Practice areas

Competition litigation is becoming an increasingly important tool in addressing anti-competitive behaviour.  Whilst regulators can impose fines on companies that have infringed the law, such sanctions do not directly benefit private parties that have suffered as a result of such behaviour.

Policymakers in the UK and in Europe are seeking to encourage private parties to take action against anti-competitive behaviour as a complement to the enforcement activities of regulators.  Legislative changes have made bringing so-called "private actions" easier and we have advised on number of cases in this relatively new and exciting area of the law.

An important feature of competition litigation in the UK is choosing the forum in which to bring a claim as, in many cases, the claimant will be able to choose between the High Court and the Competition Appeal Tribunal.  From the outset, therefore, tactics are a key element when advising on such matters, so we have a dedicated cross-departmental team working on damages actions based on competition law.