Competition Law

Daniel Jowell KC is particularly active on the defendant side of follow-on damages cases and collective actions brought before all levels of the UK courts, and has had key roles in the defence of participants in the smartcard chip cartel. He has further experience in challenges to CMA merger control decisions.

"He has a phenomenal capacity for absorbing cases. He is a really detailed man."

"Daniel is an excellent advocate and has exceptional judgement and a wealth of experience in competition law."

"He is a class act."

"He is a very good advocate, personable, likeable and can span the divide between law and economics. He is very client-friendly."

Marie Demetriou KC is routinely involved in the biggest competition cases of the day and receives stellar feedback from an array of sources. She is standing counsel to the CMA and has experience in key appeals against the regulator's decisions. She also advises on both sides of cartel damages claims and has appeared on behalf of proposed class representatives for claimant groups.

"She is very smart and an impressive performer in court."

"She is just outstanding. She is so talented and such a fantastic and clear thinker."

"She is outstanding at cross-examination, very well prepared and super-smart."

Mark Hoskins KC has an outstanding practice in the field of competition damages, and has acted in significant claims concerning financial services providers, sporting leagues and telecoms operators. He has experience acting for claimants and defendants on high-profile collective actions.

"Mark is unbelievably bright and he sees the issues in a way that few others do. He presents arguments in an efficient and clear manner and judges seem to really like and trust him."

"He is a fantastic advocate. His advocacy is really succinct and persuasive. He cuts through the noise and has a laser-like focus on what matters."

"He is brilliant, great to work with, and has an almost uncanny knack for spotting flaws in positions and raising difficult questions that need to be thought through."

"He is able to distil complex matters into simple language and can clarify the issues on a case, which is really helpful."

"He is one of the best advocates there is. He has that super-surgical laser clarity to his submissions. He is always outstanding."

Aidan Robertson KC acts on both the claimant and defendant side of cartel damages claims, including representing clients in collective actions. He also has notable experience in appeals against European Commission decisions and in judicial reviews in matters involving possible state aid.

"He is very approachable and incredibly knowledgeable. He is great on his feet."

"He is super-experienced, has great judgement and is responsive."

David Bailey acts as standing counsel to the CMA, and has noteworthy experience defending CMA decisions in appeals heard by the CAT. Bailey often acts on both the defendant and claimant side of UK private enforcement actions, including high-profile collective actions.

"David Bailey is terrific. He is a rising star and a very impressive advocate."

"He has been extremely client-friendly."

Helen Davies KC acts on the defendant side of cartel follow-on damages claims, including both collective and standalone actions. She also has experience of competition law issues in the sports sector.

"She is a superb and very authoritative advocate."

"She is a standout and an exceptional team leader."

"Helen is a superb advocate and knows how to read a courtroom and pivot if necessary. She is also a delight to work with and truly engages with her solicitor teams and with clients."

Robert O'Donoghue KC attracts considerable attention for advising claimants and defendants on standalone and collective action proceedings following cartel investigations. He also regularly advises clients on challenges to CMA decisions, often involving the pharmaceutical sector.

"Robert O'Donoghue KC is very knowledgeable and creative."

"Robert is an obvious standout leader of the Competition Bar. His legal knowledge is immense, and he is such a powerful and fearless advocate."

Sarah Ford KC represents both claimants and defendants in high-profile follow-on damages claims, including collective proceedings, arising from European Commission cartel investigations. She regularly acts on matters before the CAT and Court of Appeal.

"She has an uncanny ability to cut through the waffle and simply say it like it is, which is both effective and efficient."

"She is an absolute star and an incredibly technical lawyer."

"Sarah Ford KC is excellent, really strategic, clear and succinct with her advice."

Sarah Love is well known for her work on the claimant side of abuse of dominance cases. In addition, she defends clients in FRAND investigations and cartel follow-on damages claims. She acts on both collective actions and standalone cases.

