The Gazette 1992

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1992

GAZETTE

Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and Professor Valentine Korah of University College, London. Pro- fessor Hawk has wr i t t en the definitive textbook on mergers law and has an extensive practical expe r i ence of t he sub j ec t. Professor Korah is the author of the leading textbook on competition law. Both speakers gave highly informative, thought-provoking and entertaining talks. The Irish dimension to the speaking panel was equally distinguished. The Director of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trade, William Fagan, gave a fascinating description of the enforcement procedure of the Competition Act, including pro- visions for so-called 'dawn raids', which must be highly organised and secret in advance, as the element of surprise is vital. Patrick Massey, one of the new three- member Competition Authority, outlined the prospective role of the Authority over the next few years, while John Meade of Arthur Cox gave an account of some of the pitfalls and inconsistencies of current Irish merger law. Each session included an extensive question and answer period, which was taken full advantage of by the delegates. Indeed, the speakers re- marked more than once on the quality of the questions. The Conference was attended by a wide variety of delegates, including practising lawyers, economists, academics and representatives of semi-state bodies. All agreed that it was a highly useful, informative and enjoyable occasion. The proceedings of the Conference will be published and sent to each delegate. Copies will also be made available at a small charge to those who were unable to attend. The CIEL also publishes a quarterly newsletter wh i ch will keep readers up-to-date on issues in business law, tort and competition law. If you are interested in subscribing to the CIEL newsletter and/or receiving the proceedings of the Conference, you may contact Maeve Doherty at the Centre in Economics & Law, SSRC, University College, Galway. 25

LAWBfilEF Edited by/Eamonn G. Hall, Solicitor.

students an understanding of issues in business law, tort and anti-trust.

Conference on Competition Policy A Conference on Competition Policy was organised in University College Galway recently, hosted by the newly-founded Centre in Economics & Law (CIEL). The Centre is a joint venture between members of the Economics Department and the Law Faculty at the University, with the purpose of conducting research into areas of mutual interest to the two disciplines. The Director of the Centre, Patrick McNutt, is an economist who realised the need for such a facility while on sabbatical at Geo r ge t own University in Wash i ng t on DC. In the US, economists are routinely appointed to law faculties, where their training is considered vital in giving law

A particular interest of the Centre is competition policy, which is a subject which demands both legal and economic insights. With this in mind, and in the light of the recently enacted Irish Competition Act, it was decided to launch the Centre by hosting a one-day Conference on Competition Policy, which was held on November 23 last. The organisers were highly for- tunate in persuading t wo of the leading international experts on competition policy to participate at the conference. They were Pro- fessor Barry Hawk , of Fordham University, New York and the international law firm Skadden,

Photographed at a conference on competition

'^organised

Economics and Law, University College Galway Director CIEL UCG; John Meade, Arthur Cox; Patrick Massey, Competition Atnhority, and Professor Liam O'Malley, Smurfi, Professor of Business Law UCG.