EU, competition and distribution

Linklaters

Client Satisfaction

Linklaters fields a sizeable EU and competition law team, with deep expertise across the full spectrum of merger control cases, abuse of dominance and cartel investigations, state aid issues and follow-on damages litigation (where the firm has a growing practice, acting for both claimants and defendants). The group is well equipped to take on both French and EU law mandates, frequently joining up with the Brussels and other offices to handle multi-jurisdictional cases. Anne Wachsmann is well regarded for her broad practice, with significant recent experience in high-profile merger control matters, while Pierre Zelenko and Thomas Elkins have been active in major cases in the food and beverages, banking and automotive sectors, among others. Nicolas Zacharie and Matthieu Blayney provide key support. Charlotte Colin-Dubuisson left the firm in early 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘The team is very business oriented and perfectly understands the client's constraints and objectives in order to establish a personalized and relevant strategy. The team collaborates across multiple geographic regions, providing excellent support on complex and international issues.’
‘One of the best antitrust teams in Paris!’
‘The Linklaters Paris competition team is extremely strong with the capacity to deal with any French and European matters thanks to their size and expertise.’
‘Anne Wachsmann is one of the most respected and experienced antitrust lawyers in France. Her reputation is also excellent in Brussels thanks to her professional achievements. Issues can be discussed very openly and she is a brilliant problem solver. She is very reliable and pleasant to collaborate with.’
‘Very dynamic team which is available to its clients and has also been able to adapt to their expectations post-Covid.’
‘Thomas Elkins and Anne Wachsmann are competent, available, and have very good knowledge of the automotive industry.’
'Thomas Elkins is pragmatic, responsive and on top of any developments in the market. We particularly appreciated his transparency and rigour when determining fixed fees.'

Key clients

Nestlé
Safran
Grand Vision
Intermarché
Engie
BNP Paribas
Plastic Omnium
Société Générale
Tarkett
Mc Kesson
GIP
LG Electronics
Stellantis
AirFrance
Sanofi
Parfum Christian Dior
Verallia
DP World Limited
Crédit Agricole
Saint Gobain
CSTB

Work highlights

Advised Intermarché in relation to merger control aspects of its acquisition of nearly 90 Mestdagh points of sale in Belgium (which involved successfully defending the clearance decision against Carrefour before the Brussels Court of Appeal) and the acquisition of nearly 200 Groupe Casino points of sale for €1.6 billion.
Advised McKesson Corporation on the merger control aspects of the sale of part of its European businesses to PHOENIX group.
Advised Stellantis together with worldwide electronic component supplier Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision Industry group) on the merger control aspects of the creation of their 50/50 joint venture in the development, design and supply of semiconductors for the automotive industry.

Lawyers

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