Hybrid Competition Disputes Associate (Mid-level) bei Herbert Smith Freehills

The Opportunity

Key internal relationships    

• Supervising lawyer, other group partners, solicitors/associates, trainees/graduate solicitors, paralegals, secretarial staff 

Key external relationships   

• Clients, peers, contacts, other firms and professions (eg financial advisers, intermediaries, experts and local lawyers)

Practice group/team     

Practice area – COMPETITION, REGULATION AND TRADE

• Main areas covered | general competition (antitrust) | cartels and other behavioural investigations | competition litigation  | merger control | regulatory matters | state aid | public procurement | EU | WTO and international trade
• Sector expertise includes | energy and natural resources | financial institutions | consumer goods| infrastructure | transport | manufacturing and industrials | retail | telecoms, media and technology

The Role

Our Competition, Regulation and Trade group is consistently rated as one of the leading practices in its field, with a team of lawyers based in Europe (London, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Madrid and Paris), Asia and across Australia. Amongst our clients are leading financial institutions, top Fortune and FTSE companies from all industry sectors, regulatory bodies and national governments.

Our team covers the full spectrum of contentious and non-contentious competition, regulation and trade work globally, including:

• cartel and other behavioural investigations 
• competition litigation (private enforcement and appeals)
• merger control
• antitrust advice
• regulatory matters 
• state aid, public procurement, WTO and trade

This role will have a significant focus on contentious matters, in particular private enforcement and other competition disputes.

We have a market-leading competition litigation practice integrated within the Competition, Regulation and Trade group. We have particular expertise in defending follow-on, hybrid and stand-alone claims across multiple jurisdictions. This includes acting on many of the most complex recent and on-going cases in the UK, as well as providing expert strategic advice on private enforcement risks and the relationship with the public enforcement process. 

The role would involve – in addition to other matters – assisting in the defence of damages actions in the High Court and Competition Appeal Tribunal, and managing the response to multi-jurisdictional claims.

Recent Matters

• Meta in connection with a proposed collective action in the CAT alleging an abuse of a dominant position based on allegations of unfair terms and unfair pricing in respect of the Facebook social media platform
• Google in connection with claims in the CAT and across Europe seeking damages against Google for abuse of dominance on grounds similar to those raised by the European Commission in the Google Search (Shopping) and the Google Search (AdSense) decisions
• Google in connection with a collective action on behalf of an online publisher class alleging that Google has abused a dominant position in ad tech tools
• Amazon in connection with two CPO applications alleging abuse of a dominant position in respect of the Buy Box
• Iveco and Fiat Chrysler as European coordinating competition litigation counsel in relation to follow-on damages claims stemming from the European Commission's settlement decision in Trucks
• Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group in connection with litigation stemming from the European Commission's infringement findings in relation to foreign exchange trading
• Severn Trent in relation to an application for a CPO alleging an abuse of a dominant position in respect of alleged misreporting of sewage discharges]

Primary objectives

• Deliver excellent client service and manage and deliver discrete pieces of legal work.
• Make an effective contribution to the firm’s work by aiming to meet and exceed target hours.
• Build a solid foundation of commercial and legal expertise within a chosen area of law and strengthen relationships with clients, frequently acting as a direct point of contact. 
• Be responsible for some management and delegation of work to and support of junior colleagues.

Key responsibilities

• Manage work to support optimal utilisation; assist senior lawyers as required, acting as lead lawyer, where appropriate; delegate and provide feedback to juniors and communicate progress on tasks to supervisor and team members, consulting and offering solutions on difficult technical client issues; and manage the billing process as appropriate.
• Manage, develop and strengthen client relationships through anticipating client needs and expectations; and provide prompt responses and updates on progress.
• Support the firm and others - establish effective relationships with individuals and groups, across the global network; uphold the firm’s values; contribute to the firm’s initiatives (e.g. corporate social responsibility and diversity and inclusion activities); mentor and support juniors; raise profile by being involved with external bodies and supporting and attending marketing/industry events; and assist with internal training and preparation of legal precedents.
• Comply with risk requirements, firm policies and all relevant professional responsibilities and legislation and contribute to billing, engagement and client acceptance processes.

Qualifications, skills and experience: 

• We would expect the successful candidate to have had between two and five years of post-qualified experience in this area, but are willing to consider those with less or more experience providing they meet the required competencies. Please note however that we cannot accept applications from newly qualified solicitors for this position.
• Academic excellence is essential for all positions within Herbert Smith Freehills. We would always expect a 2:1 degree (or equivalent) and solicitors' examinations to have been passed first time. All applications should include full academic details including grades, subjects and transcripts where appropriate.
• Hands-on competition experience is essential, including of competition disputes in the High Court and/or the Competition Appeal Tribunal.  Candidates will need to be bright self-starters looking for a challenge.
• All candidates will be expected to display excellent interpersonal skills and be able to communicate with individuals at all levels.
• All candidates must be willing to supervise and develop Junior Associates and Trainees within the group.
   

Team

Location

Contract type

Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to attracting people from all backgrounds and creating a respectful and inclusive culture where everyone thrives. We see this as essential to our success, including our ability to innovate and achieve sustained high performance. This is a key part of our Values—Human, Bold, and Outstanding.