Norton Rose Fulbright is well known for its experience in high-value and complex merger control mandates, including multi-billion-pound public takeovers, with standout clients including major players in the banking, aviation, fintech, automotive, and energy sectors. Team head Ian Giles splits his time between London and Brussels, focusing on merger control and cartel matters. Mark Tricker’s recent highlights include advising Carlsberg on merger control filings in its multi-billion-pound acquisition of Britvic plc. London team head Caroline Thomas advises on a broad range of contentious and non-contentious competition matters.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘The NRF Competition Law team are true market leaders—sharp, insightful, strategically brilliant, and excellent client managers. They are a pleasure for clients and counsel alike, involved in nearly all key competition cases, providing insight across claims and industries.'
- ‘Helen Fairhead is an emerging force—a highly capable and insightful partner who is sharp, pragmatic, and focused on clients’ objectives.'
- ‘The NRF competition team is my favourite group of solicitors in the City, with huge expertise across competition matters and a track record of involvement in some of the highest-profile cases over the past decade.'
- 'Nuala Canavan stands out as a star of the future—clever, hardworking, practical, and realistic.’
- ‘Led by Caroline Thomas, the team holds a seat at the table in many top competition claims for both claimants and defendants.'
- ‘Caroline Thomas is an exceptional lawyer and litigator—calm in a crisis, always right, and unfailingly polite.'
Key clients
- Qualcomm
- HSBC
- Delta Air Lines
- Orange SA
- PayPal
- Northumbrian Water
- bp plc
- QatarEnergy
- BMW
- Carlsberg
Work highlights
Acted for Carlsberg on its £3.3bn public takeover of Britvic plc.
Advising BMW on CMA investigation concerning recycling of end-of-life vehicles.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Ian Giles; Caroline Thomas
Other key lawyers
Peter Scott; Mark Tricker; Susanna Rogers; Helen Fairhead; Jamie Cooke; Nuala Canavan; Mark Mills; Anne Meadows; Clio Angeli; Shaha El-Sheemy; Rebecca Williams