Renowned for its capabilities in complex, cross-border matters, Slaughter and May's competition practice advises on high-profile merger control, subsidy control and market investigations, alongside wider antitrust work. The team has strong experience across foreign investment filings and multi-jurisdictional regulatory approvals, working closely with overseas counsel where required, acting for a mix of blue-chip clients across the technology, food and beverage, construction and insurance sectors. Global competition chair Claire Jeffs combines extensive experience in global merger control with a well-established practice advising on cartel investigations and wider behavioural matters. State aid and subsidy control form a key part of Isabel Taylor‘s practice, which also encompasses merger control, competition law, sector regulation and public procurement, while William Turtle continues to play a leading role on a number of high-profile merger control mandates. Tina Zhuo focuses on complex global merger clearance strategies, while Jessica Staples brings significant experience in behavioural investigations and market studies. Bertrand Louveaux has retired.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- Isabel Taylor's team has a commercial approach to the complex regulatory landscapes of subsidy control/state aid. Isabel cuts through legal noise to find the core issue and delivers pragmatic, business-focused advice that translates black-letter law into practical solutions.
- Top-notch client care and market-leading expertise.
- At the competition partner level, I really like Lisa Wright - she is great to work with. At the senior associate level, Stephen Heagney is a rising star.
- Will Turtle is brilliant. Smart, easy to deal with, and has a real depth of experience, meaning that nothing ruffles his feathers. He stands out in the market as a competition lawyer you want to deal with and have on your side.
- Intellectual and switched-on lawyers. Their strength and depth of experience are market-leading.
- I have worked closely with Claire Jeffs and Will Turtle on a number of significant competition and regulatory matters. They have been key points of contact for our organization and have worked collaboratively with the in-house legal team across complex projects involving regulatory engagement, merger-related workstreams, and ongoing compliance matters. What I have particularly valued is their ability to work seamlessly with internal stakeholders and multidisciplinary teams, helping to coordinate advice across different workstreams and ensuring that matters progress efficiently. They are accessible, responsive, and invest time in understanding the broader context in which advice is being sought. The team operates in a highly collaborative manner, with partners and associates working closely together and maintaining continuity throughout the life of a matter. This approach helps foster strong working relationships and enables effective coordination on complex projects involving multiple stakeholders, regulators, and advisers.
- Claire Jeffs is one of the most sought-after competition partners in the field and has a stellar reputation. The majority of our recent work has been handled by Alex Bulfin, a comparatively junior partner but with an excellent future ahead of him - his advice is clear, confident, and pragmatic.
- Jordan Ellison, together with Jack Dickie and Alexander Chadd, stands out for their strategic thinking, commercial judgment, and ability to translate complex issues into clear, actionable advice that is understandable for even our commercial colleagues. They are pragmatic, calm under pressure, and deeply trusted by all our stakeholders. These three partners make any of the current matters feel like a walk in the park. In particular, Jordan combines excellent technical expertise with exceptional responsiveness and practicality. He is collaborative, solution-focused, and consistently delivers advice that is clear, business-oriented, and easy to implement.
- Jordan Ellisson: one of the best competition lawyers on the market in my view. Tina Zhuo: extremely smart and excellent technically. Ewan Ferguson: excellent younger associate.
- A strong team with excellent project management skills for large-scale cases. They have a good sense of strategy.
Key clients
- Barratt Redrow
- BHP
- Booking Holdings
- Centrica
- Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
- Daily Mail and General Trust
- Diageo
- Direct Line Insurance Group
- Dowlais Group
- Getty Images
- IAG
- INEOS
- Johnson Matthey
- Meta
- Reckitt
- Richemont (Compagnie Financière de Richemont)
- Senior
- Spectris
- Vodafone
Work highlights
Advising Google in relation to various competition investigations and digital regulation matters in the UK, the European Union and globally.
Advised Barratt Redrow and Taylor Wimpey in relation to the CMA antitrust investigation into housebuilding – the CMA accepted commitments from the seven parties under investigation, formally concluding the investigation with no finding of infringement.
Advised Greencore on its acquisition of Bakkavor Group plc – a combination of two major food manufacturers and suppliers to grocery supermarkets in the UK – the CMA cleared the transaction at Phase 1 subject to commitments.
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.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Tina Zhuo
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Jessica Staples
Practice head
Claire Jeffs
Other key lawyers
Isabel Taylor; Lisa Wright; William Turtle; Tim Blanchard; Lorna Nsoatabe; Tina Zhuo; Jessica Staples; Stephen Heagney; Hilary Wham