"Sarah is one of the preeminent senior juniors. Clients absolutely love her and her style. She is really accessible and super-smart without being intimidating."

"She is incredibly smart, very clever and has very good attention to detail. She makes really incisive arguments and she is very good at picking up materials."

Victoria Wakefield KC represents claimants in a number of high-profile class action claims, as well as defending clients in standalone actions. As a junior barrister, she advised on appeals of EC decisions affecting pharmaceutical companies and challenges to new regulations in the sports sector.

"She is incredibly articulate, very bright and her advocacy is excellent."

"Her grasp of the case is gobsmacking, and her ability to think on her feet and her advocacy skills are awe-inspiring. She's a pleasure to have in your corner."

Colin West KC has been involved in a number of leading competition law cases, frequently acting for claimants from the technology and financial sectors. He advises on cartel damages cases and the overlap between competition law and IP law, and has experience in standalone claims relating to potential abuse of dominance through the failure to negotiate licences for standard-essential patents.

"Colin is very available and rolls up his sleeves. He does a fantastic job for us and he is a very nice and delightful guy."

"Colin’s appetite and capacity to get into the weeds of issues and work out the points which will really win the day in a hearing are seriously impressive."

Daniel Piccinin KC is highly sought after for his ability to handle varied matters, including defending against individual and collective damages claims following abuse of dominance and cartel decisions. He also acts on appeals against CMA penalty decisions. Piccinin attracts significant attention for his economics background, which enables him to contribute to the economic analysis of complex competition claims.

"Daniel is very intelligent and personable."

"He is highly responsive, hard-working and smart. He is a first-rate intellect."

David Scannell KC has a strong profile in competition work arising in the pharmaceutical industry, often with an overlap to intellectual property law. He is instructed to act on both regulatory appeals and follow-on claims, including the 'pay for delay' cases.

"David is immensely hard-working, down to earth, practical, fearless and a great team leader."

Fergus Randolph KC has acted for claimants in follow-on damages actions and also handles standalone competition claims for injured parties seeking to block anti-competitive conduct by commercial partners. He also assists appellants with the review of CMA decisions.

"Fergus is able to provide solid and strategic advice and assist clients navigating complex regulatory issues."

Hugo Leith plays a supporting role in many of the UK's most important cartel damages cases, often acting for defendants on high-profile collective damages actions. Leith has additionally acted for the CMA on key challenges to its decisions.

"He is a very good advocate and he knows the material very well."

James Flynn KC acts for claimants on follow-on damages actions, including high-profile collective action claims. He has further experience representing appellants before the CAT in challenges to CMA decisions.

"He can read how things need to go strategically."

Mark Howard KC has a strong competition litigation practice and is particularly active in the financial services and technology sectors. He represents clients in follow-on damages claims arising from European Commission cartel investigations. He has also acted on key cases on the issue of standard-essential patents.

"Mark is incredibly incisive and forensic in his approach, and an amazing cross-examiner."

Max Schaefer acts for claimants on allegations of anti-competitive behaviour. He has further experience advising on follow-on damages litigation and appeals against CMA decisions.

"Max has a tremendous ability to pick the points that are in issue and to capture the imagination to drive that point. He is very strong on evidence and building a story to drive a case."

Maya Lester KC acts for key financial services clients seeking to overturn EC cartel decisions. She also defends follow-on damages claims, as well as acting for claimants on standalone and collective action claims. Lester also has a number of clients in the pharmaceutical, energy and technology industries.

"Maya is fantastic in this field. She never lets a case out of her sight and has that stellar quality of being able to move the dial in a case."

"Maya is a great advocate. She's really great on her feet, and when difficult questions come up she finds the right thing to say."

"She provides excellent attention to detail and analysis."

Sarah Abram KC has a strong focus on representing clients in damages claims following on from cartel investigations. She moves up in the rankings on the back of her recent experience defending clients in high-profile collective action proceedings, and has additional experience on the claimant side. She also assists clients with CMA investigations and often acts on matters in the transport sector.

