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Linklaters

Cartels

Detecting and punishing cartels is at the top of the enforcement agenda for competition authorities around the world.

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Detecting and punishing cartels is at the top of the enforcement agenda for competition authorities around the world. As financial penalties increase and cooperation between a growing number of authorities across the world is strengthened, it is imperative, now more than ever, that companies ensure a unified and cohesive strategy for dealing with cartel investigations. This is true from the early days of the launch of an investigation (whether by dawn raid or deciding where to apply for leniency) through to cooperation with authorities during the investigation stage as well as any appeals and follow-on damage claims.

The decisions made at the outset of an investigation can have a major impact on a company’s total financial and reputational exposure.

As a leading global cartel practice, our team works with clients to defend their interests in response to an investigation by minimising both the financial risk and potential damage to the clients’ reputation.

With our global footprint and on-the-ground experience in a large number of jurisdictions we are able to support clients through the broad spectrum of challenges that arise before, during and after an investigation. Our senior lawyers have excellent access to decision-makers where it matters. Our strong links with regulators are reinforced through the recruitment of former officials and longstanding relationships with the many Linklaters alumni who joined agencies. Many of our lawyers regularly advise agencies within the ICN and other non-governmental bodies on policies and legislation.

Our team has been involved in most of the major global cartel investigations and appeal cases to date, giving us unrivalled experience in this area.

Competition eLearning course

We have developed an eLearning tool, which is available in several languages (including Mandarin) and offers an economic and effective way of achieving global training on competition law issues. We provide "train the trainer" sessions so in-house legal and compliance teams are able to provide ongoing specialist support with confidence.

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Related Client Services

Foreign Investment & Merger Control
Antitrust Investigations
Public procurement
State Aid & Foreign Subsidies Regulation
Economic & Utility Regulation

Foreign Investment & Merger Control

At Linklaters, we have world-leading experience thanks to our dedicated and truly integrated global network. We are continually monitoring developments in this rapidly evolving area in order to remain ahead of the curve. We offer clients a one stop shop for handling merger control and foreign investment review filings: a single, central point of contact, as well as a consistently high level of quality.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR FOREIGN INVESTMENT OFFERING

Merger control is critical to the success of any M&A transaction. Linklaters’ truly global team works with clients to devise their global merger control strategy. We combine commercial, legal, economic and often political considerations to maximise the chance of a successful outcome. We offer clients a one stop shop for handling merger control and foreign investment review filings: a single, central point of contact, as well as a consistently high level of quality.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR MERGER CONTROL PRACTICE

Antitrust Investigations

With our global footprint and on-the-ground experience in multiple jurisdictions our Antitrust & Foreign Investment team support clients through the broad spectrum of challenges that arise before, during and after an investigation into behavioural conduct issues.

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Public procurement

Linklaters has extensive experience of advising on the application of the EU procurement Directives and the implementing regulations adopted in various Member States. We have been involved in many important projects for both private and public sector clients (including national governments), which have required a combination of detailed technical legal expertise, innovative thinking and commercial focus.

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State Aid & Foreign Subsidies Regulation

In this evolving legal environment, companies with no previous (and often no foreseen) exposure to State aid issues are increasingly affected by the rules. Companies increasingly view State aid law as a powerful tool to challenge the legality of fiscal regimes and other State measures which favour their competitors. Our clients gain a competitive advantage from our wealth of experience in handling complex State aid cases.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT STATE AID

The FSR builds on elements of State aid, merger control, foreign investment, public procurement, and trade defence. Our global team is one of the world’s leading practices across the spectrum of these matters and we have the skills, experience and bandwidth required to prepare your business. We advise on the most complex and strategic matters and have an award-winning reputation for innovation and excellence.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT FOREIGN SUBSIDIES REGULATION

Economic & Utility Regulation

The team has advised on price controls, market access and liberalisation for utilities companies, as well as on the regulatory issues arising in the context of mergers and acquisitions and financing/restructuring transactions.

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