We focus on three broad areas: competition and other regulatory issues; commercial agreements; and international trade law. Within these areas we have broad and deep experience of a number of types of work.

Our Competition group advises on the entire range of UK and EC competition law matters, merger control, state aid, procurement and trade.  It handles cartel, abuse of dominance and market investigations and merger control clearances before both the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and Competition Commission (CC) in the UK and the European Commission (EC) in Brussels.  It has a recognised reputation for cartel and leniency matters and appears in competition litigation cases before the Competition Appeals Tribunal, CFI/ECJ and national courts in England and N Ireland. 

Almost uniquely among UK competition law practices we are able to provide in-house economics advice alongside the legal advice on competition matters through our in-house economist as well as two solicitor advocates (one a QC) for court work.  Our partners understand the business and international environment having worked in-house, on secondment and in major centres such as Brussels, New York and Washington DC.

How we can help you

Our aim is to understand your business and your objectives and the markets in which you operate.  We would then work with you to enhance or defend your competitive position.  For example:  

• we have a track record in getting a merger or acquisition through the merger control process;
• we can help you take the competitive advantage by either:
  • improving the terms on which you produce, buy and/or sell goods and services and use intermediaries in the UK and across borders, or
  • challenging the actions of competitors which breach competition laws;
• we can satisfy or challenge competition authorities whose approval may be needed or who are investigating your business activities or your employees;
• we can develop structures and programmes, including face-to-face and on-line training, which can lessen the risk of regulatory intervention;
• we have experienced advisors in the right place at the right time (e.g., to deal with dawn raids).

Awards

The team won the Lawyer 2006 Competition/Regulatory Team of the Year Award for its work before the CC in the British Salt/New Cheshire Salt deal, a landmark case in which the CC reversed an adverse provisional finding for the first time.  This was followed in 2007 when we won the award for excellence in litigation at the 2007 WorldLeaders International IP Awards for successfully and innovatively advising adidas in obtaining an injunction (on competition law grounds) against a decision by the 4 grand slam tennis tournaments which would have prevented players wearing the iconic adidas "three stripes" on their tennis wear.

For details on our experience and some of our recent cases click here for more information

Competition Law - is your company compliant? Click here for more information