Frances Murphy, a partner in the antitrust practice at Morgan Lewis, focuses on competition law and antitrust matters. Frances currently serves as Managing Partner of the firm’s London office. Frances represents clients in complex, high value global cartel investigations, alleged abuse of dominance matters and civil proceedings for damages for breach of competition law/antitrust laws. She has experience defending investigations by the competition authorities, in particular by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the Financial Conduct Authority, and the European Commission and in leading actions in the Competition Authority Tribunal, the English Courts, and the European Courts. For more information, view Frances’s bio at https://www.morganlewis.com/bios/francesmurphy.
England - London • Corporate and commercial
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius UK LLP
The competition group at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius UK LLP is praised for its ability to combine ���subject matter expertise’ with a ’practical approach’, to advise its diverse roster of clients on both contentious and non-contentious competition matters. The practice has earned a formidable reputation for its strong competition offering in the pharmaceutical sector where it is routinely instructed by high-profile pharmaceutical companies on a significant volume of CMA investigations. Team lead Frances Murphy is entrusted by clients to oversee their complex, high-profile matters, and plays a pivotal role in driving the team’s involvement in noteworthy contentious and non-contentious engagements. Leonidas Theodosiou, noted for his ‘attention to detail’, was promoted to partner in October 2022.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
'Frances Murphy is an excellent lawyer. What Frances doesn’t know about competition law probably isn’t worth knowing. She is very pragmatic and is always a great sounding board on complex matters.'
‘Subject matter expertise but with a practical approach.’
‘They are all great team players. Joanna Christoforou conveys a real sense of being on your side, even when conveying tough messages.'
'Leonidas Theodosiou has an attention to detail that means you know he has explored all reasonable avenues in looking for solutions.’
'Frances Murphy has a calm reassuring manner and a great understanding of this area of law, along with an eye for the detail of specific areas specific to our industry sector.'
‘Leonidas Theodosiou - great understanding of our business and able to tailor his advice accordingly.’
'Frances Murphy has always been available to explain and guide us. She has worked to understand the market and our involvement in it and our individual circumstances.'
Key clients
- Teva Pharmaceuticals
- AMCo Pharma
- Advanz Pharma
- Daimler Trucks
- Amentum/Pacific Architects and Engineers
- Mercedes Benz Trucks
- AstraZeneca UK
- Focus Pharmaceuticals
- McDonald’s Restaurants Limited
- Richemont
- Tata Steel
- Trillium Flow Technologies
- Intercontinental Exchange
- Yandex NV
- Abellio East Anglia Limited
- Rail Delivery Group
- Perrigo
Work highlights
- Leading Concordia's/Advanz’s defence in relation to the alleged excessive and unfair pricing of the thyroid drug Liothyronine under Chapter II / Article 102.
- Representing a group of 24 railway companies in claims against Visa and Mastercard before the High Court.
- Represented PAE in relation to a CMA investigation into suspected anticompetitive conduct comprising bid rigging in connection with the procurements for contracts to operate the Heathrow and Derwentside Immigration Removal Centres.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Next Generation Partners
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Frances Murphy