Liam Heylin

Experience

Liam is a partner in our Antitrust and Competition practice with first-rate experience advising on all aspects of EU and Irish competition law, digital regulation and the Irish foreign investment screening regime. Liam specialises in merger control, cartels, abuse of dominance, competition litigation, digital regulation and State aid.

Liam has considerable international experience advising on complex multi-jurisdictional merger control and foreign investment screening reviews of transactions and antitrust investigations concerning cartels and abuse of dominance.  Liam also advises clients about complex competition litigation proceedings actions before the Irish courts. He routinely advises on other behavioural and regulatory matters such as distribution systems, co-operation agreements, and joint ventures. Liam also has extensive experience advising on all aspects of EU State aid law. Liam previously worked at US and magic circle antitrust and competition practices in London and Brussels and other leading Irish law firms in Dublin.

Key Highlights include advising:

• The traditional telecommunications operator in Belgium on an extended Phase 1 merger review by the CCPC regarding its acquisition of an international omnichannel communication solutions provider, which was ultimately unconditionally cleared by the CCPC.
• Multinational technology clients on the applicability, scope, prohibitions and obligations arising out of the Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act, including in relation to their engagement with the European Commission, and in relation to the intersection of competition law and privacy issues.
• An international IT wholesaler on the Irish merger control and investment screening aspects of its acquisition of an Irish IT products and ICT solutions retailer.
• The state agency responsible for funding oriented basic and applied research in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics' on all aspects of State aid law relevant to the R&D sector and on the development of a robust grant contractual framework aimed at ensuring compliance with the State aid rules.
• Multiple high-profile global private equity and investment management companies on the multijurisdictional merger control and foreign investment screening review of transactions to include conducting detailed substantive analysis; advising on regulatory strategy and approach; preparing all required filings and managing all correspondence and engagement with the relevant competition authorities and government bodies.
• A Swiss multinational pharmaceutical corporation in respect of IP patent infringement proceedings with an American multinational pharmaceutical company in the Irish Courts, which involved an abuse of dominance counterclaim in relation to the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.
• A provider of genealogy research services on all aspects of Irish and EU competition law and compliance matters.
• A multinational fashion retailer on a range of competition law compliance matters including the submission of applications to and complying with the requirements of the CCPC and DPP’s Cartel Immunity Programme and the CCPC’s Administrative Leniency Policy.
• A multinational energy company on a number of EU State aid issues relating to a number of electricity generation projects with the state-owned electric power transmission operator including regarding EU State aid notification requirements and procedure generally.
• A global financial services company in respect of a cartel investigation by the European Commission and the CMA into the FX and precious metals markets respectively.

Key highlights include advising: