Bird & Bird LLP‘s team is acclaimed for its ’depth of knowledge across the team’, with expertise across a wide range of sectors including IP, sport, financial services, technology, energy, and retail. The practice regularly advises some of the world’s largest corporations on a broad spectrum of competition law matters, from merger clearances to national security considerations in acquisitions. Practice head Peter Willis boasts over 30 years of experience advising businesses on competition and regulation, having worked extensively in London and Brussels across multiple sectors. Ariane Le Strat stands out for her expertise in vertical supply chain arrangements, while Saskia King is described as a ‘star when it comes to competition advisory work.’

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'The team was always bright and cheerful and got to grips with a complex subject.'
  • ‘Depth of knowledge across the team. Flexible and sensitive to business priorities.’

  • ‘Saskia King - always works hard to understand our business and the challenges we face. Saskia has great knowledge and insight across the sector and provides us with the information we need to know.’

  • 'At every point, they communicated with us, on teams calls, sometimes on a daily basis. The team were friendly, approachable, nothing was too much trouble for them, their organisational skills were second-to-none and we felt relief at having their support throughout.'

  • ‘Peter Willis and Saskia King are outstanding. Having never dealt with competition practice before, they gave us clear guidance and expectations from day one.'

  • 'The communication and organisation was outstanding.’
  • ‘Excellent strength in depth.'

  • ‘Saskia King is a star when it comes to competition advisory work. Intensely practical but a delight to work with.'

Key clients

  • British International Freight Association
  • BA Glass
  • Costa Coffee
  • Six Nations Rugby Limited

Work highlights

  • Advising an international client on various competition law matters concerning an investigation by multiple competition authorities.
  • Advising an international sports federation on numerous competition law matters concerning e.g. sporting rules, eligibility criteria and governance.
  • Supported the British International Freight Association and its members with its submissions to the CMA in relation to the review of the antitrust exemption rules for the container shipping sector.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Peter Willis

Other key lawyers

Ariane Le Strat, Saskia King