Jean Christophe Grall

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Leaders in Law endorses Jean Christophe Grall as our exclusively recommended Competition Law expert in France. If you wish to get in touch with Jean-Christophe please use the contact information provided above.

Jean-Christophe Grall is the founding partner and managing partner of Grall & Associés for twenty years now.

Career

For more than 30 years, Jean-Christophe Grall has been providing legal assistance to industrial and service undertakings, notably through the drafting of commercial agreements and the setting up of comprehensive exclusive, selective or franchise distribution networks. He advises our clients in various sectors (Cosmetics, Food sector, Consumers electronics, Health sector, Hardware, Toys, Car sector, tools, …), especially during their annual rounds of commercial negotiation with retailers. He is a recognized specialist of the legal rules applicable to restrictive trade practices and unfair trading / consumer law and intellectual property. He is a lecturer at the University of Caen – Normandie in distribution law area and a former lecturer at the University of Rennes ; he has assisted various major actors in merger filling processes, sometimes very complex in nature (“phase II” procedures, “gun jumping” practices).

On the litigation front, Jean-Christophe Grall regularly represents our clients in the specific context of inquiries launched by the French Directorate for Competition and Fraud Repression (“DGCCRF”), as well as during “dawn raids” initiated by the European Commission, and also before the French Competition Authority in cases involving allegations of abusive dominant behaviors or horizontal / vertical anticompetitive practices. Notably, Jean-Christophe is currently assisting major food companies which are being investigated by the French Competition Authority on the basis of alleged exclusionary anticompetitive practices.

Languages

French and English

Memberships

In June 2010, Jean-Christophe Grall has been appointed at the Steering Committee of the French Directorate for Competition and Fraud Repression (“DGCCRF”).In June 2014, Jean-Christophe Grall has also been appointed at the Steering Committee of the French Association of Competition lawyers.He is included in the eighth edition of the best lawyers in France for competition and antitrust law.

Education

Born in 1962, Jean-Christophe Grall graduated from the University of Paris – I Panthéon – Sorbonne in 1986 (Master’s Degree in Tax and Business Law and first part of chartered accountant degree). After serving one year as in house counsel in the French Army (1986/87), he started his legal practice in 1987.

Firm Description:

Grall & Associés is an independent French law firm devoted exclusively to economic law applied to corporate business strategies.

As a leading firm in France, Grall & Associés has developed advanced expertise recognised in all areas related to competition law, distribution law and consumer law, in addition to intellectual property.

Grall & Associés has built a strong network of contacts in Europe and the US, Canada and in all major countries which have antitrust legislation. Grall & Associés is also a founding member of the Antitrust Alliance network.

The firm consists of 17 lawyers: five partners and 12 associates. For each client, the firm places very special importance on its business environment, and on the economic, regulatory and cultural particularities of its line of business.

Practice Areas

Competition: the competition division of Grall & Associés has one of the largest teams in the French market. Its experience working on cases enables it to assist each one of its clients by anticipating the reaction of the competition authorities and by developing the best strategy – be it advice or litigation – to respond in the right way to any complex situation that involves the French and European competition rules.

Distribution: distribution consists of a chain of economic players where each plays a specific role, from the production, manufacturing and importation to the end consumer, relying on intermediaries and logistics teams.

Each player, at every step of the value chain, will seek to generate a maximum profit margin, causing abuse – whether voluntary or not.

The Grall & Associés teams assist clients, both in anticipating and in handling any difficulty arising from the implementation of distribution law.

Consumer: advice on consumer information/legal guarantees/product safety/unfair trade practices/unfair clauses/consumer mediation (mandatory since 1 January 2016); legal assistance in making signage/conducting advertising campaigns/promotional activities/sales; drafting of rules for games, contests, sweepstakes; drafting of B2C general terms and conditions of sale (GTCS) and contracts for commercial guarantees; legal assistance in the context of trade with the government (DGCCRF /DIRECCTE/DDPP (Department Directorate for the Protection of Populations)) following an audit/warning/court order.

