Praised for its ‘a wealth of experience’, the ’highly commercial and focused’ team at Linklaters LLP handles the full gamut of contentious and non-contentious competition matters. Trusted advisers to industry giants such as Microsoft, Vodafone and Meta, the team showcases its expertise in merger control work, enjoying recent success handling Phase II investigations. Natura Gracia, a dual-qualified (English and Spanish) practitioner, is the London practice head, and advises on a wide range of competition matters, including complex global mergers involving filings under merger control and foreign investment regimes in multiple jurisdictions. Bruce Kilpatrick, who returns to the team from Addleshaw Goddard, stands out for his ability to handle complex Phase II merger investigations and related appeals. Other notable individuals include Anna Mitchell, who is highly regarded for her experience in UK and EU merger control, UK public M&A, multijurisdictional deals and market investigations, and Verity Egerton-Doyle, who is noted for her work on complex merger and behavioural investigations.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
- Profile
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
'Linklaters is collaborative and dependable to a degree that is noteworthy. The competition team is highly responsive as a general matter and a pleasure to work with.'
‘Jonny Ford is a highly capable young partner and Aoife Monaghan is a highly capable managing associate.'
‘Linklaters is a team that is rich in breadth and depth, with a wealth of experience but also a group of individuals who work brilliantly and seamlessly together.’
‘In my experience Linklaters are a highly commercial and focused team, great at keeping the client's best interests central to a case and focusing efforts towards work that will actually move towards a positive resolution.’
‘The Linklaters team provides thoughtful, strategic advice on complex, cross-jurisdictional issues. Members of the team are excellent at interacting with business people, grasping technical issues, and preparing well-designed presentations and well-written submissions.’
‘I have been particularly impressed with partner Verity Egerton-Doyle and associates James Hunter and Zoe Cameron. Verity, James, and Zoe do extensive preparation in advance of meetings, so I can be confident that my internal clients will be impressed by the quality of our legal representation.'
‘Rachel Hetherington is hardworking and knowledgeable about antitrust law. Lucinda Richmond Wigg is one to watch. She provides excellent client service, is across the detail and is an excellent communicator.'
‘The Linklaters team possess exceptional subject matter knowledge and took the extra steps to understands our business and apply their knowledge to deliver the best overall outcome. They were responsive and listened to our needs and understood our objectives rather than push their own agenda.'
Key clients
- Etisalat
- Viasat
- Microsoft Corporation
- Uni-Select Inc.
- Anglian Water/Thames Water
- Vistry/Home Builders Federation
- Press Acquisitions Limited
- Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited/Sony Interactive Entertainment Network Europe Limited/Sony Music Entertainment/Sony Music Publishing
- UK Government – Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
- Meta
Work highlights
- Advising Carrier Global Corporation ("Carrier"), on all antitrust, merger control and foreign investment aspects of a number of transactions, including its $13 billion acquisition of Viessmann Climate Solutions.
- Advising Microsoft on the CMA’s Cloud Services Market Investigation.
- Advised Brookfield on all competition and foreign investment aspects of Brookfield’s proposed takeover of Network International Holdings plc (“Network”).
Lawyers
Hall of fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Natura Gracia
Next generation partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Natura Gracia
Other key lawyers
Bruce Kilpatrick; Jonathan Ford; Rachel Hetherington; Anna Mitchell; Helen Crossley; Verity Egerton-Doyle; Sima Ostrovsky; Neha Zamvar; James Hunter; Zoe Cameron; Lucinda Richmond-Wigg; Aoife Monaghan