DLA Piper

Harness the power of global antitrust and competition solutions

Antitrust and competition laws permeate virtually every aspect of business. With international coordination of regulators on the rise, the consequences of non-compliance are often severe. Our 135+ partners in 30+ countries and strong relationships with global authorities reflect our coordinated approach to your multi-jurisdictional antitrust and competition law challenges.

We provide strategic antitrust and competition law counsel in regulatory compliance, investigations, mergers and acquisitions, consumer protection, civil litigation and class actions, and cartel enforcement. Combined with our renowned legal acuity, we believe in innovation and developed Aiscension, our best-in-class AI tool and risk management service that allows you to identify the risks of anti-competitive activity.

Our global footprint and local presence results in a holistic approach to problem solving. We advise on the antitrust and competition considerations inherent in corporate development, forming business alliances, expanding into new markets, analyzing the viability of commercial strategies, and ensuring that new production, marketing and distribution complies with country-specific antitrust and competition legal mandates.

We work with you to analyze and respond to government market intervention and fluctuating instability events. We advise on the increased scrutiny of M&A activity you face, as well as the integration of critical sustainability and ESG objectives into all levels of your operations.

“DLA Piper does a really good job with overall client service. They have the ability to staff the right team for our matters as well as a substantive expertise and responsiveness. They do a great job across the board.”

Chambers 2022

In an international environment that’s increasingly more difficult to traverse, we defend your rights in the growing number of antitrust class actions resulting from cartel investigations that rely on other jurisdictions and the use of foreign evidence.

Competition authorities are doubling down on asserting their regulatory influence across all digital business classes. We work with you to position your business fairly in your respective market, before all domestic and foreign agencies and where competition, IP, data and consumer laws converge.

Our team includes former high-ranking enforcers from antitrust agencies and experienced trial lawyers that have litigated complex governmental and private antitrust and competition claims. We are consistently showcased in Chambers, the Legal 500 and the Global Competition Review.

Awards and recognition

Experience

Acting for two pharmaceutical companies in separate 'pay for delay' pharmaceutical patent settlements in Europe.
Advised Etihad Airways in relation to their equity investment in Air Berlin which required both merger control and regulatory advice, as well as competition law advice in relation to commercial co-operation agreements between the two airlines.
Building a global compliance function with particular emphasis on antitrust, anti-corruption, antimony laundering, international trade regulation/OFAC, government relations, and privacy/data security for an international insurance and financial services company.
Representing a global airline in the General Court against the European Commission's air cargo cartel decision, with simultaneous damages litigation in the UK and the Netherlands.
Advising one of the world's largest freight forwarders in the context of a European Commission cartel investigation and a subsequent appeal to the General Courts. The team successfully secured a significant fine reduction for the client which was being investigated by anti-trust authorities, notably the European Commission and US Department of Justice, following global dawn raids across the industry.
Successfully litigated FTC challenge to the merger of our client, a medical device sterilization services provider, and one of its two global competitors. Following a nine-month investigation, intensive follow-on discovery and an evidentiary preliminary injunction hearing, the court denied the FTC’s challenge and the merger closed without the imposition of any remedies.
Successfully represented an American multi-national pharmaceutical company, as well as its former wholly owned subsidiary, in one of the largest and long-lasting criminal antitrust investigations in the history of the US Department of Justice, Antitrust Division.
Successfully closed a potentially sweeping criminal cartel investigation by the US Department of Justice, Antitrust Division into a global chemical company.
Represented a top manufacturer of plants and machines for the metals industry in an antitrust complaint alleging that client conspired with a metals company to restrain trade in and monopolize the alleged rebar steel manufacturing market. In May 2021, the Court dismissed all claims against client. The plaintiff was given leave to amend, but the amended complaint did not name client as a defendant.
Representation of global Chinese transportation and logistics company in multi-jurisdictional regulatory review of acquisition of container manufacturing business.
Representation of global media joint venture in multi-jurisdictional antitrust clearance process for acquisition of international production and distribution company.
Represent clients in DOJ employee no-poach investigation.