Intellectual property: advice and support for the protection of all the distinguishing marks and intellectual property rights of companies (trade marks, copyrights, patents, designs and models, software, databases, know-how, business secrets); advice and validation of product launches and promotional activities, prior art searches; procedures for the filing and registration of trade marks, audit of brand portfolios, adversial procedures before the French Intellectual Property Institute (INPI) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) (formerly Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM)).

Procedures and litigation: assistance and defence before the Competition Authority and the European Commission, or any other competent authority and before the French or European courts of appeal (IPC/ECJ); monitoring and assisting companies following notification of complaints received from French or European competition authorities; providing support in response to the investigative bodies within the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud prevention (DGCCRF), the Competition Authority or the European Commission, or other state competition authorities, in close partnership with colleagues at the Antitrust Alliance network, co ordination of any procedures involving the competition authorities and/or the competent courts of different countries.

Regulation: energy; the postal services; transportation; health law; agriculture.

 

Okan Or

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Leaders in Law endorses Okan Or as our exclusively recommended Competition and M&A Law expert in Turkey. If you wish to get in touch with Okan please use the contact information provided above.

Prior to founding SEOR Law Firm, Okan was a partner in Pekin & Pekin Law Firm.

Okan advises clients on a wide range of corporate transactions. He has extensive experience on various forms of merger & acquisition transactions, including formation of joint ventures, asset transfers, privatizations and various types of public private partnerships. Okan advises a number of multinational corporations, private equities and local entities at all phases of merger & acquisition transactions.

Having made 10s of filings before the Turkish Competition Board, Okan is among the leading attorneys of the jurisdiction in the Competition Law area, assisting his clients in investigation processes, implementation of pre-emptive measures and training programs as well as merger control filings.

In addition, Okan advises his clients in matters concerning real property development, sale and mortgages. He has assisted structuring and implementation of various high ticket and complex real property transactions involving construction right, mortgages, right of first refusal and promise to sell arrangements.

Okan also leads personal data protection practice of the firm and has led numerous compliance projects on privacy matters.

Practice Areas

  • Merger & Acquisitions
  • Corporate and Commercial Law
  • Competition
  • Real Property
  • Data Protection,

Education

Istanbul Bilgi University (LL.B. 2007)

Bar Admissions

Istanbul Bar Association (2008)

Languages

English

Firm Description:

SEOR Law Firm is a full service Turkish law firm established in Istanbul. We have a highly experienced and dynamic team of legal experts dedicated and well capable of distinguishing SEOR Law Firm through the quality of its legal services, responsiveness, reliability and strict compliance with high ethical and professional standards.

Our diverse practice areas mainly include all aspects of corporate and commercial law, mergers & acquisitions, banking and finance, competition, real estate and construction, dispute resolution and capital markets.

Our team has in depth knowledge across many sectors and assists publicly traded and privately owned multinational companies, private equities, financial institutions, local entities, startups and individuals.

Our lawyers leverage their long-term work experience in advising on and handling cross-border transactions and disputes within their respective areas of specialization and work as a team in order to offer commercially focused and top quality legal services that are tailored to the particular needs of the client.

We aim to act as a business partner of our clients providing services that add value to their businesses and proactively supporting them in an efficient manner.

All lawyers in the firm are bilingual and are qualified to practice law in Turkey.

 

Jan Magne Langseth

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Leaders in Law endorses Jan Magne Langseth as our exclusively recommended Competition Law expert in Norway. If you wish to get in touch with Jan please use the contact information provided above.

Jan Magne Langseth heads the EU/EEA and Competition practice at Simonsen Vogt Wiig.

He has handled a broad range of competition cases before the Norwegian Competition Authority, the EFTA Surveillance Authority and the European Commission over a period of more than 20 years.

Merger control is a significant part of his practice, and he has been lead counsel in many complex merger cases. He is also one of Norway’s most experienced lawyers handling dawn-raids/investigations, leniency applications, dominance cases, and completion law litigation.

Jan Magne has managed many multi-national competition cases (anti-trust and mergers). He also deals with EU/EEA regulatory issues (free movement of services, capital, and establishment) and state aid, and has represented clients in a large number of cases before the Brussels authorities.

