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Expertise

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.  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.  

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.  In November 2023, Niall was listed by Lexology as one of their WWL ("Who's Who Legal") Thought Leaders for Competition in Ireland. 

Niall is also a committee member of the Competition Section of the Law Society of England and Wales. 

Experience

Recent matters on which Niall has led and advised include: 

  • Advising a ticketing company on the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission's (CCPC) investigation into the ticketing sector
  • Advising a major domestic insurer on the CCPC's investigation into the private motor insurance sector
  • Advising a multinational textile company on its acquisition of one of its major competitors in Ireland, a complex Phase II investigation ultimately cleared conditionally by the CCPC
  • Advising a major international media company on its entry into the Irish radio market, one of the most significant media transactions in Ireland in many years
  • 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 applications under the Irish Cartel Immunity Programme 
Accolades
“Niall Collins is great, responsive, smart and practical.”
EU and Competition: The European Legal 500 2025

“Niall Collins is an excellent partner with an extraordinarily high level of client service.”
EU and Competition: The European Legal 500 2025

“Niall Collins is a great combination of technical skill, client management, commerciality and responsiveness. One of the best competition partners I've worked with.”
EU and Competition: The European Legal 500 2025

“Niall Collins is a seasoned practitioner who is a real voice of authority on antitrust matters in Ireland. The Irish merger control process can be very involved and having Niall on the team is a game changer.”
EU and Competition: The European Legal 500 2025

“Niall Collins - pragmatic, and a pleasure to deal with. Great to have on your side.”
EU and Competition: The European Legal 500 2025

"Niall Collins' strength is his people skills. He is obviously a really good lawyer, who is straightforward to deal with and picks up on things really quickly. We feel like we are in safe hands."
Competition/European Law: Chambers Europe 2025

"Niall Collins provides excellent support with the reassurance that the clients come first."
Competition/European Law: Chambers Europe 2025

"Niall Collins is always on the ball. He is a strong thinker and very dynamic."
Competition/European Law: Chambers Europe 2025

"He is an excellent lawyer, who is very commercial and responsive and has a great team."
Competition/European Law: Chambers Europe 2025

"Niall Collins is an excellent operator with a strong commitment to his clients."
Competition/European Law: Chambers Europe 2025

“Niall Collins is the leading antitrust lawyer in Ireland at the moment. Clients really like him, he is easy to work with and very knowledgeable of the Irish regime.”
EU and Competition: The European Legal 500 2024

“Niall Collins is an excellent competition partner. He provides commercial and pragmatic advice and takes initiative in anticipating client needs.”
EU and Competition: The European Legal 500 2024

Niall Collins is titled Hall of Fame
EU and Competition: The European Legal 500 2023 and 2024

“It is very pleasant and efficient working with him.”
Competition/European Law: Chambers Europe 2024

“Niall understands exactly what we want and gets it done. He's a solutions-driven person.”
Competition/European Law: Chambers Europe 2024

“Niall Collins is very helpful and responsive.”
Competition/European Law: Chambers Europe 2024

“It is very pleasant and efficient working with him.”
Competition/European Law: Chambers Europe 2024
 
"Niall Collins is very clear and to the point. He keeps me in the front and centre of his thinking."
Competition/European Law: Chambers Europe 2023

"He is very good at communication."
Competition/European Law: Chambers Europe 2023

"His skills throughout the process, both from a technical legal perspective and from a strategic perspective, are beyond excellent. His ability to keep all parties engaged and aligned is crucial to the eventual success of the matter."
Competition/European Law: Chambers Europe 2023

Education

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