International Competition & Trade
McGuireWoods London advises on EU and UK competition and antitrust issues, including merger control, cartels, commercial agreements, abuse of dominance/market power, market/sectoral investigations, state aid/subsidies, private competition litigation, and reviews and appeals of regulatory decisions. Our lawyers also coordinate and advise on multijurisdictional competition matters across the world, as well as matters affecting individual countries, liaising as necessary with trusted local counsel and McGuireWoods colleagues in the U.S.
The team has experienced representing complainants and defendants in investigations before the European Commission, UK Competition and Markets Authority and other regulators, including making leniency applications, defending and settling multijurisdictional cartel investigations, and advising on abuse of dominance investigations and complaints. We attend and represent clients at “dawn raids” and carry out subsequent internal investigations.
Our lawyers coordinate merger control and FDI clearances in multiple jurisdictions for cross-border mergers, acquisitions and joint venture transactions. The team has acted for transacting parties and third-party interveners on numerous high-profile, first- and second-phase merger control investigations in the EU, UK and other countries, including cases settled by remedies.
We also advise on general competition law issues relating to commercial agreements and practices in the areas of franchising, distribution, R&D, agency, licensing, supply, parallel imports, pricing/rebates, refusal to supply/access to facilities, and discrimination and cooperation agreements between competitors. We advise on tailored and appropriate competition law compliance procedures, including preparing suitable written compliance programs and manuals, and provide related training. Our team advises on internal audits, using up-to-date technology tools. We also provide stand-alone training/CLE/CPD sessions.
Our competition lawyers work closely with our litigators in London and the firm’s other offices to bring, defend and settle private claims for damages or other measures in national courts. We have cutting-edge experience defending “follow-on” claims for damages in the UK courts. We also bring actions before the EU and UK courts, appealing decisions in all areas of competition law and acting for companies defending their interests arising out of competition law violations in the EU and UK.
Our lead partner in the EU and UK is a long-term member of the leadership of the American Bar Association and its Antitrust Law Section, and is a regular co-host of the section’s podcast, “Our Curious Amalgam.”
