Diarmuid is a partner in our Corporate Strategy & Finance (Competition, Trade & EU Regulatory) practice based in our Manchester office. Diarmuid specialises in all aspects of EU and UK competition, state aid and procurement law, including merger control, behavioural investigations by the UK regulators and the European Commission, joint ventures and strategic alliances, advising on the competition aspects of various types of commercial agreement such as distribution agreements, technology transfer agreements and research and development and specialisation agreements; advising on compatibility of various forms of regional/local government assistance/support with the EU state aid rules and, where necessary, advising on applications to the European Commission for state aid clearance; and advising on the EU and UK public procurement rules, in particular in the context of regional/local authority development programs, including advising on the design and implementation of tendering and award processes.

Diarmuid also specialises in competition compliance advice, including advising on compliance programmes and dawn raid programmes, devising and undertaking competition compliance audits and devising and undertaking mock dawn raids.

Diarmuid is a member of the UK Association for European Law and has been appointed joint UK rapporteur at the forthcoming Biennial Congress of the Fédération Internationale de Droit Européen in November 2010, reporting on "The Judicial Application of European Competition Law". Diarmuid is also a member of the Competition Advisory Panel of the Confederation of British Industry.

The UK Legal 500 (2009) describes Diarmuid as "excellent" and having "client skills second to none". Chambers & Partners 2009 UK guide describes Diarmuid as "practical and proactive - when it comes to it, he can simply outgun other lawyers".

Recent experience includes:

• Advising Care UK PLC in securing unconditional clearance from the European Commission on 7 April 2010 for its acquisition by Bridgepoint Capital Group Limited.
  
• Advising Survitec Group on the merger control aspects of its acquisition by Warburg Pincus. This required obtaining merger control clearances in Germany, Ireland, Norway and the Ukraine - all clearances had been obtained unconditionally by 9 February 2010.
  
• Advising Aldi Stores Limited on the Competition Commission's Groceries Market investigation and subsequent implementation of GSCOP.
  
• Advising Lucite International on the merger control aspects of its $1.6 billion acquisition by Mitsubishi Rayon Co. Ltd, involving filing in Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Germany, South Korea and Taiwan as well as a Phase II merger review in China - this transaction completed on 28 May 2009.
  
• Advising before the OFT and Competition Commission INEOS Chlor Limited on the anticipated sale of its packaged chlorine business and assets to BOC Limited.
  
• Advising INEOS Chlor on its successful defence of an investigation by the European Commission into alleged "gun jumping", including representing INEOS on-site during the course of a Commission "dawn raid".
  
• Advising Baker Tilly, divestiture trustee appointed to enforce divestment remedy in CC merger inquiry in 2008.
  
• Advising Ainscough Crane Hire Limited on its completed acquisition of James Jack Lifting Services Limited.
  
• Advising Polypipe on its proposed acquisition of Verplas (referred to Competition Commission - July 2007).
  
• Advising Surfcontrol on its acquisition by Websense (unconditional OFT clearance - July 2007).
  
• Advising SSP on its acquisition of Sirius Financial Solutions (unconditional OFT clearance - June 2007).
  
• Advising Ainscough Crane Hire on its completed acquisition of Crane Services (unconditional OFT clearance - June 2007.
  
• Advising Live Nation on the Competition Commission's merger inquiry into the Hamsard/Acamdey merger (CC clearance decision dated January 2007 and final undertakings accepted in February 2007).

Publications:

• D Ryan, T Pick and W Sparks, Abuse of dominance - when is an 'excessive' price 'unfair'? Recent developments at EU and member state level, Competition & Antitrust Review 2009, Euromoney Yearbook
• Weighing up the competition, Legal Week, 13 December 2007
• "How national agencies approach defence mergers"; Global Competition Review 2003.
• "Abuse of a dominant position in EC competition law: recent developments" - The European Antitrust Review 1999 (Global Competition Review special report)
• "Data Protection - the new regime"; The Inhouse Lawyer 1999, 69(Apr) 38-41

Languages:

• English
• French (proficient)
• Irish (proficient)
• Italian (rusty)

Career:

• Training contract, Berwin Leighton 1996
• Qualified, 1998
• Solicitor, Berwin Leighton 1998-1999
• Solicitor, Baker & McKenzie 1999-2003
• Senior Associate, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer 2003-2007
• Partner, Hammonds LLP 2007 to date

Education:

• European Schools, Varese and Culham
• Emmanuel College, Cambridge University (BA in Law; 1994)
• College of Europe, Bruges (LLM; 1995)
• College of Law, York (1996)

Interesting facts:

• Member of the CBI Competition Advisory Panel

Quotes:

• The UK Legal 500 (2009) describes Diarmuid as "excellent" and as having "client skills second to none".

Clients

• Ainscough Crane Hire
• Akcros Chemicals
• Aldi Stores Limited
• Barratt Developments PLC
• Cott Corporation
• INEOS Group
• Innospec
• Kemira
• Live Nation Inc.
• Lucite International
• Monsanto
• SSL International plc
• SSP Holdings plc

"Partner" refers to a member of Hammonds LLP or an employee or consultant with equivalent standing and qualification.