Praised for having ‘outstanding people at all levels providing real strength in depth’, Linklaters LLP supports clients in all areas of competition litigation, from follow-on claims concerning European Commission decisions to class actions before the CAT. The firm is experienced in defending collective actions at the certification stage as well as in appeals reaching the Supreme Court. ’The coolest head in the market' Tom Cassels is well-versed in sport-related contentious competition issues. Global co-head of the firm's competition litigation practice, Sarina Williams advises defendants on opt-in and opt-out competition class actions. James Hennah, ‘an outstanding partner’, is experienced in abuse of dominance proceedings within the tech sector. Alex Fawke focuses on regulatory competition issues, acting in appeals against CMA decisions and subsidy control. Jason Shardlow-Wrest adds to the firm’s class action and sports strength.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- The Linklaters team is the best in the country, possibly in Europe. They have the best collection of technical experts, brilliant and responsive associates, and outstanding strategic leadership in Tom Cassels, Sarina Williams, and James Hennah. They dominate this market now. If the case can be won, they will win it.
- James Hennah - experienced public and regulatory lawyer who is a superb fit for complex class actions and damages claims involving regulated industries, like trains, pharma, and water. Sarina Williams - long-standing experience in interchange and other group and class action damages claims.
- Great litigators; super knowledgeable competition lawyers. Excellent team.
- Sarina Williams is just a star. Verity Edgerton-Doyle - a delight to work with, wise, and super knowledgeable. Jonny Ford has a great brain and a lovely manner. James Hennah, excellent litigator. Tom Cassels - the grandee; he just knows it all.
- There are no weak links from the trainees to the partners. This means that LL can field a team of lawyers optimally drawn from every level, keeping costs under control.
- The Linklaters team is led by Tom Cassels and James Hennah, and they are a deeply experienced and well-oiled machine. They know the courts, the tribunal judges, prominent expert witnesses, and the quirks of the UK competition litigation system. Tom and James are backstopped by a deep bench of talented competition law partners, including Verity Egerton-Doyle and Jonny Ford. Together, they are a truly formidable team that we've used for our most significant competition litigation matters.
- Outstanding people at all levels providing real strength in depth, alongside flexibility about how to get work done most efficiently, through combinations of people and technology.
- Tom Cassells is an outstanding leader among the real Premier League of competition law litigators. Sarina Williams is a real star. James Hennah is a future star. Jessica Radke is a brilliant new recruit from the CMA.
- Linklaters has one of the very top competition litigation teams in the City of London.
- Linklaters fully immerses itself in its client's industry. Having them on board for a specific case was great, but they made it their business to know what was happening in our sector more broadly also. This worked well as context is really important.
Key clients
- UK Department for Transport
- Sony Interactive Entertainment Limited
- Visa
- Vistry
- Hutchinson 3G UK Limited
- Sucocitrico Cutrale
- DENSO
- Kelkoo
- Intas/Accord
- Anglian Water
- Porsche (AdBlue)
- Meta
- Microsoft
- Daily Mail and General Trust
Work highlights
Defending Sucocitrico Cutrale in its defence of long-running proceedings in the High Court concerning alleged collusion in Brazilian agricultural markets and consequent overcharging of agricultural producers.
Advising Sony in relation to an opt-out collective action before the Competition Appeal Tribunal concerning the operation of the PlayStation Store.
Representing Visa in thousands of actions brought before the English High Court and the Competition Appeal Tribunal by retailers seeking damages related to the setting and implementation of Visa’s multilateral interchange fees in Europe, including a second wave of active proceedings progressing before the CAT brought by more than 2,000 claimants and parallel opt-in and opt-out class actions.
Lawyers
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.
Practice head
Tom Cassels; Sarina Williams
Other key lawyers
James Hennah; Alex Fawke; Jason Shardlow-Wrest; Rebecca Dickie; Alex Hannington