Europe UK Competition Law

Clifford Chance has recorded high-profile successes in the appeal of CMA decisions on excessive pricing in the pharmaceutical sector. The firm handles EU-level behavioural investigations, including cases that have the potential to attract substantial sanctions or that may have wider implications for the licensing and distribution of content. Clifford Chance leverages the experience of key partners who formerly worked within the CMA to handle complex domestic merger filings, while the firm's wider network of offices facilitates the in-house coordination of pan-European or transatlantic merger filings. The team also acts for defendants on cartel damages claims.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer enjoys an excellent reputation for activity across all aspects of UK and EU competition law. The firm is highly sought after by international companies from diverse sectors for merger filings at both UK and EU levels, with recent experience handling Phase II investigations on behalf of companies in the energy supply, pharmaceutical and aerospace markets. Freshfields possesses outstanding expertise in diverse matters, including cartel investigations carried out by the EC or the FCA. The firm also houses a market-leading litigation practice that defends companies in commercial damages claims. It also advises on key state aid cases, disputing illegal state aid and anti-competitive procurement processes.

Linklaters stands out for its experience in major domestic merger control filings that attract considerable objection from competitors and intense scrutiny from the CMA. The team earns further praise for activity in high-profile follow-on damages claims and for the handling of UK-based private enforcement actions. It works together with colleagues in Brussels and other offices to advise on global mergers. The practice is popular among financial services and life sciences clients for advice on CMA market studies or investigations into alleged abuse of dominance. It handles diverse state aid mandates, including investigations or CJEU appeals on behalf of European government bodies.

Slaughter and May is widely recognised as a leading competition practice for complex UK and EU law matters. The firm offers exceptional merger control capabilities, often leading EC merger filings through teams spread across London and Brussels, and coordinating wider global regulatory approvals with counsel based in relevant jurisdictions. It defends favourable EC merger control decisions against appeals brought to the CJEU by competitors. The team handles behavioural and market investigations for major clients, and also boasts notable experience acting on abuse of dominance investigations and standalone claims brought in the UK courts. It enjoys a market-leading caseload of follow-on damages and collective proceedings, defending claims filed against various international clients. It also maintains a strong state aid practice.

Allen & Overy plays a central role in many of the most important international media sector M&A transactions, including cases that test the UK government's ability to block mergers on public interest grounds. The team's proven media sector expertise extends into the defence of broadcasters in EC behavioural investigations. It leads domestic, EU and global merger filings for clients in the financial services, IT, automotive and retail sectors among others. Allen & Overy represents defendants both in CJEU appeals against EC cartel fines and in follow-on damages actions. It also has considerable experience in market investigations in heavily regulated sectors.

Hogan Lovells showcases strong litigation capabilities through presence on the defendant side of high-profile follow-on damages cases. The firm handles domestic standalone claims through which private claimants seek to enforce competition law principles against competitors or commercial partners. Hogan Lovells demonstrates experience in significant merger control mandates, and assists with the analysis of global corporate transactions, coordinating with lawyers from its network or with independent local firms in relevant jurisdictions. The firm offers further capabilities in CMA, EC and FCA behavioural investigations.

Addleshaw Goddard increasingly attracts attention for work on the claimant side of cartel damages claims, building on an established reputation for advice to defendants. The firm is often identified as a strong choice for complex mid-cap merger control matters. The team assists third-party interveners with complaints to the UK authorities or with objections to the potential clearance of major pan-European corporate transactions. It also advises on market studies and on targeted CMA behavioural investigations.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton collaborates closely with teams in Brussels, other European cities, and Washington, DC, to advise on high-profile cross-border mandates. Its key partners increasingly invest time in domestic merger control filings that are investigated by UK competition authorities. The team advises defendants on cartel follow-on damages and abuse of dominance claims brought in the UK courts. It represents a number of clients from the financial services and technology sectors.

Eversheds Sutherland remains a popular choice for clients facing CMA or FCA investigations into alleged anti-competitive conduct. It is able to leverage competition law experts based both in London and in Leeds to serve clients across the UK. The team advises on merger control issues arising from M&A and the formation of joint ventures. It assists with the design of competition-compliant distribution systems and of structures to prevent the unlawful exchange of information between competitors. The firm also has broad litigation capabilities that increasingly cross over onto the claimant side of follow-on damages cases.