Clients comprise companies in the technology, grocery, retail, airlines, media, telecoms, energy, railway and mobility services, as well as transport sectors, often in cases that are critical to the clients’ business where he helps them make smart decisions.

He is consistently recommended as a leading competition law practitioner in Norway by the European Legal 500 and Chambers. He is ranked as a «global leader» for competition work by Who’s Who Legal/GCR.

Prior to joining private practice he also worked as a legal officer for the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) in Brussels and has pleaded numerous cases before the Luxembourg courts, both in private practice and when working for ESA.

Jan Magne has also advised major corporations in complicated corruption matters.

Selected recent merger control cases:

  • The acquisition of Statoil Fuel & Retail Marine by St1 (marine fuels business
  • Telia’s takeover of Get/TDC (telecommunications, broadband, and TV-distribution
  • Baneservice’s acquisition of Norsk Jernbanedrift (railway entrepreneur services)

Firm Description:

Simonsen Vogt Wiig is a leading commercial law firm with offices in the largest cities in Norway as well as an office in Singapore.

Our 180 lawyers provide assistance within all major business sectors, and build lasting relationships with our clients by combining thorough business understanding with top legal expertise.

High quality in all segments is the leading principle for our activity. We arrange for relevant and efficient communication and assistance to our clients by focusing on cooperation and full availability.

We have the capacity of being specialized and at the same time versatile, and have the expertise to solve the most demanding issues and the largest assignments.

 

Priscila Brolio Gonçalves

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Leaders in Law endorses Priscila Brolio Gonçalves as our exclusively recommended Competition Law expert in Brasil. If you wish to get in touch with Priscila please use the contact information provided above.

Priscila Brolio Gonçalves has worked as a competition practitioner for more than 20 years. She has extensive experience in the representation of national and foreign clients, in a broad range of sectors, including technology, internet, entertainment and media, financial services and payment methods, footwear and clothing, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, education, healthcare, telecommunications, energy, outsourcing and security, infrastructure and automotive.

Work highlights include strategic defence in administrative and judicial investigations (cartel behaviour in national and international markets, bid rigging, unilateral conducts), negotiation of leniency agreements and settlements, submission of complex merger cases, challenge to complex merger cases, coordination of internal investigations (fraud and bribery), design and implementation of compliance programmes for small, medium-sized and large corporate clients, including listed companies.

She is a non-governmental adviser (NGA) for the International Competition Network (ICN) and actively participates in ICN’s unilateral conduct working group.

She is a currently a director of the Brazilian Institute of Competition, Consumer Affairs and International Trade, editor of the Institute’s magazine and a member of the American Bar Association antitrust section.

In addition to her professional and institutional duties, she is a regular lecturer, speaker and teacher on courses and seminars, and also sits on several examining boards. She has authored several articles, chapters and specialist magazines, as well as two books.

Firm Description:

BGA is a law firm specialized in Economic Law, with focus in Competition/Antitrust, founded by Priscila Brolio Gonçalves and her team

BGA aggregates the experience of over 20 years, the credibility and the spotless reputation of Priscila, who was responsible to the first transaction notified to CADE under the pre-merger regime established by Law 12,529/11, with the talent and ingenuity of highly specialized young lawyers.

BGA’s associates have graduated in the best universities in Brazil, all in the top of their classes, and maintain a continued high-level education (LLM and PhD in Brazil and abroad) and constant training in economic law and related fields.

BGA’s team has been working together for years, in a highly integrated fashion, providing clients with strategic services in high profile and complex matters, in an ethical, skillful, innovative, discrete, and meticulous way.

The team has a thorough experience in dealing with complex matters, including merger control/clearance cases (submissions and oppositions) and behavior investigations (both cartel/horizontal and unilateral conduct investigations), competition advocacy, compliance training and policy design.

BGA’s lawyers are recognized for their strategic thinking, business orientation and high success rates.

