Antitrust & Competition
Antitrust Strategies and Compliance Coordinated Globally and Locally



In the global marketplace, competition has never been more intense. Cross-border transactions have increased, and antitrust and competition laws - and investigations - have proliferated. Rules governing mergers and acquisitions, cartels and business practices have exploded around the world. Companies are now subject to antitrust and competition regulations in hundreds of jurisdictions across the globe, from Chile to China.
 
The stakes have never been higher. Increasingly, injunctions and compliance orders go right to the heart of a company, imposing mandatory changes of business practice and causing major disruptions. Moreover, antitrust and competition authorities are cooperating with each other as never before.
 
We are one of the few truly global, premium antitrust practices able to deal with your issues whether at a global or a local level.  At Baker & McKenzie, our more than 250 Global Antitrust and Competition lawyers around the world understand that your legal strategies must be well-coordinated but tailored to local requirements. We can help make sure that, whoever and wherever you are, your transactions meet the requirements of all jurisdictions, that your business policies are compliant, and that your interests are well-defended.

How We Can Help

Our lawyers provide a wide range of Antitrust services and advise on various issues, including:

• Cartel defence and antitrust investigations - Cartel prosecutions are at an all time high. Coordinated competition authority raids regularly happen simultaneously in multiple countries. Companies need immediate access to experienced competition lawyers in all jurisdictions. We help clients by representing them before the relevant competition authorities and the Courts. We respond to investigations, conduct internal audits and coordinate dealings with regulators around the world.  Our EU “Dawn Raid Hotline” +44 20 7919 1888 – is a must have in your wallet/mobile/cell in case of any raid in the EU!
• Winning the whistle blowing race - Once a company suspects anti-competitive conduct, an audit of employees and documents is essential. The company needs to identify the scale of the problem, the countries affected and options for self-reporting to mitigate sanctions. We are regularly called upon - often in the middle of a whistle blowing race - to coordinate audits across countries and other regions. We have successfully settled cartel cases and obtained amnesties for clients from authorities throughout the world.  Our Global Leniency Manual gives you a guide as to the various policies worldwide.
• Investigation strategies - Formulating an effective strategy in the case of an investigation by antitrust and competition authorities. We can provide local, on-the-spot assistance when officials launch multi-jurisdictional raids of your premises. And we'll manage the investigation process to contain the risks.  We coordinate the defence of investigations at national, regional (e.g. European) and global levels, through teams from our Global Antitrust Group. We advise on options for settlement or reducing penalties through cooperation with the authorities and, if necessary, before the Courts.
• Compliance programs and audits - We provide competition law compliance training, programs and auditing to clients in all industry sectors. Our team trains on auditing, raids and investigative techniques, inter alia, with police training schools and forensic investigators. Our Global Competition Toolkit is designed to help you efficiently achieve successful compliance. We also offer online compliance training, customizable by language, industry and jurisdiction.
• Transaction approvals (merger control) - Securing approvals for mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and other arrangements. Over 90 countries have laws requiring merger control clearance of transactions. Coordination of filings and clearances is essential to getting the deal through without regulatory delays. We advise on the competition law implications of mergers, joint ventures and other complex transactions. We make national filings, European Commission filings and coordinate notifications across the globe, drawing on the expertise of our Global Antitrust Group. We handle in-depth merger investigations and, where necessary, negotiate remedies or conditional clearances with the authorities. Our Global Merger Control Manual details filing requirements in all major jurisdictions worldwide.
• Anti-competition prevention - Assistance in preventing your suppliers or competitors from pursuing anti-competitive arrangements that adversely affect your business.
• Antitrust/competition litigation - Representation in antitrust/competition litigation, including civil cases, class actions and government prosecutions. We also defend companies and executives in government criminal cartel investigations and follow-on private litigation. We have an established track record around the world including our “Competition Litigation Unit” in the EU to manage pan-EU and EU Member State based litigation.