Burges Salmon LLP
handles the spectrum of competition law matters, with experience in acting for public and private sector clients alike. The team’s work on transactions encompasses handling merger control notifications, including for multi-jurisdictional M&A deals, as well as assisting clients in ensuring that commercial agreements comply with competition law. The group is also well-equipped to advise matters involving the CMA, such as cartel investigations and market studies, and it also represents clients in antitrust litigation. Practice head Chris Worrall offers expertise across all of these areas, regularly handling both advisory and contentious competition law. On the public sector side, John Houlden counsels a number of central government departments on the competition issues surrounding grants and procurement. Director Noel Beale also has broad experience in this space.
EU and competition in South West
Burges Salmon LLP
Practice head(s):
Chris Worrall
Other key lawyers:
John Houlden; Noel Beale; Shachi Nathdwarawala; Sandra Mapara; Punim Anda
Testimonials
‘Strong specialist competition law advice, which is often lacking in regional firms. The team is led by Chris Worrall who has substantial experience of CMA mergers and a wide range of other competition work. The team scores highly on diversity in multiple dimensions.’
‘The team are very cohesive across the board of specialisms. This enables a complete approach to matters where there are distinct elements. The approach taken is very structured and easy to understand and refer back to.’
Chris Worrall – very calm, easy to work with. Great judgement based on many years of experience in this field.’
‘Noel Beale – very experienced across a range of areas within competition, including merger control and litigation. Very knowledgable.’
‘Shachi Nathdwarawala – very good to work with. Specialist expertise in the healthcare sector.
‘Sandra Mapara – an experienced associate whom we have worked alongside on UK competition matters relating to healthcare and also retail. The understanding of our organisation and how it functions by team members really makes them an asset as external lawyers, in particular Punim Anda.’
Key clients
Deutsche Post DHL Group
Co-operative Group Limited
Spire Healthcare
Loop Interiors
Taylor Maxwell Group
Embark Group Limited
United Kingdom Research & Innovation
Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy
Department for Transport – Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles
Clarks
Work highlights
- Advised DHL in relation to its €1.5 billion acquisition of global freight forwarding group Hillebrand
- Advised on ComfortDelGro’s proposed acquisition from Stagecoach Group plc of inter-city coach businesses including Megabus.
- Advised the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) with regards to securing Covid-19 vaccines.
Osborne Clarke LLP
Osborne Clarke LLP has a varied competition law practice, encompassing merger control, CMA investigations, litigation and subsidy control. The team is frequently instructed to assist clients in ensuring that their commercial agreements are in compliance with competition law, drawing on the firm’s international network of offices to provide cross-jurisdictional advice to clients. Simon Neill leads the practice from London and is noted for his work in merger control, with Marc Shrimpling the key name to note on subsidy control matters. Rebecca Malone was promoted to associate director in October 2021 and has a broad practice covering transactions, investigations and state aid; she is praised by clients for her commercial advice.
Practice head(s):
Simon Neill
Other key lawyers:
Marc Shrimpling; Rebecca Malone
Testimonials
‘Very clear, talk plain english, practical’
‘Marc Shrimpling engages a business audience very effectively, wears his expertise and experience very lightly. Really clear communicator.’
‘Rebecca Malone is always responsive and provides a good level of commerciality to the advice she provides. Rebecca is keen and interested to learn about our business in order to deliver tailored advice that is valued. Rebecca understands the pressures of in-house legal and the need for external counsel to act as both a trusted soundboard as well as subject matter expert.’
‘Marc Shrimpling makes it unique. His approach, style and ability to take a complex area and provide clear, simple pragmatic advice is unrivalled.’
‘Marc is approachable, fun to work with, proactive, efficient and clear. You can implicitly trust him on the advice, the fees and the ability to deliver the advice to the C-suite. Exactly how an external lawyer should be.’
Key clients
Reckitt Benckiser BV, Global Division
Amber Infrastructure
Reckitt Benckiser – Netherlands
Mike Burton
Reckitt Benckiser UK Hygiene Home Commercial Limited
News UK
Specialized Bicycle Components
Centrica Distributed Energy and Power
Kelly Services
Biffa
PageGroup
Granted Consultancy
Cinapsis
The Met Office
Guys and St Thomas Foundation Trust
Work highlights
- Advised Guys’ & St Thomas’ Foundation Trust on the merger control aspects of its acquisition of The Royal Brompton Hospital
- Advised Reckitt Benckiser on the competition law aspects of its B2B and e-commerce platform.
