Sarah Beeston

Sarah heads the European & Competition team of Van Doorne, dealing with the full spectrum of competition law issues. She guides clients through the regulatory hurdles which apply to investments and transactions, including multi-jurisdictional (merger control and other regulatory) filings. Sarah has successfully represented clients in almost all abuse of dominance investigations by the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) in recent years. With her senior team, Sarah has also been involved in many cartel investigations, ensuring that rights of defence are respected.

Sarah is innovative and seeks solutions. Clients come to her for her pragmatic, no-nonsense approach. She obtained the first commitment decision and first settlement decision taken by the ACM. In a recent RPM-investigation she worked with the ACM on criteria for leniency in non-horizontal cases. She has successfully negotiated the termination of investigations without fines or formal commitments and settled cases involving international damages claims.

Sarah began her career with the European Commission and entered private practice in 1991. Her international experience in Brussels, London and Paris, before joining Van Doorne in 1998, influences her approach and is highly valued by clients.

Sarah is a non-governmental advisor to the ACM in the context of the International Competition Network in which national competition authorities discuss and determine future policy. In this context Sarah seeks to protect the interests of businesses.