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Michael Collins QC

SC (Ireland), M.A. (N.U.I., First Class), LL.M. (N.U.I., First Class), LL.M. (U.Penn)
Call date: 1987 Silk: 1994

Summary

  • Call to Irish Bar (1978)
  • Call to New York Bar (1981)
  • Call to English Bar (1987)
  • Silk (Ireland) (1994)

Michael is a leading practitioner in commercial, competition and EC law at the Irish Bar and practices from 4 Arran Square, Arran Quay, Dublin 7. In July 2005 he joined Monckton Chambers as a door tenant.

After taking an M.A. in economics and an LL.M. from University College Dublin, he took an LL.M. from the University of Pennsylvania.  As a member of the New York Bar, he worked with Shearman & Sterling in New York in 1980-81 in the area of corporate law before returning to Ireland to commence practice at the Irish Bar.  He was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales in 1987, took silk in Ireland in 1994 and was called to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court in 2003. He was elected Vice-Chairman of the Bar Council of Ireland for 2007-08.

In 1996, he was appointed by the Irish Government as Chairman of the Competition and Mergers Review Group the majority of whose recommendations made have been implemented into Irish law in the Competition Act 2002.

Major Recent Cases

  • Ranbaxy Laboratories v. Warner Lambert, 10th June 2005 - admissibility of evidence in patent action
  • Re Eurofoods IFSC Ltd. (2005) 1 ILRM 161 - conflict between Irish and Italian courts winding up a Parmalat subsidiary
  • Creaven v. Criminal Assets Bureau, 29th October 2004 -  search warrants for the purpose of a criminal prosecution 
  • The Competition Authority v. Irish League of Credit Unions, 22nd October 2004 -abuse of dominant position
  • Carrickdale Hotel Ltd. v. Controller of Industrial and Commercial Property, 12th May 2004 - appealing award of “equitable remuneration” for copyright holders
  • Minister for the Environment v. Irish Ispat Ltd. (in voluntary liquidation) - interaction between environmental law and insolvency legislation
  • C-344/98 Masterfoods Ltd. v. HB Ice Cream Ltd. (2001) 4 CMLR 449 - abuse of dominant position