Jonathan Sheehan
Managing Partner
Ireland
Jonathan is the Managing Partner of our Ireland office and head of the Tax Group.
A corporate lawyer by training and qualified chartered tax adviser (CTA), Jonathan advises on various financial, corporate and real estate transactions.
Jonathan's primary area of focus is on the tax treatment of capital markets, investment funds and real estate transactions. He also has extensive experience in advising on M&A transactions, corporate migrations, cross-border mergers and loan portfolio sales and acquisitions.
Jonathan has acted for a wide range of domestic and international clients, including publicly listed companies, financial institutions, private equity providers, fund managers and administrators, and Irish State bodies.
Jonathan sits on the tax committees of various industry associations in Ireland. He is known for his collaborative style, technical ability and commitment to client service.
Jonathan's primary area of focus is on the tax treatment of capital markets, investment funds and real estate transactions. He also has extensive experience in advising on M&A transactions, corporate migrations, cross-border mergers and loan portfolio sales and acquisitions.
Jonathan has acted for a wide range of domestic and international clients, including publicly listed companies, financial institutions, private equity providers, fund managers and administrators, and Irish State bodies.
Jonathan sits on the tax committees of various industry associations in Ireland. He is known for his collaborative style, technical ability and commitment to client service.
He is a hard-working, brilliantly minded lawyer.
Experience and recent work
Before joining Walkers, Jonathan spent over 14 years with a 'big five' law firm in Dublin where he was a partner in the firm's Tax practice.
Qualifications
Admitted in:
- Ireland
- England & Wales
Education:
- Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Trinity College Dublin
- Masters of Laws (LLM) (Commercial), Cambridge University
- Diploma in Applied Finance Law, Law Society of Ireland
AITI Chartered Tax Adviser
Member of the Law Society of Ireland
2025 ITR World Tax - Highly Regarded Practitioner
2024 Legal 500 - Leading Partner, Tax - "Jonathan Sheehan has built a top tier practice in Ireland. Under his leadership, they are a best in class outfit and I would highly recommend them."
2024 Chambers - Eminent Practioners, Tax - "Jonathan Sheehan is super commercial, very clear and good with his clients. He is the big-picture person who knows everything about everything."
2022 IFLR 1000 (32nd Edition) - "A very intimate knowledge of all things related to tax in Ireland."
2022 Legal 500 - Leading Individual and Recommended Lawyer (Tax) - "Jonathan Sheehan is a trusted business adviser. He understands his clients’ operational framework and works closely with the Walkers firm to offer tailored solutions. He is very responsive and provides timely industry developments."
2022 Chambers Europe Guide - Band 2 (Tax) - "Jonathan Sheehan provides very user-friendly and clear advice on a range of complex issues."
2022 World Tax – Highly Regarded
2021 Legal 500 - Leading Individual and Recommended Lawyer (Tax) - "Jonathan Sheehan is exceptional both in his technical knowledge and his commercial approach."; "Jonathan Sheehan has great technical knowledge. He is also very user-friendly and commercial."
2021 Chambers Europe Guide - Band 2 (Tax) - Jonathan Sheehan frequently handles the tax aspects of debt capital markets and securitisation transactions. He is also experienced in matters relating to the establishment of funds.
2020 Legal 500 - Leading Individual (Tax) - "Jonathan Sheehan is an exceptional tax lawyer. He is very technical but his grasp of the technical detail enables him to be very commercially minded with structuring and executing transactions."
2020 Chambers Europe Guide - Band 2 (Tax) - Jonathan Sheehan provides "excellent client service and attention to detail," sources say
2019 Who's Who Legal: Corporate Tax
2019 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer (Tax) - Jonathan Sheehan is 'a leader in his field: his knowledge of both Irish and global tax matters is second to none, he has an acutely analytical mind and is impressively articulate.'
2018 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer: "Practice head Jonathan Sheehan ‘has an exceptional technical grasp of tax’."
2018 Chambers Europe Guide - (Tax) A Notable Practitioner. "One client highlights his efficiency and management skills, saying: 'The speed he responded to things was amazing,' and adds that 'his judgement was good, his calls were conservative and not too aggressive and he was able to very quickly mobilise the team'."
2018 World Tax - "Walkers is held in high regard by peers and clients alike. One client said: 'Jonathan Sheehan is an impressive tax attorney. Technically very able, but also very practical'."
2017 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer.
2017 Chambers Europe – (Tax) A Notable Practitioner. "Head of department Jonathan Sheehan is described by sources as 'user-friendly.' One client notes he is 'very strong in the area of real estate taxation' and that he has 'good technical skills allied with a commercial approach'."
2017 World Tax – "We have had a great experience with Jonathan Sheehan at Walkers and use the firm almost exclusively for tax advice in transactions we do in Ireland. He is very fast, user friendly and commercial and we would definitely use him again."
2016 Chambers Europe – (Tax) A Notable Practitioner. "According to sources, Jonathan Sheehan is "a big-picture person who has great corporate experience, which is advantageous when putting things into practice. He is a really smart guy who offers a good mix of technical and practical."
2016 Legal 500 - Recommended Individual: "Walkers Ireland ‘provides a top-quality service’."
2016 World Tax - "He regularly advises US listed multinational corporations on corporate migrations and inversions...A client says: "we have worked with them on a few Irish deals and I have found the tax advice excellent. Jonathan Sheehan there is very responsive, knowledgeable and pragmatic".
2015 Chambers Global - "Jonathan Sheehan receives wide-ranging praise from clients, who say: "He is a hard-working, brilliantly minded lawyer." He has recently acted on a number of major tax cases, notably in the pharmaceutical sphere."
2014 Chambers Global - "He has a growing reputation in the area and his practice encompasses the tax aspects of M&A, structured finance and real estate."
He has lectured on Irish Tax Institute diploma courses and has written and contributed to articles on tax related issues in various publications including International Tax Review, PLC and IBFD publications.
‘Jonathan Sheehan is a trusted business adviser. He understands his clients’ operational framework and works closely with the Walkers firm to offer tailored solutions. He is very responsive and provides timely industry developments.
Team Members
