Grall & Associés

EU and Competition Law

Partner, co-head of the EU and Competition law department

Charles-Henri has joined Grall & Associés as a partner in January 2013 (after several years at Coudert Frères and Norton Rose before joining White & Case, where he served as Counsel).

Charles-Henri is considered by leading directories as one of the best competition lawyers in France for merger control work, cartels and abuse of dominance, high stake consumer law protection litigation and private damages.

Over the past years, Charles-Henri has been successfully handling some of the most significant and challenging cases, both at the French and European level, representing notifying parties as well as third parties in connection with prominent merger control cases (Phase II, in particular) as well as being involved on leading and highly complex European and domestic probes, such as e-book or GIE Cartes Bancaires, “Nespresso” saga, the highly sensitive supermarket probe as well as the widely publicized  “petfood”, “poultry”, “yoghurt” and “fruit-compotes” cartel investigations (obtaining a massive fine reduction before the Paris court of Appeal for French giant dairy producer Lactalis group).

Concerning commercial and consumer protection litigation, Charles-Henri was notably involved in the widely publicized “horse meat scandal”.

Charles-Henri is constantly ranked by international and domestic legal directories as among the best practitioners for competition law in France (Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, Who’s Who Legal, Global Competition Review/GCR 100, Best Lawyers, Leaders League/Décideurs, etc).

According to Chambers & Partners:

"He is very hands-on and extremely knowledgeable as well as very creative and has strong business acumen." (2022)

"I find him very intelligent and strategic," remarks one interviewee, further praising his "quick and strong reasoning". (2021)

Who’s Who Legal/Global Competition Review says about Charles-Henri Calla:

"Charles-Henri combines technical excellence with a strong strategic view of the case and how to interact with competition authorities"; "He is very hands on, proactive and responsive"(2022)

"He is a top name for merger and antitrust work “. "An extraordinary talent “(2021)

Charles Henri Calla is “very experienced in merger control" and stands out for "finding ways to convey complex theories and concepts to provide effective advice and compelling arguments”. Peers and clients say: “He combines technical excellence with strong strategic view of the case and how to interact with competition authorities.” “He is very hands-on, proactive, and very responsive.” “He is very good in court and has a real sense for managing complex cases. He has a very high sense of strategy and an in-depth knowledge of competition law.” “Charles-Henri Calla is a very talented antitrust partner.” (2020)

« Charles-Henri Calla has « an extraordinary talent of achieving the best possible outcome for his clients » according to one impressed peer » (2018)

« Charles-Henri Calla is « a fantastic lawyer with a great sense of strategy », as well as being « dynamic and client-focused » (2017)

According to Legal 500:

“Beyond the technical aspect, Charles-Henri Calla perfectly understands the practical issues of clients.”; “Charles-Henri Calla specifically excels with his tireless devotion to the client, fantastic analytical and drafting skills and outstanding capacity to communicate efficiently with the top management, commercial partners and other stakeholders without leaving important details behind.” (2022)

“Charles-Henri Calla is very talented, provides strategic outlook and has exceptional analysis skills. He perfectly understands constraints faced by companies and relentlessly seeks to attain the best reachable goals for his clients. He has perfect legal mastering, is very responsive and thinks outside the box.” “Charles-Henri Calla is an excellent [partner], with top professional know how in the competition field. Good relationship with competition authorities. He understands the way of thinking of all the stake holders. […] He has a great sense of the French Competition Law Environment” (2021)

 

French, English

APDC (association des avocats pratiquant le droit de la concurrence) and AFEC, the two main associations of French Competition Lawyers

Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne

ESCP-EAP (MS)