Work highlights include:

  • Clearance of complex transactions (national and cross border)
  • Opposing and intervening in paradigmatic transactions
  • Advising and representing clients in investigations regarding unilateral conducts (exclusivity clauses, resale price maintenance, discriminatory behavior, tying arrangements, refusal to deal, abuse of IP rights) in several industries, such as tobacco, food and beverage, footwear, health care, automotive, payment methods, collection of copyrights, entertainment, telecommunications and internet
  • Advising and representing clients in investigations of cartel-related behavior, including bid rigging, collusive conducts and high-level global investigations, such as the Forex and LCD displays cases
  • Negotiations of leniency and other cooperation agreements (TCCs)
  • Compliance politics, drafting “Best Practices Booklets” and other documents, and promoting in-house trainings to publicly traded companies
  • Advising clients in regulated industries, designing policy, drafting and commenting bills of law and regulations, representing clients and associations in public hearings, sector inquiries and parliamentary inquiries and investigations

BGA’s practice attracts representative clients (among top listed companies in Brazil and global companies), industry associations and high executives in a broad range of sectors, including Technology, Internet, Entertainment and Media, Financial Services and Payment Methods, Footwear and Clothing, Pharmaceuticals, Food and Beverage, Education, Healthcare, Telecommunications, Energy, Outsourcing and Security, Infrastructure and Automotive. Clients usually return for new works.

BGA’s antitrust team is also respected by peers and authorities and is cited in national and international rankings and researches.

 

Satoshi Miki

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Practice Areas:

  • Antitrust and Competition
  • Cross-Border Transactions
  • Labor and Employment Law

Education and Experience

  • Hitotsubashi University (LL.B.), 1999
  • Hitotsubashi University, Graduate School of Law (Master of Law), 2001
  • Hitotsubashi Law School (J.D.), 2006
  • University of Southern California, Gould School of Law (LL.M), 2013

Bar Admissions

  • Japan, 2007
  • New York, 2014

Languages

  • Japanese & English
Daiichi Law Office:

Since the foundation of Iechika & Takatori Godo Law Office back in 1964 (renamed Daiichi Law Office in 1966), we have steadily increased a number of our attorneys, and diversified the practice areas we cover, based upon the requests from our clients as well as prediction about the trends of our clients’ needs. Today, we have offices in Tokyo and Osaka with 30 lawyers and 20 support staff in total, and our practice has expanded to encompass almost all areas of the law, including cross-border transactions, take-over defense and patent litigation. We are proud of the efforts we have made in order to adjust instantly and flexibly to the rapid changes in society, and appreciate all the support from our clients, over the last nearly half-century.

The business environments surrounding Japan and the wider Asian region have changed drastically over the decades. When Daiichi Law Office was founded, we could not have imagined today’s rapid development of the Asian economies. Now, we are advising Chinese and Indian companies that are investing in Japan on Japanese financial and securities regulations. The business activities of our clients routinely involve crossing borders, and the dissemination of information technologies will accelerate as time goes on. We are intensely aware of the importance of keeping up with these and other changes, and are sincerely committed to ensuring provision of the highest quality of legal services for our clients.

As our name “Daiichi” suggests, we will strive to continue to be your “first choice” counsel.

We greatly appreciate your continued support.

 

Annick Vroninks

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Leaders in Law endorses Annick Vroninks as our exclusively recommended Competition Law and EU Law expert in Belgium. If you wish to get in touch with Annick please use the contact information provided above.

Annick is a partner in the Competition and EU law department in Brussels. 

She has a broad experience in all areas of competition law.

Annick acted in a number of high-profile cartel and abuse cases before the Competition Authorities in Belgium and the EU and built up a particular expertise in defending dominant companies in different industries.

Annick also represents clients before the Belgian and European Courts in contentious competition law related cases.

In addition, she advises a wide variety of mainly industrial clients on EU and Belgian merger control matters and has inter alia been involved in a large number of energy related mergers (including second phase).

Annick handled competition law cases and advised on compliance with competition law in a broad range of industry sectors such as energy, consumer goods, retail, waste, cement, packaging, etc.

Annick is a Belgian advocaat/avocat and a member of the Brussels Bar. She is fluent in Dutch, French and English.

