Antitrust Associate

Who we are

We are one of the largest international law firms in the world. With over 30 offices across the globe, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, providing them with the highest-quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.

Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. We offer our clients a truly international perspective. We believe every career should be rewarding and stimulating – full of opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow. That’s why we’re so proud of our inclusive, friendly, and team-based approach to work.

Our one firm global strategy is focused on targeted growth led by the needs of our core clients, those who we can best support with the breadth and depth of Clifford Chance expertise, across the sectors and geographies, which matter most to them.

You’ll find our clients in commercial and industrial sectors, the financial investor community, governments, regulators, trade bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. But no matter who they are or why they’ve reached out to us, we provide a world-class service every step of the way. And that’s possible thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and conscientious approach to work that you’ll find across all of our teams.

Whichever area of the business you join, you’ll become an integral part an innovative, diverse and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet.

The role

We advise major clients from all key sectors on complex antitrust matters worldwide. We secure clearances in challenging merger control proceedings and represent clients in multi-jurisdictional cartel, market investigation, enforcement, and dominance cases. Our team includes specialists on FDI and FSR matters, as well as CFIUS and trade experts in the US. We work closely with other GPGs to help clients manage cross-border investment issues. We also design compliance programmes advising clients on how to navigate antitrust and regulatory risk. Several team members bring insight from an enforcer's perspective, having previously served as regulators at bodies such as the EU Commission, the US DOJ and FTC, UK CMA, ACCC in Australia and MOFCOM in China.

Who you will work with

We support clients in navigating the world’s antitrust regimes from securing merge approvals and multi-jurisdictional cartel, market investigation, enforcement, and dominance cases, to designing compliance programmes and advising on antitrust and regulatory risk. Our team includes specialists on FDI and FSR matters, with several who have real insight from an enforcer's perspective, having previously served as regulators at bodies such as the EU Commission, the US DOJ and FTC, UK CMA, ACCC in Australia and MOFCOM in China. We work closely with other colleagues in the Trade & Sanctions group to help clients manage cross-border investment issues, as well as Disputes colleagues on antitrust-related investigations and litigation.

What you will be responsible for

As an Antitrust Lawyer, you will be working across a wide range of sectors including technology, consumer goods and retail, financial services, energy and infrastructure, transport, telecommunications and media.

Responsibilities

You will advise on a range of matters, including:; Merger control: carrying out multi-jurisdictional merger control analysis and preparing merger filings to the relevant authorities, including at the UK and European level.; Foreign investment control: carrying out multi-jurisdictional FDI analyses, preparing filings and advising on undertakings.; Market investigations / sector enquiries.; Cartel and abuse of dominance investigations.; Cooperation, distribution and licensing arrangements.; Antitrust litigation: appeals from decisions by competition authorities and significant follow on and stand-alone damages actions.; State Aid and the control of subsidies (including FSR filings).; Public procurement.; Developing relationships with clients and actively engaging in business development and thought leadership initiatives and seeking out opportunities for new work.; Drafting legal documents clearly and concisely, creating solutions using legal knowledge and commercial judgement to advise and support leading multi-national corporates.

Requirements

You will have strong proven working knowledge across all areas of competition law, sector specific regulation and public policy as a mid-level lawyer, probably gained at a city firm, or at an overseas common law practice with a highly regarded profile.; In all cases you will have an outstanding academic history and proven first rate legal skills, combined with a strong reputation amongst existing clients for providing commercial solutions, excellent transactional and managements skills, and be recognised as a lawyer that is sought out by existing clients.; You will naturally be able to demonstrate excellent document drafting skills. You should demonstrate strong communication and analytical skills along with a high level of commercial awareness.; You will need to demonstrate that you can thrive in a team with high professional standards and a flexible client-friendly commercial approach. You will have had strong exposure of collaborating with multi-jurisdictional and multi-disciplinary teams.; It is crucial that you are able to demonstrate an appetite for business development, client relationship management and thought leadership.