Leigh Day has today launched an opt-out class action in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) against Severn Trent Water, with litigators at firms including Herbert Smith Freehills primed to defend. The much-anticipated claim alleges that the Midlands and Wales water company has abused its market dominance by underreporting how often it sewage is spilled into […]
Fieldfisher has hired an eight-strong competition litigation team, including two partners, three lawyers and three support staff. The team makes the move from boutique Constantine Cannon, which specialises in antitrust and representing whistleblowers. The move also includes a paralegal and two executive assistants alongside the five lawyers, who will all start at Fieldfisher today (31 […]
Californian video game company Activision Blizzard has instructed Blackstone Chambers’ David Pannick KC in its fight against the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s competition regulator. The dispute, which is yet to be officially filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), is regarding the CMA’s decision to block its $75bn acquisition deal with Microsoft. […]
Latham & Watkins has bolstered its antitrust and competition practice by hiring a partner from Linklaters. Simon Pritchard makes the move, having spent more than 10 years at the magic circle firm. Before that, he was a partner in Allen & Overy’s antitrust practice. Pritchard has also served as the UK’s first senior director for […]
The Competition & Markets Authority has relaxed its stance on Microsoft’s proposed takeover of Activision Blizzard for nearly $69bn, in what will be welcome news for the IT giant’s antitrust lawyers at Weil Gotshal & Manges. Last month, the UK regulator said that the deal raised competition concerns in relation to both console gaming and […]
Law firms are continuing to expand with offices in the Republic of Ireland, as Ropes & Gray hires from the country’s competition regulator to launch its operations. The firm has recruited Dervla Broderick as a counsel. She was previously a deputy director at the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, having also spent time in the […]
The former head of Linklaters’ competition practice, Christopher Bellamy, has been named by the UK Government as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice. Bellamy left Linklaters at the end of 2020 and returned to Monckton Chambers as a door tenant. He worked at Monckton between 1970 and 1992, appointed as […]
On 25 May 2022, the Supreme Court gave judgment in two related appeals, Competition and Markets Authority v Flynn Pharma and Competition and Markets Authority v Pfizer, which concerned a challenge to the general presumption that no order for costs should be made against a regulator following an unsuccessful prosecution. The case was potentially of […]
The latest collective action has been given the thumbs up by the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) to proceed against Apple in a £1.5bn claim. The CAT confirmed that British academic Rachael Kent can bring the action against the tech giant on behalf of millions of UK iPhone and iPad users over alleged overcharging for App […]
An Allen & Overy partner is moving to Kirkland & Ellis, in what will be the second high-profile exit from its London competition group in little over a year. Alasdair Balfour is set to join Kirkland after nearly nine years at A&O. The magic circle firm hired him as a partner in 2013 from Fried […]
The Court of Appeal has cut LG’s costs award by nearly 25 per cent after it failed to explain why Cleary Gottlieb charged “more than double” guideline hourly rates. Korean tech giant LG sought to reclaim £72,818 in costs after it defeated attempts by Samsung, represented by Covington & Burling, to argue that a liability […]
Cooley has added its third lateral to the firm’s global competition practice in two weeks, this time hiring a longstanding Linklaters partner. Jonas Koponen is moving to Cooley’s Brussels office after two decades at the magic circle firm. During his time at Linklaters, he served as its global head of competition between 2015 and 2019. […]