Competition Team of the Year

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ASHURST - Euan Burrows; Nigel Parr

A landmark victory for Imperial Tobacco in successfully overturning ten separate infringement findings and a £112.3m fine imposed by the OFT. Success in the case vindicated Ashurst’s advice that Imperial reject the OFT’s attempts to settle the case for a reduced fine and instead mount the largest-ever appeal against the OFT.

 

 

This award will be given to the team that either provided the most impressive antitrust advice on a specific case, transaction or investigation, or was instrumental in steering a client through a regulatory minefield with high-level commercial advice. Entrants should be able to demonstrate clearly the direct effect of their advice on the final outcome.

 

A landmark victory for Imperial Tobacco in successfully overturning ten separate infringement findings and a £112.3m fine imposed by the OFT. Success in the case vindicated Ashurst’s advice that Imperial reject the OFT’s attempts to settle the case for a reduced fine and instead mount the largest-ever appeal against the OFT.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

CLEARY GOTTLIEB STEEN & HAMILTON
Maurits Dolmans

Cleary advised IBM throughout the course of the European Commission’s investigation into alleged abuse of dominance by IBM, ultimately persuading the Commission to close its investigation. The team devised a strategy early on to distinguish the case from the Microsoft one from a legal and policy point of view, highlighting the intense competition faced by IBM in the market for server computers.

FRESHFIELDS BRUCKHAUS DERINGER
Jenny Connolly; Jon Lawrence

Freshfields’ rated team advised the Hays Group in its successful appeal to the Competition Appeal Tribunal of a £30.3m fine imposed by the OFT in the Construction Recruitment Forum cartel. The firm managed to secure one of the largest single reductions of a fine imposed by the OFT.

LATHAM & WATKINS
Marc Hansen

Latham & Watkins obtained an unprecedented reversal of EU Commission policy while representing ArcelorMittal in one of the longest-running cross-border cartel cases in Europe, the Prestressing Steel cartel investigation, resulting in a €230m reduction in fines.

NORTON ROSE
Michael Grenfell

The firm successfully represented PayPoint in stopping an attempt by Camelot to exploit its National Lottery monopoly rights to enter, and squeeze out competition in, the bill payments market. Following a positive verdict from the National Lottery Council, Paypoint’s share value jumped by 18%.

WRAGGE & CO
Bernadine Adkins

Wragges encouraged client Thomas Vale to appeal its fine following the OFT’s cover pricing investigation in the construction industry, where the sum was reduced by 90%, from £2m to just £171,000. Adkins further enhanced her reputation and saved the client’s purse by handling the advocacy throughout proceedings.