Antitrust

Lawyers acting at the forefront of Antitrust matters

Our specialist team is frequently asked to advise on matters in the following sectors: maritime and air transport, commodities, insurance and reinsurance, energy, mining, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, logistics, food and drink, financial services/banking, chemicals, heavy industries, TMT, sports and entertainment.

What we do in Antitrust

The team regularly reviews and advises on commercial agreements and other projects under Articles 101 (cartels/restrictive practices) and 102 (abuse of dominance) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the respective rules of other national jurisdictions. We advise on price related issues, distribution/marketing strategies, standardisation, trade association rules, restrictive agreements and concerted parties, actions for damages for antitrust infringements, pool arrangements, and joint ventures. We advise clients regarding the rules on prohibition of abuse of a dominant position, and represent companies in high-profile antitrust cases before the European Commission, national competition authorities and arbitrators, and ultimately the European courts.

We also regularly advise our clients on cartel proceedings pending before the European Commission and the national competition authorities. We advise on leniency applications and settlement agreements. We act as counsel for trade associations within the EU to ensure that their members and activities comply with EU competition rules, and we also advise clients on the application of competition rules to information exchange.

Our experience in Antitrust

Examples of our recent work include:

• Advising a major logistics company on competition law aspects of its role as supply chain manager for a prominent UK public body.
• Advising a major transport company in replying to the regulator's questions in an abuse of dominance investigation by a national competition authority.

• Representing a major transport company in an inquiry by a sectoral regulator.
• Advising a trade association which focuses on improving the social and environmental impact of supply chains on competition law compliance, with a particular emphasis on information sharing.
• Advising a leading litigation funder, which has a particular niche in funding competition damages claims, on reviewing whether claims have strong prospects of success.
• Advising on antitrust aspects of a cooperation agreement in the LNG sector.
• Advising an Asia-Pacific airline on proceedings before the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission concerning operations in Hong Kong and Singapore.
• Representing a client in the telecommunications sector in relation to an abuse of market dominance complaint.

• Acting for various regulators in Australia, including the operator of the Western Australian Wholesale Electricity Market and the Western Australian Economic Regulation Authority.
• Advising on access to infrastructure issues in Australia.
• Representing the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and acting in both enforcement and defence of actions under the Trade Practices Act 1974 and Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA).