About Ashurst

Ashurst is a leading global law firm with a history spanning almost 200 years, and clear strategy for our future growth. We are a trusted adviser to local and global corporates, financial institutions and governments in all areas of commercial law. To find out more please visit here.

In order to comply with regulatory and client requirements, Ashurst will undertake appropriate vetting of staff. When applicants accept a job offer, Ashurst, alongside a specialist provider, will undertake professional verification and background checks.  These checks are only undertaken with consent, and in accordance with our legal and regulatory obligations.

Team overview:

The Ashurst London Competition team has been at the forefront of the market across the full spectrum of UK and EU competition law for many years, advising clients on a wide range of high-profile, and often ground-breaking matters before national competition authorities and the European Commission. Our team is highly experienced across the full suite of competition law issues including merger clearances, advising on and responding to investigations and prosecutions for cartel conduct, competition and consumer law issues, as well as advising on market investigations and market studies, abuse of dominance issues and competition litigation.

Market leading: The market leading nature of our practice is illustrated by the fact that, in addition to advising on investigations conducted by the UK Competition and Markets Authority and the European Commission, the team has also recently  advising clients on Competition Act investigations being carried out by concurrent sectoral regulators including Ofcom, Ofgem and the FCA (in their first competition case).

A global team: The London competition team sit within a market-leading global competition practice, with a team of over 80 specialist lawyers across Europe and Asia-Pacific. The team is consistently highly ranked in the Global Competition Review 'Global Elite', which recognises the world's top 25 competition practices.

In-house economists: We continue to be the only London law firm able to offer clients fully integrated legal and economic expertise through our team of in-house economists.

 Job overview:

A dynamic role: Set out below are some of the key features of the role.  However, we are open to, and would encourage, the successful candidate to take on responsibly for working with the Ashurst team to help shape and improve the scope of role.

Internal and client-facing role: Ashurst's Competition and Antitrust team is highly regarded for its cutting edge work and technical excellence. The Expertise Lawyer role covers the development and presentation of pan-European internal and client training and knowledge sharing, as well as traditional knowhow work. The role also involves liaising closely with our other European, Asian and Australian offices.

There is an increasing focus on developing the client-facing aspect of the Expertise function, for example through the production of thought leadership and tailored training programmes for clients.

Digital tools: The role is will also include the opportunity to work with the recently launched Ashurst Digital Ventures to partner with our clients to incept, design and build digital compliance products.

Experience: This role is intended for an experienced lawyer with at least four years (or more) of fee-earning experience at a large international firm in the field of EU and national competition law and merger control work.

• Technical expertise and commercial understanding of this area of law are more important than prior experience of an Expertise/PSL role.
• Knowledge of sectoral regulation, state aid, public procurement and/or trade law would be an advantage.
• Post-graduate qualifications in competition law would also be an advantage.
• The ability to work in another language (particularly German or French) would also help, but is not necessary.

Full or part time: The role is expected to be full time although candidates seeking a part time role would also be considered.

Reporting: The successful candidate will report to the EMEA Head of Competition and Antitrust and to the Heads of Expertise.

Essential skills and experience:

• Mid to senior qualified lawyer.
• Experience in EU and national competition law and merger control work gained in a reputed City law firm.
• Excellent drafting skills.
• Keen interest in technical expertise and sound commercial understanding of this area of law.
• Enthusiasm to deliver our work in novel ways in keeping with clients' changing requirements and to challenge "traditional" approaches.
• An understanding of the impact of Brexit on UK competition law and merger control.

Duties:

1. CLIENT-FACING WORK (INCLUDING TRAINING)

• Leading the development of client seminars and workshops, whether for general client training programmes or tailored for specific clients.
• Understanding our clients' businesses and needs and monitoring legal/procedural developments and identifying issues relevant to them.
• Identifying thought leadership opportunities and producing articles for client publications (including the monthly Competition newsletter and ad hoc client newsflashes).
• Working with the recently launched Ashurst Digital Ventures to partner with our clients to incept, design and build digital compliance products.
• Identifying PR opportunities and assisting with press releases and drafting media comments.
• Partnering with the Business Development team to develop and actively support the department's business development objectives.
• Drafting and updating the team's regular contributions to external publications such as the International Comparative Guide to Merger Control, Competition Litigation and other similar titles.

• KNOWHOW

• Ensuring that fee earners are kept up-to-date with changes in EU and UK law and practice, and other relevant information.
• Creating and maintaining standard documents and practice briefing notes.
• Reviewing/co-ordinating the review of competition law elements in other departments' standard documents (e.g. merger control conditions precedent and restrictive covenants in M&A transaction documents, competition restrictions in IP or commercial agreements).
• Assisting in the maintenance and development of the Competition and Antitrust department’s Infobank and other online resources.
• Involving fee earners in knowhow initiatives.
• Fielding a range of legal and procedural queries about EU and UK law from fee earners from across the global Competition and Antitrust team.
• Undertaking complex research to support client work, as well as providing guidance to juniors for their research.
• Co-ordinating and drafting responses to public consultations in the field of EU and UK competition law.
• Liaising with other Expertise Lawyers across the firm to ensure appropriate flow of information between departments and to help identify potential cross-selling opportunities, particularly in the context of client training.

• TRAINING (INTERNAL)

• Developing and delivering the training programme for EMEA Competition and Antitrust fee earners, including monthly updates on key developments.
• Contributing updates on key EU and UK competition law developments to the Australian team's regular internal Expertise Alerts.
• Developing and delivering the Competition foundation course for junior fee earners.
• Contributing to competition law training for fee earners in other departments.

Recent Work:

As an illustration of the work of the group we are currently acting, or have recently acted:

• As global coordinating counsel for a top three global tobacco manufacturer representing the client in respect of NCA cartel investigations in Spain, Holland, France and Belgium.
• For Intel on the remittal to the EU General Court following its successful appeal to the ECJ in the rebates case. This is the most significant Article 102 judgment in more than 40 years and the first time the Commission has been defeated in an Article 102 case since 1979.
• For Royal Mail on its appeal to the Competition Appeal Tribunal against Ofcom's decision which found that Royal Mail had engaged in unlawful price discrimination in breach of Article 102.
• For Hargreave Hale in the FCA's first competition law investigation (relating to an alleged information exchange), and other financial institutions in relation to several of the FCA's market studies.
• For Arla Foods in relation to its acquisition of the Yeo Valley dairy business.
• For SYNNEX on its $2.8 billion acquisition of Convergys which were notified to the EU Commission.
• For Liberty House Group in relation to its proposed acquisition of the assets being required by the EU Commission to be divested by ArcelorMittal
• Ryder Limited and four other subsidiaries in a £250 million private damages action against 20 defendants arising from the European Commission's decisions in relation to the trucks cartel.

Career advancement:

An established Expertise Career Path Framework is in place clearly defining expectations and outlining opportunities for promotion.

Partner Profiles:

Euan Burrows

Euan is a partner in the Dispute Resolution and Competition departments, specialising in all aspects of contentious UK and EU competition law and heads the EMEA team. He has considerable experience in dealing with the European Commission, UK regulators, UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) and private courts (including advocacy higher rights of audience). His work centres on competition law investigations, competition litigation and EU law.

Notable competition litigation matters including the first UK follow-on damages action from an OFT decision; the first appeal to the CAT of a UK merger control decision; 15 sets of Competition Appeal Tribunal appeal or damages proceedings; and 10 cartel follow-on claims. Experience of anti-trust investigations includes over 20 OFT Competition Act 1998 inquiries since the 1998 Act came into force including Supermarket Milk, Tobacco Products and Fibre Optic Cables and numerous applications for leniency to the European Commission and national member states. His contentious experience includes regulatory appeals, procurement challenges and judicial review. Euan has particular sector expertise in respect of financial services, FMCG, transport and large scale infrastructure projects.

Euan sits as one of four private practice members of the CAT User Panel. He is Vice Chairman of the UK Competition Law Association. His appointments included membership of the CAT working party that helped to design the new CAT rules governing UK anti- trust class actions under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Euan edits the ICLG International Competition Litigation manual and authors of a number of other publications including: Competition Litigation: A Defendant’s Perspective, The Private Competition Enforcement Review, Seventh Edition; and UK Public Procurement 2016. Euan has also appeared as an expert witness before the High Court giving expert testimony on EU cartel procedure and follow on damages risks.

Ross Mackenzie

Ross is a partner in the EU & Competition Law department specialising in all aspects of UK and EU competition law including complex merger cases, antitrust and market investigations. He has extensive experience advising clients before the UK regulators and European Commission, as well as the UK and European courts.

Ross's advice covers the whole duration of corporate transactions and investigations, from strategic planning, through to advocacy before the competition authorities. Ross regularly advises clients on competition law compliance, including designing and implementing targeted and effective training programmes.

Duncan Liddell

Duncan is a partner in the Competition and EU law department in London and specialises in contentious and non-contentious UK and EU competition law. He has considerable experience in advising a wide range of clients on matters before the EU Commission, UK Competition and Markets Authority, UK sectoral regulators, and the UK and European Courts. He advises across a broad range or sectors but has particular expertise and knowledge in relation to the financial services sector and in the media and communications sector.

Duncan advises clients across the full spectrum of competition law issues including: merger control, compliance, enforcement investigations by competition authorities (e.g. into allegations of abuse of dominance, or cartel behaviour), sectoral and market investigations, and competition law litigation.

Neil Cuninghame

Neil is a partner in the Competition and EU law department in London and specialises in providing advice on all aspects of UK and EU competition law. This includes advising on EU, UK and other merger control regimes, acting for clients in relation to alleged anti-competitive practices and agreements before the European Commission, Competition and Markets Authority and other regulators, and advising on market investigations, competition law compliance, competition disputes and State aid issues.

Neil advises clients across a wide range of industries including (amongst others) financial services, energy, resources, infrastructure, private equity, metals and mining, media and property services.

Neil also advises on regulatory issues in the energy and water sectors, such as price control regimes, ownership unbundling and third party access; and public procurement issues.

Nigel Parr

Nigel Parr is the global chair of the Ashurst competition and antitrust law practice. He specialises in all aspects of UK and EU competition law, including mergers, strategic business advice and competition risk management, cartel and abuse of dominance cases, market/sector investigations, appeals and competition litigation. He is listed as a band 1 adviser for competition law and competition litigation in the major directories, and is listed in the Legal 500 Hall of Fame for EU and Competition. Furthermore, he was listed as one of the top 30 antitrust lawyers in the world in Expert Guides "Best of Best" 2018, as an Acritas "Star Lawyer" 2018 (independently nominated by clients), and was awarded 2019 Lawyer of the Year for Competition Law in London in Best Lawyers seventh edition.

Nigel has long-standing experience of UK and EU cartel and abuse of dominance investigations and appeals to the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal, the EU General Court and the European Court of Justice. His experience extends to Competition and Markets Authority market investigations, and UK/EU and international merger filings, particularly Phase 2 cases. He is also experienced in judicial review cases before the English Administrative Court and Competition Appeal Tribunal, particularly in relation to procedural failings in competition investigations.

Steven Vaz

Steven specialises in EU and UK competition law, advising clients in a range of industries on mergers, abuse of dominance, market investigations, cartels and appeals.

He has advised on a number of highly significant cases, including the appeals of the largest antitrust fines imposed in the UK (for Imperial Tobacco) and EU (for Intel), the Competition and Markets Authority's phase 2 retail banking investigation (for Lloyds Banking Group) and a phase 2 merger involving price control remedies (for Imerys).