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Practice Areas


EU & Antitrust

Our EU and Antitrust department is tailored to our clients' sophisticated needs in this complex area. We have established a strong team, which has been centrally involved in securing the right outcomes and establishing new precedent in Irish competition law.

This is an experienced team with diverse backgrounds and an acute understanding of how the anti-trust regulatory processes impinges on the concerns of corporate clients and how it fits in, particularly on merger control and cartel work.

Increasing regulation, EU mandates and standard harmonization creates an additional burden for business.  Our goal is to minimise the impact on our client’s business.

We advise Government, first movers and new entrants on creating new markets in energy, broadcasting and telecoms.  We frequently advise corporate and government clients on:

  • Merger notifications under the Irish Competition Act, 2002;
  • EU mergers;
  • Competition Compliance Programmes
  • Joint ventures; and
  • State Aid

Recommendations:


Legal 500, 2013
Mason Hayes & Curran has the competition expertise necessary to act on senior deals, such as SSE’s €488m acquisition of Endesa Ireland, and regularly advises the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg).  Niall Collins has ‘strong knowledge and a practical approach’.

Chambers & Partners Europe, Europes Leading Lawyers, 2013
This impressive competition team is a favourite with clients thanks to its practical, business-focused advice. It has broad experience but offers notable expertise in the energy sector, and continues to advise Bord Gáis Éireann Networks and Gaslink Independent System Operator on competition issues arising from the implementation of the EU’s Third Package for energy markets. Another recent highlight saw the group advise the Grangegorman Development Agency on a number of public procurement issues.  Sources say: “The team understands us, where we are coming from and our commercial drivers.”

GCR 100, Global Competition Review, 13th Edition, 2013
It’s been another busy year at Mason Hayes & Curran.  Of particular note is the meteoric rise within the firm of Niall Collins, who joined the firm in March 2011 as a senior associate, was promoted to partner in April and is now head of practice. He is supported by partners Tony Burke and Robert McDonagh, who is a public procurement specialist. Mason Hayes & Curran continues to advise Kerry Group over its acquisition of Breeo Foods, the first merger block by the competition authority to be overturned by the High Court. The firm also represented UK company Scottish & Southern Electricity in two of the largest energy deals in Ireland this year; the take over of Phoenix Energy and acquisition of assets from Endesa.  Energy is a particular specialty of the practice, with Collins advising state-owned gas company Bord Gais Eireann Networks in its €3 billion restructuring and unbundling issues in relation to the EU’s third package on energy liberalisation.

Should you wish to find out more about how we can assist you and your business, please do not hesitate to contact one of the team members listed adjacent.

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  • Ireland

    t +353 1 614 5000
    f +353 1 614 5001
    e mail@mhc.ie

    South Bank House,
    Barrow Street,
    Dublin 4 Ireland.

  • UK

    t +44 20 3178 3366
    f +44 20 3178 3367
    e mail@mhcldn.com

    60 Lombard Street,
    London EC3V 9EA,
    UK.

  • USA

    t +1 212 786 7376
    f +1 212 786 7316
    e mail@mhcny.com

    330 Madison Avenue,6th Floor,
    New York NY 10017 ,
    USA.