EU and competition in North West
DWF
DWF specialises in advising on EU state aid, EU procurement, EU funding and regulatory matters. The firm has been undertaking an increasing number of instructions in UK merger control work and in 2018 notified three mergers through the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA). Other areas of expertise include cartels, EU funding disputes, judicial reviews, and providing advice around the European regional development fund (ERDF) and Brexit. Jonathan Branton , who splits his time between Leeds, Manchester and Brussels, heads the team. Senior associate Jay Mehta is also recommended.
Practice head(s):
Jonathan Branton
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Mexichem
Liverpool City Council & Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
Big Lottery Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund & The Arts Council
Burtons Foods
Cornwall Council
Maven Capital Partners
Birmingham City Council/ Finance Birmingham
Dairy UK
Barnfield Group
Manchester City Council & Greater Manchester Combined Authority
National Exhibition Centre Ltd
PepsiCo
OSRAM
Leeds City Council
Dransfield Properties
Unilever
Liverpool John Moores University
Lancaster University
Manchester Growth Company
Wirral Borough Council
Serco Plc
Work highlights
- Long running complaint before the European Commission alleging anti-competitive conduct by third parties.
- Handling a variety of difficult State aid issues for the major lottery fund allocations nationwide.
- State aid advice against delivery of major fund for industrial collaborations, plus miscellaneous advice for other large public funding situations
- State aid and related advice against delivery of major fund for stimulation of economic growth in the Merseyside region.
- Advising in merger control notification and clearance by the Competition & Markets Authority
Weightmans LLP
Weightmans LLP advises on cartel damages, competition law, state aid and procurement law. It has a particular focus on the food and drink, and insurance sectors and also advises local authorities, listed companies, universities, developers and venture funds on state aid issues with grants, loans and deal structures. Laurence Pritchard heads the team and advises on EU and UK competition law, including merger control and the control of anti-competitive agreements and practices.
Practice head(s):
Laurence Pritchard
Other key lawyers:
Gary Jones; Vincent King
Key clients
UK Trucks Claim Limited
S. Norton & Co. Limited
Chiesi Limited
Swissport
John West Limited
Stobart Group
Wi-Manx Limited
Washington Mills Limited
Motor Insurers’ Bureau
British Insurance Brokers Association
Lotus Bakeries UK Limited
Work highlights
- Advised UK Trucks Claim Limited in relation to issued proceedings on behalf of owners and lessees of over 600,000 trucks which were sold by way of unlawful anti-competitive practices undertaken and admitted by a cartel of European truck manufacturers over a 14 year period. The claim is estimated to be worth £14 bn.
- Advised the Motor Insurers’ Bureau on the pooling of risks amongst all motor insurers for losses suffered by innocent victims of terrorist actions.
- Advised S Norton & Co on its submissions to the Competition and Markets Authority in relation to two merger inquiries.
- Advising Chiesi on competition law issues.
- Advised John West Limited, the well-known supplier of branded canned fish products, on resale pricing issues.
Addleshaw Goddard
Addleshaw Goddard advises on general competition law, competition litigation cases, state aid, damages actions and cartels. The team is also experienced in merger control, market investigations and antitrust counselling/investigations. The firm is seeing an increasing amount of state aid instructions and represents clients locally and nationally. The practice is headed by Mark Molyneux and London-based Bruce Kilpatrick.
Practice head(s):
Mark Molyneux; Bruce Kilpatrick
Testimonials
‘Bruce Kilpatrick is a superb technical lawyer’.
‘Mark Molyneux is a great tactician and always thinking two steps ahead’.
Key clients
Office Depot
Yorkshire Building Society
Leeds Building Society
Skipton Building Society
Lucozade Ribena Suntory
Bruntwood Management Services
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Stockton Borough Council
NewRiver Leisure Limited
Road Haulage Association
Squire Patton Boggs
Squire Patton Boggs 's Manchester competition practice is headed by Diarmuid Ryan, who splits his time between London and Manchester. He is assisted by local legal director Nicola Elam . The team is able to work closely with colleagues in London, Brussels, Paris, Washington and Asia to handle antitrust, private enforcement, judicial review proceedings, merger control, CMA and European Commission investigations. They also advise on state aid matters, public procurement and policy and communications law matters. It has also been advising some clients on Brexit-related planning.
Practice head(s):
Diarmuid Ryan
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Nielsen
Ashtead Group plc
Bathroom Brands/Crosswater Holdings Ltd
Bayer AG
Bemis Company, Inc.
BritNed Limited
Brewers of Europe
British Beer and Pub Association
Cathay Pacific
Cott Corporation
Cranswick PLC
Lane Clark Peacock LLP
Live Nation
Low & Bonar PLC
Magnox Limited
Manchester Airports Group
Marston Holdings
Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association
Neptune Networks Limited
Peninsula Business Services
S.A. Industrias Celulosa Aragonesa CIF (SAICA)
SRCL Limited
Synthomer plc
Vp plc
World Sailing
Work highlights
- Represented BritNed in first ever cartel damages claim to go to full trial and judgment in the UK.
- Advising Cott Corporation on the EU/UK merger control aspects of the proposed $1.25 bn sale of its traditional beverages manufacturing business to Refresco Group N.V.
- Advised Nielsen on the CMA’s Phase 1 and Phase 2 review of Nielsen’s acquisition of Ebiquity plc’s adintel division.
- Advising investment consultancy Lane Clark & Peacock on its involvement in the CMA’s market investigation into the supply and acquisition of investment consultancy and fiduciary management services in the UK.
- Advised Ticketmaster, GET ME IN! and Seatwave on the CMA’s secondary ticketing investigation.