Annick is ranked by Chambers and Legal 500. Recent client quotes include:

“She has a combination of legal understanding and a willingness to go a step further in terms of understanding the economic and business issues and how business functions”. CHAMBERS – BELGIUM – COMPETITION – 2018.

“Her personal involvement in the matters, her efficiency and her very practical approach”. CHAMBERS – BELGIUM – COMPETITION – 2017.

 

Steven F. Benz

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Steven F. Benz focuses his practice on antitrust, unfair competition, class action and complex commercial cases in federal and state courts throughout the country.  He has more than twenty-five years of litigation experience throughout the United States and has served as counsel of record in more than 130 litigated cases, trials, and appeals.

As a partner at the firm, Mr. Benz has prosecuted leading edge cases  involving in part the intersection of competition law and intellectual property rights, including monopolization, price fixing, and class actions under federal and state law; direct and indirect purchaser claims under state antitrust and unfair competition laws; breach of contract, fraudulent transfer and deceptive trade practices litigation.

Mr. Benz currently represents Veeva Systems Inc. in antitrust claims against Quintiles IMS Incorporated in Quintiles IMS Inc. v. Veeva Systems Inc. (No. 2:17-cv-00177) (D.N.J.).  Veeva is alleging that IMS has abused monopoly power as the dominant provider of data products for life sciences companies to exclude Veeva’s lines of business from their respective markets.

Mr. Benz also currently represents:

  • the trustee for Ritz Camera & Image, LLC, CPM Electronics Inc., and E.S.E Electronics, Inc. and the certified direct purchaser class in Alfred T. Guliano, et al. v. SanDisk Corporation, Case No. CV 10-02787-SBA (N.D. Cal.) (Judge Armstrong), in a Walker Process (fraud on the Patent and Trademark Office) Sherman Act monopolization case;
  • a corporate client and the direct purchaser class in MDL No. 2420, In Re: Lithium Ion Batteries Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 4:13-md-02420-YGR (N.D. Cal.) (Judge Rogers); and
  • a corporate client and the certified direct purchaser class in MDL No. 1917, In Re: Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 3:07-cv-05944-JST (N.D. Cal.) (Judge Tigar).

Bar Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • Iowa
  • Maryland
  • Minnesota

Court Admissions

  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • United States District Court for the District of Columbia
  • United States District Court for the District of Maryland
  • United States Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
  • United States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals
  • Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
Firm Description:

Kellogg Hansen specializes in complex trial and appellate litigation.  Our lawyers are highly qualified, credentialed, and experienced.  Our lawyers have extensive experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in trials and appeals throughout the United States.  We pride ourselves on the exceptional results we achieve for our clients.

Kellogg Hansen is a trial and appellate litigation firm based in Washington, D.C.  We specialize in litigating complex and high-stakes matters for our clients throughout the country and we regularly take cases to verdict at trial and argue before the United States Supreme Court and other appellate courts.  We represent both plaintiffs and defendants, giving us a balanced view from both sides of litigation.  Our clients include Fortune 100 companies, investment and financial services firms, entrepreneurial start-ups, States and instrumentalities of the U.S. and foreign governments, and individuals.

Our roster of talented attorneys includes former Assistant United States Attorneys, Assistants to the Solicitor General, an Assistant Attorney General, and attorneys who have held senior positions in the White House, Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Justice, and the Department of State.  Almost all of our partners and associates have served as law clerks for federal judges on the United States Courts of Appeals, and nearly one-quarter have clerked for Justices of the United States Supreme Court.

Although we regularly take on matters that do not fit neatly into a single category, we have expertise in complex commercial litigation, Supreme Court and appellate litigation, antitrust, class actions, Delaware corporate law and fiduciary duty matters, governmental investigations, white-collar criminal defense, securities fraud, intellectual property, products liability, and telecommunications.

Seasoned Trial Lawyers

Our firm frequently takes cases to trial on behalf of our clients in “bet-the-company” litigation.  Our trial lawyers relish the opportunity to go to trial and are experienced in trying cases to juries, judges, and arbitration panels.  Our lawyers have been lead counsel in more than 100 federal and state trials and private arbitrations.  The firm’s attorneys have written about and taught trial and appellate advocacy in programs at the Federal Judicial Center and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.

