Competition/Antitrust
Asia-Pacific Guide 2024 : Australia
Band 1
Email address
[email protected]Contact number
+61 2 9230 4000About
Provided by Allens
Allens are competition law advisers of choice in Australia.
Our team has remained at the forefront of M&A clearances, managing the competition issues arising both from headline Australian transactions and the Australian aspects of global transactions, such as the DowDuPont merger.
Our competition practice regularly advises on immunity applications, ACCC investigations and enforcement action. We have acted for clients in global cartels in the healthcare and airline freight industries and in significant domestic cartels with international ramifications.
Ranging from agribusiness, banking and pharmaceuticals, to ecommerce, media and entertainment, our wide spectrum of clients benefit from our strong and respectful working relationship with the ACCC, built up over years of experience and interaction. This ensures that we are across all matters of concern and can give our clients commercially strategic and informed advice to guide them towards the best possible regulatory outcomes.
Chambers Review
Allens fields a well-resourced group, offering coverage of the full life-cycle of competition issues, backed by a global network and enhanced by a valued collegiate culture and a constructive relationship with the ACCC. The firm attracts particular praise for its handling of merger clearance mandates and is noted for expertise in the energy and resources, banking, pharmaceutical and telecommunications sectors. The team has experience defending ACCC enforcement proceedings, including cartel and misuse of market power prosecutions. The firm also provides regulated access, third-party access and price monitoring advice for both national and international clients. The practice advises extensively on clients' interactions with ACCC market inquiries, particularly in the financial services sectors. Its noted clients include Australasian Food Group, Pfizer and Pacific Equity Partners.
Work Highlights
- Allens advised a consortium comprising of Brookfield Asset Management and MidOcean Energy on the proposed AUD15.5 billion acquisition of Origin Energy.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"Allens' competition team provide technically excellent but also very commercial and pragmatic advice. They are extremely responsive and always looking for ways to add value for our business."
"They have extensive experience and expertise in competition and antitrust matters. From partners through to associates I'm very impressed with the high calibre of the Allens team. They are highly responsive and understand the importance of the matters they are dealing with."
"Allens' competition team provide technically excellent but also very commercial and pragmatic advice. They are extremely responsive and always looking for ways to add value for our business."
"They have extensive experience and expertise in competition and antitrust matters. From partners through to associates I'm very impressed with the high calibre of the Allens team. They are highly responsive and understand the importance of the matters they are dealing with."
Notable Practitioners
Fiona Crosbie is based in Sydney and advises a blue-chip client base across a range of major merger clearance, litigation and ACCC inquiry mandates as chair of the firm.
"Fiona is without doubt the most pre-eminent competition law partner in Australia. Her role as chair of Allens has provided a level of corporate insight and acumen that no other competition partner in Australia can match."
Jacqueline Downes leads the practice from the Sydney office. She regularly provides merger clearance counsel to a prestigious roster of leading multinationals, in addition to showcasing well-developed regulatory expertise.
"She's personable, knowledgeable and clear, with excellent response times."
"Jacqui has provided sound and solid legal advice to our business over a long period of time. We appreciate her insights and technical knowledge and the strength of her team. She is always available to talk things through and puts her clients first."
"She displays impressive technical skills and provides practical, commercially focused legal advice."
Carolyn Oddie is based in Sydney and concentrates primarily on regulatory matters, risk management and transactional issues. She is especially noted for her expertise in the healthcare sphere as Allens' health sector practice head.
"From the get-go she's been incredibly impressive and an incredible help. Technically, her knowledge of competition law in Australia and around the world is really impressive and she has the ability to distil complex advice to pragmatic and helpful advice."
Rob Walker, in Melbourne, maintains a varied practice, covering both competition and consumer law issues and operating across the transactional, regulatory and contentious spectrum.
"I thoroughly enjoyed working with Robert. I think he is a great lawyer and leader and strongly invested in building a great working relationship with us."
"He gives really clear and pragmatic advice that always hits the mark. He's a brilliant competition lawyer and an excellent technical lawyer who always has an eye for the client's reputational concerns."
Rosannah Healy handles both transactional and regulatory mandates from the Melbourne office, being particularly noted for her advice on questions concerning merger clearances and ACCC investigations.
"Rosannah is our go-to partner for difficult competition matters. She is a pleasure to deal with, very good with tight timeframes and her work is high quality."
Ted Hill is based in Melbourne and iswell known for his expertise in the infrastructure access sphere. He is prominently active in the financial services, mining and oil and gas sectors.
"Ted Hill is excellent in the competition law area, with a good strategic mind. He's an excellent operator."
Ranked Lawyers at
Allens
Australia
Members
Provided by Allens