"She was thoughtful in her client care. She has got a great manner for clients."

"Sarah is a standout star. She is in high demand. She's always brilliant to work with and technically very capable."

"Her advocacy is top-class. She is also extremely client-friendly and able to make complex legal principles easily understandable."

Tim Johnston handles regulatory appeals against CMA decisions on behalf of companies in the pharmaceutical sector. He has recently been involved in follow-on damages claims, acting for the largest claimant group in the trucks cartel litigation. He has further experience on the defendant side of standalone behavioural infringement cases.

"Tim is incredibly smart and thrives on the challenging technical details."

"Tim is very user-friendly and acutely experienced in navigating strategic and legal points in competition litigation."

Tony Singla KC has acted for defendants in relation to some of the UK's most important cartel follow-on damages class action claims.

"He's absolutely superb."

"Tony is excellent. He is very commercial and able to think outside the box to reach solutions that work for the client. His advocacy is very good, and he remains calm and coherent when challenged."

Andrew McIntyre has an impressive competition practice and acts on several highly complex commercial trials and international commercial disputes.

"Andrew McIntyre has good analytical skills and is very knowledgeable of the area."

"He is all over the law, excellent at drafting, approachable and diplomatic."

Charlotte Thomas has amassed notable experience covering some of the more visible cases in the competition field. Her practice takes in the representation of claimants, defendants and appellants in damages claims and investigations. Of particular note is her involvement in the forex cartel claim.

"Charlotte is immensely bright, practical, user-friendly, hard-working, and drafts amazingly. It has been a privilege to be able to work alongside Charlotte."

"Charlotte is wonderful. She is always willing to respond, has a good written style and is a good team player."

"Charlotte is very client-friendly, thorough and analytical and she has a good manner in negotiations. I would really recommend her."

Emily MacKenzie operates a busy practice in competition. She has strong expertise in a variety of areas including FRAND, cartels and merger control.

"She is really excellent. She writes incredibly well."

Emma Mockford has notable experience in the developing area of collective actions on behalf of consumers affected by cartels or other anti-competitive behaviour. She has acted on behalf of the representative claimants in relation to the trucks cartel. She also has ample experience representing defendants in follow-on damages claims, as well as acting for regulatory bodies and appellants on reviews of CMA decisions.

"Emma was a pleasure to work with. She is highly strategic and is able to zone in on the issues that really matter."

Gerard Rothschild has represented claimants and appellants in a number of significant competition matters, including merger investigations and follow-on damages claims. He has additional experience of complex state aid cases.

"Gerard Rothschild is user-friendly and extremely smart."

Jennifer MacLeod attracts praise for her contributions to varied matters ranging from high-profile collective damages actions through to smaller commercial disputes that raise competition law arguments. She has further experience in standout cases on behalf of the CMA, defending appeals against decisions on excessive pricing in the pharmaceutical sector.

"She is a super person to work with. She is hard-working and bright."

"Jennifer is really brilliant. She is a very impressive advocate with advocacy skills far beyond her year of call."

Matthew Kennedy is involved in a large number of the leading cases concerning anti-competitive behaviour. He has notable experience acting for both the claimants and the defendants on class action litigation.

"Matthew has been a standout junior for me this year. He is incredibly bright, committed and responsive. He brings a welcome energy and dynamism to matters on which he is engaged."

"He was really excellent and I thought he provided great support."

"Matt is hard-working, gives effective and clear advice and it is a great pleasure to work with him."

Tom Pascoe acts predominantly for companies accused of anti-competitive behaviour on appeals of CMA investigations and on high-profile follow-on damages claims, such as the trucks cartel litigation.

"Tom is an excellent junior. He is intelligent, commercial, responsive and pleasant to work with."

"Tom Pascoe is one of the best junior competition counsel available. He is extremely clever, sees the bigger picture, can isolate the key issues very quickly and has an incredible work ethic."