- Advised Biffa on the merger control aspects of its acquisition of Country Shop and Green Circle Polymers.
TLT
At TLT, the 'highly skilled' competition law practice provides proactive advice to clients on compliance with competition regulations, and also represents them in contentious matters. The team is regularly engaged by clients to handle matters involving the CMA, including representing them in investigations, appearing before the competition appeal tribunal, advising on complaints to the authority, and providing assistance with remedies implemented following investigations. The practice’s work in the non-contentious space includes advising public and private sector clients on commercial agreements as well as handling merger control. Miles Trower leads the team and is praised as ‘a hugely capable regulatory lawyer’. Head of commercial Bill Hull is also a key figure in the team with a focus on acting for public sector clients.
Practice head(s):
Miles Trower
Other key lawyers:
Bill Hull; Richard Collie
Testimonials
‘The team are highly skilled competition law experts that are able to explain complex legal issues in a way which is accessible to commercial stakeholders in business. They take a pragmatic approach to problems, taking time to understand what the business is trying to achieve before offering potential solutions alongside legal advice.’
‘Miles Trower is an exceptional lawyer and a safe pair of hands. He understands our business, asks the right questions, and most importantly, understands our commercial stakeholders well enough to approach certain issues with sensitivity. Richard Collie is an up and coming associate who can turn his hand to any problem. Both Miles and Richard always find time for us, putting client service at the very forefront of what they do.’
‘An excellent guiding approach to the interaction with regulators. Very quickly able to understand the demands of a client and how best to engage with that client.’
‘Miles Trower – a hugely capable regulatory lawyer, skilled in dealing with a range of regulators and the strategy around that. Richard Collie – extremely capable in regulatory matters, with an acute ability to understand and articulate the position of a client and guide clients on how best to articulate that position.’
Key clients
BGL Group Limited/Comparethemarket.com
Ecotricity Group Limited
Alissa Healthcare/Robin Davies
The Retail Motor Industry Federation Limited/National Franchised Dealers Association
TUI UK Limited
Imperial Brands PLC
Inchcape plc
Mineral Products Association
Energy Saving Trust Ltd
Merlin Entertainments
Work highlights
- Representing BGL (Comparethemarket.com) before the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CMA) in connection with its appeal of the CMA’s decision in respect of alleged breaches of competition law arising from the agreement of retail most favoured nation clauses (wide MFNs) by Comparethemarket.com and certain home insurance providers.
- Instructed by Ecotricity to act for it during the CMA’s investigation into suspected breaches of competition law in respect of the supply of electric vehicle chargepoints on or near motorways.
- Continuing to advise the National Franchised Dealers Association on radical changes proposed by certain global automakers to adjust their distribution model, moving from a resale distribution model to one of online sales/agency.
Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP
Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP‘s varied competition law practice offers ‘City experience in the South West’, providing advice on state aid and merger control issues as well as representing clients in dealings with the CMA. Competition litigation is another area of focus for the team, which represents both defendants and claimants before the competition appeal tribunal in standalone and follow-on claims. Andrij Jurkiw leads the team and offers clients considerable experience across contentious and non-contentious competition law.
Practice head(s):
Andrij Jurkiw
Testimonials
‘Punching above their weight – City experience in the south-west.’
‘Andre Jurkiw is highly experienced, knowledgeable about the law but client-focused and commercial.’
Key clients
George Rye & Sons Limited
D J Squire & Co Limited
Monnoyeur SAS
Piper PE
Work highlights
- Acting for George Rye & Sons Ltd in a standalone competition damages claim before the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
- Advising one of the parties involved in the CMA’s current enforcement action in its investigation into residential leaseholds.
- Advising a charity which has been threatened with a complaint to the CMA for alleged breaches of the UK Competition Rules and the Consumer Protection Rules.