The firm’s trial lawyers win for our clients.  Our lawyers, acting as lead trial counsel, have won a $1.2 billion jury verdict on behalf of a plaintiff class in an antitrust case in Kansas; a defense verdict in a bench trial in which the plaintiff sought more than $9 billion in damages in a fraudulent conveyance case in Texas; a $318.75 million jury verdict on behalf of a technology start-up in a fraud and unfair trade practices case in North Carolina; and a $1.1 billion jury verdict on behalf of a plaintiff company in an antitrust case in Kentucky.  The firm has been co-lead counsel representing the National Credit Union Administration in obtaining recoveries in excess of $4.3 billion for defective mortgage-backed securities against a wide range of Wall Street banks.

Renowned Supreme Court and Appellate Advocates

The firm’s appellate lawyers have achieved exceptional results for our clients.  Our lawyers have won significant cases in the Supreme Court of the United States in each of the past twelve Terms — including important antitrust decisions (Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly and Pacific Bell Telephone Co. v. linkLine Communications, Inc.), significant securities rulings (Amgen Inc. v. Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds and Matrixx Initiatives, Inc. v. Siracusano), and landmark preemption cases (Wyeth v. Levine and Altria Group, Inc. v. Good).  During the Supreme Court’s October 2010, 2011, and 2012 Terms, five different firm lawyers argued a total of seventeen merits cases.  Our attorneys have also argued in every federal court of appeals, as well as many state intermediate appellate and supreme courts.  The firm’s appellate practitioners are leading authorities on Supreme Court and appellate practice and procedure, having published multiple books and articles on Supreme Court and appellate advocacy.  Multiple national publications have recognized the firm for its appellate expertise, and The National Law Journal included the firm on its “Appellate Hot List” for 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2016.

Experienced Counsel to Corporations and Individuals in Government and Internal Investigations

Our lawyers have broad experience representing businesses and individuals in complex criminal, administrative, and civil enforcement proceedings.  We frequently represent clients in parallel state, federal, and civil proceedings in financial and commercial matters.  We conduct internal investigations on behalf of multinational clients seeking to manage and resolve liability under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, state and federal securities laws, and the antitrust laws, among other criminal and regulatory regimes.  We appear frequently before the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as before federal and state regulatory agencies, in connection with these matters.  The firm’s lawyers are among the nation’s leading authorities on securities and antitrust enforcement.

Trial-Ready Intellectual Property and Patent Practice

The firm also has a substantial and successful patent litigation practice.  We regularly try patent cases to juries and pride ourselves on our ability to make complex technology understandable to non-specialist judges and jurors.  We represent both patent holders and accused infringers in cases involving a broad spectrum of technologies, including, in recent years, digital video recorders, video compression technology, optical disc drives, medical ultrasound equipment, e-commerce services, telecommunications equipment and services, and a variety of pharmaceutical compounds and formulations.

Unparalleled Expertise in Telecommunications Law

Our firm regularly represents major telecommunications providers in judicial and administrative proceedings at the federal and state levels.  Our attorneys are leading authors and speakers on telecommunications law and policy and continue to do path-breaking work in shaping telecommunications law.

We invite you to learn more about us through this website or by contacting us directly.

 

Michael Gu

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Michael Gu is a founding partner of AnJie Law Firm based in Beijing, having previously been a principal competition partner at another leading PRC firm. Michael also spent five years at the competition practices of Linklaters and Allen & Overy. His work covers all types of antitrust matters in China, including merger filings, antitrust investigations, antitrust civil litigations and compliance audit and trainings.

Michael Gu studied EU competition law under the EU–China legal and judicial co-operation programme, sponsored by the PRC Ministry of Justice and the European Commission, from 2002 to 2003. He has a master’s degree from the China Centre for Economic Research at Peking University.

As a competition law pioneer in China, Michael has secured merger clearance from the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC (MOFCOM) for more than 50 merger transactions. Michael has also represented clients in high-profile antitrust investigation proceedings, antitrust civil litigations and leniency programmes. In addition, Michael frequently provides strategic preventive advices to clients with respect to the potential antitrust risks associated with distribution agreements, IP licensing, restrictive measures, marketing events, pricing and bidding process, etc.

