Niall
Collins
Partner
Niall is a partner and Head of the Competition and Regulation Group.
He has extensive experience advising Irish and multinational businesses on all aspects of Irish and EU competition law, but particularly on complex merger control mandates.
Areas of Expertise
He has developed an influential reputation in the market for delivering the right outcomes for clients in difficult cases (including leading on a number of the recent Phase II merger cases in the jurisdiction). His experience extends to both public and private deals, private equity and venture capital investments and to joint ventures and strategic alliances. Niall also advises on the new Irish foreign direct investment screening regime.
His behavioural competition law practice covers abuse of dominance, cartels and other restrictive arrangements, regulatory investigations, compliance issues and consequential litigation following on from allegations of breach of the competition rules. He has recently led multi-disciplinary teams on the highest profile competition law investigations in the jurisdiction.
Niall’s broad practice has a particular focus on the energy, media & entertainment, insurance, agriculture & food, technology, sport and financial services sectors.
Niall’s broad practice has a particular focus on the energy, media & entertainment, insurance, agriculture & food, technology, sport and financial services sectors.
Prior to joining Matheson in 2022, Niall led the competition team at another Irish law firm. He also previously practiced with the EU and Competition team at Ashurst in London and with the Antitrust and Competition team at Latham & Watkins in London.
Niall is consistently ranked in the top tier of competition law advisers in Ireland by both Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 and was identified by Global Competition Review as one of the world’s top competition lawyers under the age of 40 in their ’40 under 40′ feature. Niall was also listed by Lexology as one of their WWL (“Who’s Who Legal”) Thought Leaders for Competition in Ireland.
Experience and Education
Recent matters on which Niall has led and advised include:
- Advising Smurfit Kappa Group on obtaining competition approvals across the globe, including from the EU Commission, for its merger into Smurfit WestRock;
- Advising Bauer Media on multiple radio acquisitions in Ireland and on Bauer’s acquisition of Clear Channel Europe-North;
- Advising Cellnex S.A. on the sale of Cellnex’s business in Ireland to Phoenix Tower International;
- Advising Ticketmaster on the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (CCPC) investigation into the ticketing sector;
- Advising FBD Insurance on the CCPC’s investigation into the private motor insurance sector;
- Advising ELIS S.A. on its acquisition of one of its major competitors in Ireland, a complex Phase II investigation ultimately cleared; conditionally by the CCPC
- Advising Aon plc on the Irish merger control and FDI aspects of its acquisition of global insurance broker, NFP;
- Advising Radisson Hotel, Dublin Airport on its sale to the Dalata Hotel Group;
- Acting in defence of a follow-on action for damages arising from the European Commission’s decision in the ‘Trucks’ case;
- Advising a major agricultural and food processing business on various acquisitions in Ireland;
- Acting in defence of a follow-on action for damages arising from the European Commission’s decision in the ‘Trucks’ case;
- Advising a major supplier of betting services to retail and online operators globally;
- Advising various international media businesses on acquisitions involving review under the Irish media merger regime;
- Advising on multiple applications under the Irish Cartel Immunity Programme.
- University of Cambridge, Master of Laws (LL.M), Leonard Coling Scholar
- University College Dublin, Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL)
- Qualified as a solicitor in Ireland and in England and Wales
