Competition Law
Europe Guide 2024 : UK
Band 5
Contact number
(020) 7400 8000About
Provided by Bristows LLP
We are experts in European competition law, with a long track record of representing clients before the competition authorities and courts in Brussels, Luxembourg and the UK.
We provide support to clients across the board, from devising bespoke compliance systems that are appropriate to each client, to advising on the competition law risks arising from commercial strategies or agreements.
Our clients instruct us to advise them on the competition risks arising out of issues as diverse as supply and distribution agreements, complex joint venture or other horizontal cooperation arrangements, in-licences and out licences of technology, abuse of dominance and antitrust investigations.
We help our clients navigate EU and UK merger control requirements and the application of worldwide merger control laws. We work with local counsel to deliver a seamless coordination where multiple filings are required.
With both competition law and litigation expertise in the same core team, we are ideally placed to act on competition disputes before both courts and arbitral panels.
Our competition litigation team is truly unusual, being made up of lawyers who have both an in-depth knowledge of competition law and extensive experience of litigation. For example, specialists within the Patent Litigation group works seamlessly with the Competition Law group in SEP/FRAND disputes. Our clients (patentees, implementers or patent pools) trust the team to really ‘get’ the issues in this field.
Chambers Review
Bristows is a popular choice with clients from the technology and pharmaceutical sectors for advice on the full range of competition law matters. The law firm has experience in merger clearance and NSIA filings, as well as in behavioural complaints, appeals against authority decisions and damages actions. Team members also have experience in state aid matters. The firm is known for its ability to handle matters that overlap between intellectual property and competition law.
Work Highlights
- Bristows represented CityFibre in an appeal before the CAT against Ofcom's decision to approve Openreach's new pricing arrangements.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"The team has great awareness of the regulatory framework."
"The lawyers are very responsive and focused."
"Bristows' lawyers are intellectually sharp yet incredibly client-focused."
"The team has great awareness of the regulatory framework."
"The lawyers are very responsive and focused."
"Bristows' lawyers are intellectually sharp yet incredibly client-focused."
Notable Practitioners
Sophie Lawrance defends high-profile clients in allegations of abuse of dominance. She also has experience acting for interested third parties on appeals against authority decisions. She has a number of clients from the technology and pharmaceutical sectors.
"Sophie is extremely intellectually sharp, she handles highly complex issues with ease and her applied thought is excellent. She is a responsive and agile lawyer who is extremely easy to work with."
Stephen Smith has a broad competition law practice encompassing state aid issues, appeals against authority decisions and merger control filings. He also has experience in matters involving the National Security and Investment Act and in abuse of dominance complaints.
"He's fantastically commercial and has a real grasp of the appetite for customers to get into the level of detail they need."
"He inspires full confidence in the matters we bring to him."
"He is an excellent and pragmatic lawyer. He has delivered strategic vision throughout the whole project."
Ranked Lawyers at
Bristows LLP
UK
Industries
Provided by Bristows LLP
Biosimilars
Consumer Products
Gaming
Life Sciences
Media & Publishing
Medical Devices
Music
Pharmaceutical
Technology
Telecoms