Latham & Watkins is recognised as a strong choice for complex domestic merger control investigations owing in part to key individuals' former experience working within the CMA. The firm has a strong international presence in both Belgium and the USA, often coordinating merger notifications across multiple jurisdictions in global transactions. It also handles regulatory appeals and defends companies in cartel follow-on damages claims.

Macfarlanes has an impressive team acting for major pharmaceutical sector clients on CMA investigations and on subsequent appeals to courts in the UK and Luxembourg. The firm defends banks and financial services companies in EC investigations. It handles follow-on litigation in the UK and supports the defence of parallel proceedings in other European jurisdictions. The team also demonstrates experience in merger control notifications for transactions in various sectors, such as manufacturing and real estate.

Baker McKenzie is well placed to support global M&A transactions that require competition law analysis or formal notifications in multiple jurisdictions. The firm advises on transactions that are heavily scrutinised by competition authorities across Latin America, South-East Asia, the UK and the USA. It is able to provide a coordinated message across multiple national competition enforcement agencies within the context of individual behavioural investigations. The team represents defendants in cartel damages claims.

CMS handles a wide range of merger control, behavioural and state aid mandates. The firm advises on wide-reaching CMA market investigations into the financial services sector and on more targeted investigations into alleged participants in domestic cartels. It demonstrates experience in significant pharmaceutical sector appeals against CMA rulings, including cases that are referred up to the EU courts. CMS further assists with the management of distribution networks and competition compliance matters.

Kirkland & Ellis represents multinational corporate clients and private equity firms in merger control and foreign investment issues arising within the context of major transactions. The team acts on deals that trigger filings with the EC, with national competition regulators in Europe and with other competition authorities globally. It also advises on market investigations and handles compliance topics.

Bristows boasts notable strength at the intersection between competition law and IP, advising on key cases that test the definition of FRAND terms for the licensing of SEPs in the technology sector. The firm represents important defendants in standalone UK litigation relating to allegations of abuse of dominance. It acts for clients from the TMT and life sciences sectors on a wider range of topics including investigations into vertical restraints and the design of competition-compliant distribution models. The team is also equipped to handle complex merger control procedures.

DLA Piper often advises on CMA investigations into envisaged corporate transactions, with notable experience in complex mid-market deals in the aviation and beverages sectors. The team assists pharmaceutical companies with appeals against decisions taken by the CMA on the anti-competitive nature of reverse-payment patent settlements. It handles merger filings and ongoing compliance topics together with colleagues based abroad. The firm also stands out for its capacity to bring together teams across the UK to advise on domestic behavioural investigations.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher demonstrates experience in high-profile mergers in the retail and life sciences sectors that are subject to intense scrutiny by the CMA. The firm directly handles merger notifications to the EC and coordinates with local counsel in other jurisdictions to advise on filings with national competition authorities. It also advises on behavioural investigations initiated by the CMA, the EC and domestic European competition regulators, as well as defending clients in damages actions.

Shearman & Sterling has a strong merger clearance practice that includes CMA and EC notifications and investigations carried out by national competition regulators into the failure to disclose allegedly reportable transactions. The firm assists, inter alia, media and financial sector clients with behavioural investigations and with ongoing advisory topics. It advises on state aid notifications and on the beneficiary side of CJEU appeals against findings of illegal state aid. The team also works together with New York colleagues to advise US-headquartered corporates both on global merger filings and on the defence of follow-on damages claims brought in the UK courts.

Jones Day advises on the competition law aspects of M&A transactions, ranging from high-value cross-border deals through to smaller strategic acquisitions in heavily consolidated sectors. The team assists with the design of distribution agreements that comply with EU and UK law on vertical restraints. Its key partners handle long-running follow-on damages claims and defend appeals of regulatory decisions.

Sidley Austin boasts an increasingly established presence in high-profile competition work. The firm handles significant antitrust and merger control mandates on behalf of major clients from the banking and private equity sectors. It has additional activity in major life sciences cases.

Sullivan & Cromwell handles a wide range of significant competition and antitrust work across multiple jurisdictions. The firm advises on merger clearances involving the UK and EU member states. It also represents companies involved in investigations by domestic and international competition authorities.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher has bolstered its practice this year to offer clients support on both non-contentious and contentious competition mandates. The team regularly advises companies in the food and technology sectors on merger clearance matters and CMA and EC investigations. It demonstrates further skill in handling litigation, acting on both the defendant and claimant side of cartel damages claims.