• Obtaining clearances of transactions from competition authorities and regulators.

• Reviewing commercial agreements under Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the Chapter I and II prohibitions under the Competition Act 1998.

• Assistance with compliance programmes, such as:

• carrying out competition compliance audits

• preparing full compliance policy and manuals

• specific 'dawn raids' training

• training of management and sales staff

• Advice on pricing, distribution or marketing arrangements for dominant companies.

• Advice on regulation of communications.

• Involvement in the EU legislative process, including advising clients on the impact of law and influencing lawmakers.

• Advising on sanctions and other trade law, such as REACH.

• Advising on climate change regulations and their impact on business practices.

We also handle contentious aspects of competition and international trade law, such as:

• Complaints to, and investigations by, competition authorities.

• Bringing or defending competition based claims in the English courts or in arbitration proceedings.

• References to the European courts and Competition Appeal Tribunal.

• Anti-dumping investigations, WTO dispute resolution and international investment disputes.

What we do Experience

• Advising a leading brand owner client on an OFT cartel investigation into the alleged facilitation of price collusion between major supermarkets. This is an important investigation into the extent to which suppliers to supermarkets can provide information to their customers on market developments. Potentially very heavy fines can be imposed for infringements of competition law, and third parties who can show loss can also bring actions for damages.

• Advising Chinese exporters on successfully challenging in the European Court of First Instance an anti-dumping duty which the EU Council had imposed on imports of glyphosate (a basic herbicide) from China following an anti-dumping investigation by the European Commission. The case will further liberalise the treatment of Chinese exporters accused of selling products at low prices to European customers.

• Advising the Indian Classification Society on a series of detailed requests for information received from the European Commission in the context of an investigation into possible breaches of EU competition law by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) and on commitments offered by IACS and providing the client with related advice on their own position as an associate member of the Association. The case is a leading case on standards under EU competition law.

• Providing a formal Legal Opinion to Deutsche Bank and HSH Nordbank on a $753.1m Loan Agreement that our client needed to finance the construction of ten capesize bulkers costing a total of $1.056bn. The focus of the Opinion was a proposed pool agreement under the common management of our client due to be entered into by the single vessel-owning companies owning the financed vessels.

What we do Experience

• Obtaining clearances of transactions from competition authorities and regulators.

• Reviewing commercial agreements under Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the Chapter I and II prohibitions under the Competition Act 1998.

• Assistance with compliance programmes, such as:

• carrying out competition compliance audits

• preparing full compliance policy and manuals

• specific 'dawn raids' training

• training of management and sales staff

• Advice on pricing, distribution or marketing arrangements for dominant companies.

• Advice on regulation of communications.

• Involvement in the EU legislative process, including advising clients on the impact of law and influencing lawmakers.

• Advising on sanctions and other trade law, such as REACH.

• Advising on climate change regulations and their impact on business practices.

We also handle contentious aspects of competition and international trade law, such as:

• Complaints to, and investigations by, competition authorities.

• Bringing or defending competition based claims in the English courts or in arbitration proceedings.

• References to the European courts and Competition Appeal Tribunal.

• Anti-dumping investigations, WTO dispute resolution and international investment disputes.