Nick McHugh
Asia-Pacific Guide 2024
Band 4 : Competition/Antitrust
Email address
[email protected]Contact number
+61 2 9330 8028Share profile
Band 4
About
Provided by Nick McHugh
Industry Sector Expertise
Energy, infrastructure and resources
Technology and innovation
Life sciences and healthcare
Practice Areas
Nick McHugh is a competition and regulatory lawyer based in Sydney and is the Australian head of the antitrust and competition team.
Nick advises utilities, corporate clients and regulators such as the ACCC and the Australian Energy Regulator. Nick has particular experience in advising upon the economic regulation of utilities, including the electricity, gas, water, telecommunications and transport sectors. A large part of his practice is advising on third party access, domestic and cross-border merger clearances, joint ventures, anti-competitive conduct, the National Electricity Law, the National Gas Law and the various state-based energy and transport regulatory frameworks, including contested matters.
Nick has represented numerous corporations in investigations conducted by the ACCC in a variety of industries including manufacturing, transport and logistics, media, construction and finance. He has represented clients in competition law matters in the Australia Competition Tribunal, Federal Court and High Court of Australia.
Prior to rejoining private practice in 1998, Nick was a senior lawyer with the Australian Government Solicitor principally advising and acting on behalf of the ACCC in the prosecution of competition law matters.
Chambers Review
Asia-Pacific
Nick McHugh, who is based in Sydney, acts on a variety of competition matters, including merger control and joint venture questions and the regulation of utility companies, where he acts for both public and private clients. He is also an experienced handler of matters involving ACCC investigation or prosecution.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"He was great to work with and was always great with clients, even in challenging circumstances. He looks broadly beyond the immediate problem and thinks about strategic issues and looks at what effect they may have on something else. He's intellectually agile."
"He is collaborative and easygoing, but very clear about what he wants and very effective, with very careful strategic thinking. He's efficient and market-savvy."
"He was great to work with and was always great with clients, even in challenging circumstances. He looks broadly beyond the immediate problem and thinks about strategic issues and looks at what effect they may have on something else. He's intellectually agile."
"He is collaborative and easygoing, but very clear about what he wants and very effective, with very careful strategic thinking. He's efficient and market-savvy."
