EU and competition
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Hall of fameWilliam Fry LLP
Cormac is a Partner and head of William Fry’s Competition & Regulation Department, specialising in EU and Irish competition, merger control and public procurement rules. He advises on the compatibility of business arrangements with EU and Irish competition laws and has represented clients in antitrust investigations by both the European Commission and the Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and in proceedings before the European and Irish courts. Cormac has also secured Irish regulatory approval regarding many high-profile corporate transactions. He also advises both public bodies and disappointed bidders regarding challenges to contract decisions under public procurement rules. Cormac also has a broader regulatory focus. He advises clients on complying with anti-money laundering rules and on 'white-collar' crime issues. He has also been appointed as senior counsel by the cabinet.
Hall of fameA&L Goodbody LLP
Alan McCarthy is a partner in A&L Goodbody's EU, Competition & Procurement group. Alan has represented clients in a range of sectors including telecommunications, aviation, banking, insurance, healthcare, food, beverages and petroleum before the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and the European Commission. He specialises in advice on the competition law implications of mergers and joint ventures. He has advised on many of the recent mergers notified to the CCPC (including mergers that have been investigated in Phase 2 of the CCPC's merger procedures) and on mergers notified to the European Commission. Alan also specialises in advice on competition law enforcement issues (such as leniency applications, dawn raids, compliance programmes and competition law litigation) as well as complaints to the CCPC and the European Commission. Alan also advises on EU competition law follow-on damages actions in the Irish Courts. He has significant sectoral regulatory experience, particularly in the telecommunications and energy sectors in Ireland. In addition, he advises on a wide range of other EU law matters such as State aid.
Hall of fameA&L Goodbody LLP
Dr Vincent Power is a partner in A&L Goodbody specialising in EU law, EU and Irish competition/antitrust law, merger control, regulatory law and transport law for national and international as well as public and private clients. He is Head of the firm's EU, Competition & Procurement Group which is consistently ranked at the forefront of Irish law firms and he is seen as the most experienced competition lawyer practising in Ireland. Vincent won the ILO Client Choice Award for the category of "EU Competition and Antitrust" across the entire European Union in 2017 and he has won the same award for Ireland in 2018 and 2021 – these awards are made by The International Law Office in recognition of a partner who excels across the full spectrum of client service. In 2019, he was elected Chairman of the European Maritime Law Organisation. He is listed in the Lloyd's List Top 10 Maritime Lawyers 2019 worldwide and in the 2022 Who's Who Legal: Transport. Vincent has advised on most of the leading competition, merger control, EU law, cartel, abuse of dominance, State aid, joint venture, pricing, refusal to supply, competition investigations, dawn raids, Competition Authority / CCPC and competition litigation cases in Ireland over the last 20 years. He has been involved in several hundred merger filings in Ireland and the EU and has experience and expertise in all of the issues involved. He has developed a particular expertise in regard to Brexit Law.
Rising stars
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Arthur Cox
Ronan is Of Counsel at Arthur Cox and a member of the Competition and Regulated Markets Group. His practice covers the full range of EU and Irish competition and telecoms law. Ronan has 15 years experience of Antitrust and Competition Law, Policy and Practice, with a focus on merger control, abuse of dominance, antitrust investigations and litigation. He has previously served at a senior level in the Competition and Markets Authority in London, during which time he led high-profile merger investigations (with a focus on the telecoms space) and dawn raids on behalf of that authority (in the pharmaceutical and medical sectors). During his time with the CMA, he was also seconded to the Irish Competition Agency (the ‘CCPC’) and worked closely with the European Commission on both merger and antitrust investigations. His international experience of competition law, enforcement and capability building includes time in China (working with Mofcom, the Competition Regulator) and on secondment to a law firm in India. Prior to joining Arthur Cox in 2022, Ronan worked at another Irish law firm, where he brought regulatory appeals in the Irish High Court on behalf of both Three Ireland and Sky Ireland. He holds a Masters Degree from King’s College London in EU Competition Law and, since 2020, has been named as a ‘Rising Star’ in the Legal 500.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Philip Lee LLP
Ronan leads Philip Lee’s Competition, Regulated Markets and EU Law group. He advises a wide range of clients, in both the public and private sectors, on contentious and advisory questions of EU law, competition law and regulatory law. Ronan has particular expertise in merger control and the application of EU State aid rules and has significant experience dealing with the European Commission and Irish regulatory agencies in this context. Ronan’s practice includes advising on commercial vertical agreements (particularly in the automotive and pharma sectors), as well as regularly presenting to clients on competition law compliance matters. His sectoral-specific regulatory work tends to primarily relate to issues affecting the telecommunications industry, broadcasting, media and the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. Ronan regularly presents at conferences and publishes in journals on competition law related matters. He is the Irish correspondent for the European Competition and Regulatory Law Review and contributes to the European State Aid Law Quarterly journal.
