of its New Zealand loan book to New Zealand's largest non-bank lender, UDC Finance Limited
  • Acted for venture capital firm Finistere Ventures on its investment in the seed series capital raise of Scentian Bio Limited, a raise jointly led by Finistere Ventures and Toyota Ventures
  • Acting for GE (General Electric) on various matters including its current global reorganisation.
  • Acting for Pfizer on its various acquisitions, dispositions and internal reorganisations.
  • Advising Waterlogic, a portfolio company of PE firm Castik Capital, on its 100% acquisition of the assets and business of New Zealand owned and operated distributor, Merquip Limited.
  • Advising OSF Digital, salesforce partner and global provider of commerce solutions and digital transformation services, on its acquisition of 100% of the shares in digital transformation company Adept Group Limited.
  • Advising global venture capital firm, Bessemer Venture Partners, on its US$6 million Series A financing of New Zealand-based cloud computing growth company Portainer.
  • Advising SPX FLOW INC. on the sale of its New Zealand business as a going concern to long term customer and distributor, AxFlow Holding AB.
     
Education
  • University College Dublin, LLM, Commercial Law Masters 2007
  • University College Dublin, BCL, Bachelor of Law degree 2006

Awards

  • Ranked as a Leading Associate - Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2022-2025
  • Rising Star - Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2022

Connect

Phone

+64 9 300 3813
(Work, Auckland)
+64 21 198 1226
(Mobile, Auckland)