Ashfords LLP
The competition team at Ashfords LLP specialises in advising clients on state aid and subsidy control issues, with a focus on matters related to EU and UK government funds such as the Future High Streets Fund, the Levelling Up Fund, the European Regional Development Fund and the Port Infrastructure Fund. The team provides assistance to local governments both on making and applying for grants, and also advises private sector clients on grant applications. Public procurement is another area of strength for the practice. Lucy Woods leads the team and has a particular focus on the public sector, with associate Ruth Yates also experienced in this area; the pair ‘work as a cohesive team with excellent results’.
Practice head(s):
Lucy Woods
Other key lawyers:
Ruth Yates; Angela Watson
Testimonials
‘Ashfords have been assisting us with subsidy control advice on various grants received and to be issued. They provide clear, concise advice which is easy to understand. They provide solutions to problems in a timely manner.’
‘Lucy Woods and Ruth Yates work as a cohesive team with excellent results.’
Key clients
Herefordshire Council
Work highlights
- Advised Herefordshire Council in relation to its Fastershire Broadband project since its conception in 2011, and provided detailed State aid advice throughout. It is our understanding that this project is the first of its kind to use the GBER exemption in the UK for the rural broadband projects, following the expiry of the National Broadband Scheme.
Maitland Walker LLP
Maitland Walker LLP‘s ‘formidable’ competition team provides advice to clients including multinationals, local governments and public sector bodies. The team’s non-contentious work includes aiding clients in ensuring that corporate transactions and commercial agreements are in compliance with UK and EU competition law; its work for public sector clients also includes advice on state aid and subsidy law. The practice is also highly active in competition disputes, representing clients in litigation before the competition appeal tribunal as well as in administrative proceedings brought by the Competition Markets Authority. Senior partner Julian Maitland-Walker leads the team and has decades of experience in this area, with Sheree-Ann Virgin another partner to note on contentious matters. Adrian Render was promoted to partner in 2021 and stands out for his work on opt-out collective action claims related to competition law.
Practice head(s):
Julian Maitland-Walker
Other key lawyers:
Sheree-Ann Virgin; Adrian Render
Testimonials
‘Unrivalled, sector specific, experience of EU and UK competition law, with the ability to react to post-Brexit implications for companies in our industry.’
‘Julian Maitland-Walker has unrivaled experience, particularly acting for claimants. Adrian Render is also very experienced and very good.’
‘Julian Maitland-Walker is a seasoned hand who is the perfect partner both for clients and Counsel.’
‘Maitland Walker has a formidable competition law practice with their lawyers not afraid to think laterally and to push the boundaries of competition law. I would have no hesitation at all in recommending Maitland Walker to any would-be claimant looking to obtain redress for competition law violations – such claimants could not be in better hands.’
‘Adrian Render is a very knowledgeable competition lawyer who is commercially savvy and excellent at identifying business opportunities within the competition law field. He is a great communicator and very personable. Julian Maitland Walker is a real stalwart on the competition law circuit in the UK who has built up a fantastic practice and following over a number of decades. He is a shrewd and skilled lawyer who is excellent at thinking creatively and tactically to give clients the well-rounded advice.’
‘Maitland Walker’s practice has two highly competent competition experts in Julian Maitland-Walker and Adrian Render. They have exceptional knowledge of competition law and have a growing reputation in the Collective Redress opt-out regime. I have first hand experience of watching them in action and it’s impressive.’
‘Adrian Render is one of the go-to lawyers in the collective redress space with exceptional knowledge of the compatition law. I have worked with him in the collective redress competition space and his knowledge is technically vast.’
‘With serious in-depth EU and competition law experience, this practice is more than a match for any London based specialists in the same fields.’
Key clients
British Association of European Pharmaceutical Distributors (BAEPD)
Shearwell Data Limited
Lexon UK Limited
OPD Pharmaceuticals Limited
Chemilines Limited
Golf Wales Limited
Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club Limited
Strathclyde Pharmaceuticals Limited
Affordable Medicines Europe SA
Rest & Play Footwear Limited
Work highlights
- Advised Kuehne & Nagel on merger control issues arising out of disposal of UK drinks distribution.
- Handling a competition law collective action in a rail ticketing case.