We advise businesses on the full range of French and EU competition law issues, in both advisory and contentious work: how they behave in the market, how they deal with competitors and trading partners, mergers and acquisitions, and proceedings before the competition authorities and the courts.
Cartels and anti-competitive agreements
We advise and represent businesses facing cartel allegations or questions over information exchanges, cooperation agreements or commercial practices that may restrict competition, acting both for companies under investigation and for those on the receiving end of anti-competitive conduct.
Abuse of dominance
We advise on and litigate conduct that may amount to an abuse of dominance: pricing, terms of market access, exclusivity, rebates, refusals to supply or grant access, discriminatory treatment and exclusionary strategies.
Investigations by competition authorities
We support businesses through requests for information, investigations and dawn raids by the competition authorities: preparing the company, standing by its side during the operations, and setting the procedural and litigation strategy that follows.
Merger control
We assess whether deals are notifiable, the relevant thresholds and the competitive effects of acquisitions, mergers and takeovers. We prepare filings and, where a deal requires it, coordinate proceedings across several jurisdictions.
Foreign investment screening and foreign subsidies
We build foreign investment screening and, where relevant, the EU foreign subsidies rules into merger planning. These procedures need to be spotted early so they can be factored into the deal timetable and conditions.
State aid
We advise on State aid, whether assessing if a scheme is compatible, anticipating the consequences of public funding or acting for a business in a dispute over how aid was granted or its effects.
Competition litigation and damages claims
We act in claims for damages caused by anti-competitive conduct. These cases demand close coordination between the legal analysis, proof of the conduct, causation and the economic assessment of the harm.
Securing evidence: Article 145
When the evidence needed to prove an infringement is in the hands of the other side or a third party, a pre-action evidence order can be decisive. We have particular experience of orders under Article 145 of the French Code of Civil Procedure, whether obtaining and executing them or challenging them, especially on escrow, confidentiality and trade secrets.
How we handle pre-action evidenceCompetition law in everyday trading
Competition issues are often bound up with distribution terms, exclusivity, commercial restrictions or supplier–distributor relations. We deal with them together with our distribution and commercial litigation practice.