Arthur Cox
Patrick is a partner in the Competition and Regulated Markets Group. His practice covers the full range of EU and Irish competition law.
McCann FitzGerald LLP
Laura leads our Antitrust and Competition practice. She has broad experience across all areas in competition and antitrust law including merger control, abuse of dominance issues, horizontal and vertical agreements, Irish and EU competition law investigations, State aid and telecoms. Laura was based in our Brussels office for over four years and is acutely aware of European competition law developments. She also has an important network of European officials and competition lawyers.
Matheson LLP
Calum Warren is a partner in the Competition and Regulation Group. Prior to joining Matheson, Calum worked at leading international law firms in Brussels and London. Calum advises on all aspects of Irish and EU competition and regulatory law including merger control, competition compliance and investigations, sector regulation, public procurement, state aid and general EU law. Calum has also gained in-depth experience in a range of sectors including financial services, telecommunications and media (TMT), agri-business, energy, manufacturing, healthcare, food & beverages and transport. Calum specialises in advising on and managing clearance strategies for M&A transactions before the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and the European Commission, including transactions subject to in-depth Phase 2 investigations and remedies negotiations. His previous roles in Brussels and London also enable Calum to bring considerable multi-jurisdictional perspective to his advice. Calum also specialises in managing competition investigations before the CCPC and the European Commission, including representation during on-site inspections (‘dawn raids’), whistle-blower applications and follow-on litigation before the Irish and EU courts. Calum also has significant expertise in advising on competition compliance issues, including competitor collaborations, the competition aspects of distribution arrangements and technology transfer / IP arrangements and internal compliance programmes (including ‘dawn raid’ preparedness). Calum contributes articles to leading international legal publications and speaks regularly on EU competition issues.
Leading individuals
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
A&L Goodbody LLP
Anna-Marie Curran is a partner in A&L Goodbody's EU, Competition & Procurement group. She has extensive experience in competition law, procurement law, sectoral regulation, EU and Irish merger filings, cartels, State aid, competition law enforcement and immunity applications. Anna-Marie advises a wide range of clients across contentious and non-contentious competition law and procurement law matters. She has represented clients in the Irish and Northern Ireland courts and before the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Commission.
Mason Hayes & Curran LLP
Dorit is a Partner in the Competition & Antitrust and Public Procurement teams at Mason Hayes & Curran. Dorit possesses extensive experience advising on all aspects of EU competition and procurement law. She regularly advises clients on the competition law implications of commercial contracts, merger control, antitrust investigations, abuse of a dominant position, compliance and enforcement issues, State aid as well as competition litigation. She also advises clients on state aid matters and the impending Irish foreign direct investment screening regime. In addition, Dorit has an excellent track record of advising public and private sector clients in the public and utilities sectors on a wide range of procurement issues, including advising on procurement strategy and execution, drafting procurement documentation, advising on selection and award criteria, evaluation methodology and scoring matrix, debrief requirements and defending or initiating a legal challenge. Dorit is known for her keen eye for detail and pragmatic and solution-focused advice. She has practised law in England, Northern Ireland and Ireland for 25 years and is used to advising clients on cross-jurisdictional issues. Her experience allows her to draw on the practice in these jurisdictions and to develop strategies and solutions to difficult issues.
Arthur Cox
Richard is Head of the Competition and Regulated Markets Group. He is admitted to practice in Ireland and New York. He advises on all aspects of EU and Irish competition / antitrust law including investigations and dawn raids by the European Commission and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission of Ireland (CCPC), competition litigation, merger control, competition aspects of commercial agreements and behaviour, EU State aid law, competition compliance programmes, leniency applications, complaints and sectoral studies by regulators. He has been involved in a large proportion of the leading antitrust, merger control, and State aid cases in Ireland over many years.
William Fry LLP
Sheila is a Partner in William Fry’s Competition & Regulation Department. She advises on all aspects of EU, UK and Irish competition law including merger control, anti-competitive agreements and conduct by dominant firms. She has particular experience in merger control and in distribution, parallel imports, rebates and other pricing practices. In addition, she specialises in public procurement law and is an external supervisor for EU Public Procurement Law on the King’s College, London, LLM programme.
William Fry LLP
Claire Waterson is a Partner in William Fry’s Competition & Regulation Department advising on all aspects of Irish and EU competition law, including merger control, restrictive practices, State aids, public procurement and free movement. Claire specialises in sectoral regulation with a particular emphasis on telecommunications
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