Chambers Review
Provided by Chambers
Competition Law - UK
What the Team is Known For
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP offers a strong competition law practice, often assisting clients with obtaining regulatory clearance for high-value corporate transactions. In addition to assisting clients with phase II merger reviews before the CMA, the law firm also represents clients in CMA sector inquiries and investigations into possible breaches of competition law before both the CMA and other regulators. Team members are also active in competition litigation, usually defending clients in collective proceedings and follow-on damages actions. The team works closely with the law firm's market-leading practice in Brussels to advise on matters that involve both the UK and EU authorities.
Strengths
The whole team is incredibly responsive to client needs and standards are consistently high.
The Cleary Gottlieb team has an excellent ability to grasp incredible levels of detail and apply very strong legal know-how and strategic vision to deliver sharp, commercial and pragmatic advice.
The team is strongly analytical and has a deep understanding of the subtleties of the law and our business.
The team that we work with is made up of genuinely good people who are very enjoyable to work with, both on a professional and personal level.
The team is highly responsive and offers analytical and business-friendly thinking.
Work Highlights
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP advised Broadcom on obtaining unconditional phase II merger clearance before the CMA for its USD69 billion acquisition of VMware.
Notable practitioners
Nicholas Levy splits his time between the law firm's offices in Brussels and London. He has particular experience in phase II merger clearance mandates before the CMA, as well as advising third-party intervenors on high-value reviews. He further acts for clients on CMA market studies and also has experience representing them before the European courts in challenges to authority decisions.
He is very hard-working, experienced and knowledgeable, with a good strategic perspective.
He is exceptionally knowledgeable, strategic and influential in navigating complex regulatory landscapes and shaping legal strategies.
Nicholas Levy is tenacious in his pursuit of good outcomes for clients and has an incredible work ethic.
Nicholas Levy is extremely experienced, has excellent judgement and is very efficient. He has exceptional commercial judgement and is practical.
Nicholas Levy is very sharp and direct, with clear advice.
Jackie Holland demonstrates notable activity in obtaining competition law clearance for high-value corporate transactions, including those that advance to phase II investigations. She also frequently represents technology sector clients in CMA investigations.
Jackie Holland is an exceptional lawyer, combining both strong substantive and analytical ability with a talent for managing complex and sometimes tricky stakeholder dynamics.
We loved working with Jackie Holland.
Jackie Holland's calmness and strategic thinking are her most valuable assets. She is very resilient and can navigate extremely complex situations.
She is just very organised, sharp and on top of everything.
Jackie Holland is very knowledgeable about the CMA merger control process and is a very good adviser on strategy. She is business-oriented and understands the business at stake well.
Paul Stuart has recent experience defending high-profile clients in prominent follow-on damages claims and class actions. He often appears before the CAT but has further experience representing clients in appeals before the CJEU and GCEU.
He is so knowledgeable about competition law that it feels like he has been in every case. He is really personable and a good draftsman.
He always has an eye on effectively resolving the case for the client. He is very experienced, bright and very client-oriented. His objective is to really secure the best solution for the client.
Paul Stuart is very well balanced and reliable.
Paul Stuart is a fantastic litigator with a very strong sense of the key arguments to advance.
Paul Stuart has an amazing grasp of the facts and details and exceptional legal knowledge combined with strong commerciality to deliver excellent results. And he is really nice to work with too.
Paul Gilbert is conscientious and experienced in relation to merger work.
Paul Gilbert is a nice and safe pair of hands.
He is a very strong lawyer and a very nice person to work with.
Paul Gilbert is a very strong partner who is great with clients and very responsive. He is a deep thinker about the nuances of cases and is always willing to listen.