Compliance with competition law has never been more important, as governments seek to ensure that markets work well for consumers. Competition authorities are using their increased powers to scrutinise and challenge mergers, punish anti-competitive conduct, and reform markets where competition does not work well.
Our competition lawyers deliver effective, commercially-driven solutions to our clients. We provide expert competition law advice and representation before competition and regulatory authorities, as well as UK and EU courts. Many of our competition lawyers have worked for competition or regulatory authorities, meaning that we can provide a unique insight into how regulators work. We also draw on our experience of working in-house with clients, gaining a detailed understanding of their needs and, importantly, the markets they operate in.
Our clients include major multinationals, FTSE 350 companies, market leading privately-held businesses, financial investors and government departments. Where our clients require advice on international matters, we work with our network of preferred firms around the world to support them.
Areas of focus
Our competition law expertise includes the following:
- Devising compliance policies and programmes, audits and training including through web-based technology.
- Advising clients during dawn raids.
- Defending clients subject to cartel, abuse of dominance and other competition investigations.
- Advising and defending clients operating in regulated sectors in relation to competition and economic regulatory matters, including compliance with licence conditions and price reviews.
- Assisting clients in obtaining clearance for mergers and joint ventures including complex "Phase II" reviews.
- Competition litigation and disputes: representing clients involved in competition disputes, including before the UK and EU courts, including appeals against regulators' decisions, judicial review proceedings, follow-on damages actions and commercial disputes.
- Assisting clients throughout market studies and market investigations including the design and implementation of remedies.
- Advising clients on the application of competition law to commercial agreements, joint ventures, strategic alliances, business strategies and conduct.
- Advising on the subsidy control rules.
- Public procurement.
- Trade remedies, including guidance on the process of investigations with the Trade Remedies Authority relating to anti-dumping duties, subsidies, countervailing and safeguard measures, as well as assisting you in identifying key issues affecting your business or sector with respect to foreign imports.