Managing risk in relation to cartels has become a key issue in boardrooms across Europe. Threats include the high fines cartel conduct attracts at both national and EU level, increasing criminalisation of at least certain aspects of cartel activities, and the growing number of associated civil actions, especially the emergence of class action-style litigation in the EU.
SJ Berwin's EU & Competition practice has a strong track record advising on all aspects of cartel cases. We have acted for clients in high-profile and ground-breaking cases in administrative/civil and criminal investigations concerning both national and pan-European cartel conduct.
In particular, our long-established EU/competition law litigation and behavioural anti-trust practice enable us to advise on all aspects of cartel cases, including general compliance work, advice on seeking leniency at EU and national level, dawn raids, defence work in administrative proceedings by the European Commission and national competition authorities, acting on any subsequent appeals and advice on civil damages actions (both for the claimant and the defendant).
We are particularly pleased to have recruited Philipp Girardet who was until recently the Deputy Director of the Office of Fair Trading's Cartel Group. Philipp was closely involved in drawing up the UK's guidance on its civil and criminal immunity programme. He also chaired the European Competition Network's (ECN) Leniency Working Group which developed the ECN Model Leniency Programme which has since been widely adopted by European countries.