Michael mainly serves Fortune 500 companies, large state-owned enterprises and leading equity funds.

Michael has actively participated in the drafting process of the PRC Anti-monopoly Law and its implementing rules.

Michael has been recognised as a leading lawyer in antitrust/competition by many international guides including AsiaLaw, Expert Guides and Global Competition Review.

Michael has authored the China chapter of The Public Competition Enforcement Review for more than seven years. He is a frequent contributor to Competition Policy International, China Business Law Journal, Asia Law Business and leading finance magazine Cai Xin. Michael is also an expert engaged by LexisNexis and Law Business Research.

 

Ruth C A Higgins

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Leaders in Law endorses Ruth Higgins as our exclusively recommended Competition Law expert in Australia. If you wish to get in touch with Ruth please use the contact information provided above.

Ruth Higgins SC is a leading commercial silk specialising in competition law, class actions, energy, media, corporate criminal and corporations matters. She has been included in Best Lawyers Australia since it commenced in 2008 and was included in 3 categories and named Lawyer of the Year for ADR (Sydney) in 2020. Ruth has been included in Chambers Global since 2011 and was described in the 2019 edition as a “very thorough force to be reckoned with.” She is listed in Doyle’s Guide as a preeminent silk in competition law, and is also listed in commercial litigation, insolvency law, and media and telecommunications law.

Competition law: Ruth successfully acted for TPG, Pacific National and AGL in contested merger proceedings against the ACCC. For the ACCC and the Commonwealth, she successfully acted in the High Court in Flight Centre and the CMFEU case concerning agreed civil penalties, alongside other cases. Ruth appeared in the first two modern criminal cartel prosecutions and is regularly briefed in such matters. She has acted for Apple, Cement Australia, the Australian Jockey Club, NSW Ports and many others in contested Part IV proceedings.

Consumer and regulatory matters: Ruth has acted for parties including Telstra, Qantas, Woolworths, Westpac and the ACCC, ASIC, and APRA. Ruth’s wider regulatory experience includes advising CBA and acting for Tabcorp and Westpac in respect of allegations under the AML/CTF Act, and acting for banks and other institutions defending proceedings flowing from the Financial Services Royal Commission.

Class actions: Ruth has acted for various defendants in major class actions, including: Woolworths; Westpac; VW, Audi and Skoda in respect of diesel emissions; in the Takata air bags proceedings for Nissan; Infigen in respect of a bushfire class action, and for IOOF in the Provident debentures class action.

Energy law: Ruth has acted in the Federal Court, Australian Competition Tribunal and in private arbitrations, for clients including: AGL, ActewAGL, BP, Origin, Epic Energy, Energy Australia, South Australia Power Networks, and Hydro Tasmania. She also acts for the AER. Ruth accepts appointments as an expert in energy disputes, and has chaired an expert panel under the National Gas Rules.

Corporate crime: including insider trading, bribery of foreign public officials and related areas.

Corporations law: In insolvency related matters, Ruth is acting for the Administrators of Virgin Australia, and advises and acts for the Commonwealth, including the Deputy Commissioner of Taxation and the Attorney-General (FEG), in such matters. She has extensive experience in schemes of arrangement, including acting in the Boart Longyear proceedings,

Public inquiries and commissions: Ruth was Senior Counsel for the CBA in the Banking Royal Commission; for CPH in the IGLA’s inquiry into the Crown Casino; as counsel assisting the ACCC East Coast Gas Enquiry; and has acted in private and public hearings of the ICAC.

Ruth is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, an Assistant General Editor of the Australian Law Journal, a director of the Bar Association of NSW and Chair of a Professional Conduct Committee of the NSW Bar. She is the author of various books, including The Moral Limits of Law (OUP, 2004), three collections of essays co-edited with Justin Gleeson SC, and a forthcoming monograph, Law’s Candour (all through Federation Press).

