Competition

Our Competition team is well-established and respected by peers and clients alike. Team members have a combined wealth of expertise and experience, particularly on market and competition investigations, having been involved in five CMA market investigations/studies and four CMA/sector-regulator Competition Act 1998 (CA98)/Article 101 investigations over the last three years.

We have in-depth sector knowledge and advise on all aspects of competition law ranging from merger notifications to cartel and market investigations.

Our lobbying activities and regular participation at high level UK ministerial and European Commission roundtable meetings means we help shape the competition law agenda and play a key role in decision-making. This is reflected in the fact that we continue to undertake significant work for industry bodies and trade associations.

Clients tell us that they use us because we have a real understanding of the markets in which they operate and we focus our advice to dovetail with their strategic commercial objectives. We also achieve results, having persuaded both Ofgem and the CMA to close two recent CA98 investigations with no finding of infringement.

To further support our clients and help them manage risk, we provide a range of tools to complement our competition advisory services. This includes tailored competition law training and materials, compliance audits and follow-up sales force surgeries.

• Advising a financial services intermediary in connection with a CMA competition investigation. This involved responding to information notices, managing an on-site inspection, supporting in-house colleagues and advising the Board throughout. Our assistance included agreeing search parameters with the CMA, managing e-discovery and manual review and working closely with economists on pro-active representations to the CMA case team.
• Advising a leading price comparison website in connection with several recent CMA market studies and investigations, including drafting submissions to the CMA or relevant sector-regulator, as well as participating in bi-lateral and multi-lateral hearings.
• Representing a UK-based estate agency group before the CMA throughout a CMA cartel investigation into residential estate agency services, including reviewing and advising on documents seized by the CMA, securing leniency and immunity from director disqualification, making written/oral representations to the CMA and supervising key staff during CMA interviews.