Europe - Ireland
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EU and competition

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Byrne Wallace Shields

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Byrne Wallace Shields has an established and highly-reputed EU and competition practice, thanks largely to the presence of prominent figure Marco Hickey. It has a fine record in merger control, including reviews at national and EU level and is further recognised for its work in sub-threshold merger matters. The firm is also noted for competition litigation, including follow-on damages actions.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Marco Hickey has unparalleled knowledge and combines this with an astute read of the commercial situation.’

  • ‘Marco Hickey and the team have a depth of knowledge and an ability to break down the most complex of activities into simple and easy to understand options and this sets them apart from others.’

  • ‘Marco is incredibly personable and so easy to work with as a client.’

  • ‘The team is very solid and works well on more complex matters Marco Hickey is the key resource and effectively to go-to guy in Ireland for EU and competition.'

  • ‘Marco Hickey - an expert in this area and also hugely respected by members of the competition authority.’

  • ‘Marco Hickey leads the team. Marco is one of the most seasoned and respected competition lawyers in Ireland. He quickly grasps the key commercial issues in complex regulatory cases and deals with client and regulators in a professional and efficient manner.’

  • ‘Marco Hickey has been our adviser on a number of competition and merger matters. While being extremely thorough and technically very able, he has also been very practical and commercial in his advice on some complex issues - he has a strong grasp of his subject matter, which provides comfort on sometimes uncertain terrain. We value his insights and approach highly.’

Key clients

  • Erisbeg Group
  • Egis International
  • Gardiner Group
  • Centric Health
  • Millstreet Equestrian Services
  • Neylons Facility Management
  • Gowan Group Limited
  • Murphy Geospatial Limited
  • Viagogo AG
  • BoyleSports

Work highlights

  • Acted for the Erisbeg Group on an agreement to acquire a majority stake in MP & E Trading Company trading as EMR Integrated Solutions; the transaction required a notification to the CCPC.
  • Acted for the Gowan Group in a transaction that involved various relevant overlap markets and was unconditionally approved by the CCPC in Phase 1.
  • Acted for Millstreet Equestrian Services (owner of the largest equestrian venue in Ireland and host to various national and international equestrian events) in proceedings before the Irish High Court against Show Jumping Ireland alleging infringement of both EU and Irish competition law.

Lawyers

Leading partners
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Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Marco Hickey