Ruth won the Glasgow University medal in law. Thereafter she completed a doctorate in legal philosophy at Balliol College, Oxford University, lectured at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and was a visiting Scholar at Columbia University. She has recently been elected a Visiting Fellow at each of New College and Harris Manchester College, Oxford University.

Rankings

Chambers & Partners Asia Pacific Guide – Band 3 Dispute Resolution Senior Counsel – “a very thorough force to be reckoned with,” “a future leader of the Sydney Bar,” “an extremely intelligent, dedicated and hard-working trial lawyer with a strong academic background, though no ivory tower theorist,” and “phenomenal – intellectually second to none and probably the most user-friendly silk I have ever worked with; always available, always prepared and always presents well.”

Doyles Guide (Australia Wide) – Preeminent Competition Law Senior Counsel

Doyles Guide – Leading Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution Senior Counsel

Doyles Guide – Recommended Insolvency & Restructuring Senior Counsel

Doyles Guide – Recommended Technology, Media & Telecommunications Senior Counsel

Best Lawyers – ADR Lawyer of the Year (2020)

Best Lawyers – Bet the Company Litigation

Best Lawyers – Litigation

Firm Description:

Banco Chambers was opened on 10 March 2005 in the Reserve Bank Building by the Hon. J.J. Spigelman AC Chief Justice of New South Wales. It then consisted of 15 members, made up of 3 silks and 12 juniors. The current Head of Chambers is Cameron Moore SC. The inaugural head of Chambers was Justin Gleeson SC, followed by Robert Newlinds SC.

Banco Chambers expanded in January 2009, taking a floor in Chifley Tower and 15 new junior barristers. In 2020, further growth culminated in another transformative relocation and expansion in which Banco Chambers moved to two levels in a newly developed modern office building at 60 Martin Place, Sydney. There was a further addition of 14 new barristers, bringing the total number of barristers to just over 50, including 18 of Australia’s leading Silks and some of Australia’s most talented junior barristers.

The 2020 expansion consolidated the Chambers in one location in close proximity to the Law Courts Building, and affirmed its place as one of Australia’s leading barristers’ chambers.

Three of our foundation members have been elevated to the Bench., Justice Christine Adamson and Justice Fabian Gleeson are Judges of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the Court of Appeal respectively, while Judge Andrew Coleman was appointed to the District Court of NSW in 2021.

Banco has always been and remains a youthful progressive floor committed to providing the highest level of service in the rapidly changing legal market. All of our barristers have superior and specialised advocacy skills enabling them to add value to any case in any court, tribunal or arbitration. Our barristers are also specialists in various fields where they provide sensible, commercial, objective and accurate advice.

 

Eggert B. Ólafsson

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Leaders in Law endorses Eggert B. Ólafsson as our exclusively recommended Competition Law expert in Iceland. If you wish to get in touch with Eggert please use the contact information provided above.

Born 29 February 1952, Law degree from Unversity of Iceland 1979. Post graduate studies in company law at Lund University Sweden 1979 – 1981, Officer with the Icelandic Competition Authority  1981- 1985. Partner with Reykjavík Law Firm 1985 -2000, stationed in Brussels  1998 – 2000. Seniour Officer  at the Competition and State Aid Directorate of the  EFTA Surveillance Authority, Brussels  2000 -2004. Partner  with Reykjavik Law Firm 2004 – 2006. Seniour Counsel at Glitnir Bank / Íslandsbanki 2006 – 2010.  Legal advisor and  co-operation partner  with Fjeldsted Blondal & Fjeldsted 2010 -2014. Partner Reykjavík Law Firm  2014 –

Main practice areas:

– Competition law

– State Aid

– Public Procurement

– EEA / EU law

– Company law

– Banking / Financial law

-Bankruptcy law

Languages:

– English

– Danish

– Swedish

Firm Description

Reykjavik Law Firm is committed to provide it’s clients with excellent legal service. The firm is well equipped to deal with complex and diverse legal matters that can rise in a modern society. The firm’s goal is to ensure the best possible result in every project. Efficiency, acknowledgement and well-defined procedure is guaranteed while reaching that goal.