Acting for a host of leading French and international clients, Linklaters‘ large and versatile team in Paris is able to cover the full range of EU and competition matters. The group, which can also draw upon the experience of the firm’s offices in Brussels and other locations, is skilled in large-scale merger control cases at EU and national level, with growing strength in FSR filings. Its expertise in complex cartel, vertical restraints and abuse of dominance investigations by the French and European regulators, and state aid cases is also well established, while antitrust damages actions are another fast-growing area of activity. Highly regarded practice heads Pierre Zelenko and Thomas Elkins are mainstays on landmark EU and competition cases in the French market. Nicolas Zacharie and Matthieu Blayney are further names to note. Former practice co-head Anne Wachsmann left the firm in June 2025 to act as vice president of the French Competition Authority.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
"The Linklaters France Competition Law Team, headed by Pierre Zelenko, offers excellent legal advice in a very complicated area. Over the past 10+ years, Pierre and the team have been providing me with support in the area of case management before the French Competition Authority, merger control approval with the European Commission, and updates on new legislation in this area."
"Pierre Zelenko and team provide crystal clear legal advice in a very complicated area. He takes into account the legal and business risk and provides his clients with carefully considered guidance. This often provides the much-needed clarity for difficult decisions in litigation and/or transactions."
"Pierre Zelenko: very experienced partner with an excellent knowledge of the subject in all its different areas. Very available and attentive to his clients."
"Creative yet pragmatic solutions, including partnering with us to develop innovative tech-based solutions."
"The Linklaters team is extremely competent and professional, with a strong focus on the client’s needs and fast response time."
Key clients
- Nestlé
- Intermarché
- Atos
- Crédit Agricole
- Apple
- I-Squared Capital
- Sony Interactive Entertainment Euro
- Tarkett SA
- BNP Paribas SA
- ENGIE
- LG Electronics
- Mitsui & Co
- Société Générale
- Air France KLM
- Sanofi
- TotalEnergies
- Association Value of Beauty
- Multiple Tech companies
- Herta
- Energizer
Work highlights
Advised Nestlé on an investigation launched in 2019 by the French Competition Authority on an Article 101 TFUE case on Bisphenol A.
Advising Intermarché, the third largest retail group in France, on the antitrust aspects of its acquisition of nearly 200 retail outlets from Casino Group in France representing a combined turnover of 3.6 billion euros.
Advising Atos following a statement of objection issued by the French Competition Authority, accusing the company of entering into agreements with a competitor to avoid competing for staff recruitment in two specific markets: (i) engineering and technology consulting, and (ii) IT services within the aeronautics, aerospace, and defence sectors.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Matthieu Blayney
Nicolas Zacharie
Practice head
Pierre Zelenko; Thomas Elkins
Other key lawyers
Nicolas Zacharie; Matthieu Blayney