Fielding a team that is noted for its ‘strong commercial acumen��, Weil, Gotshal & Manges (London) LLP’s competition practice leverages its transatlantic capabilities to represent some of the world’s leading corporates on high-profile competition mandates. The team has recently handled several market-leading antitrust matters, notably advising Microsoft on its $68.7bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Inc. Practice head Jenine Hulsmann, described as ‘highly commercial and skilled’, is highly regarded for her merger control expertise. Niklas Maydell, who splits his time between London and Brussels, is rountinely engaged by corporations on a wide range of merger control and behavioural antitrust matters.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Weil Gotshal's exceptional guidance on merger control issues makes them my go-to firm for complex transactions in the UK. Their excellent legal knowledge, experience of UK process and strong commercial acumen ensures a smooth and successful process.’

  • ‘Jenine Hulsmann is an exceptional merger control lawyer. She is highly commercial and skilled at applying the law to client needs. She is also an excellent communicator and is well respected by senior managers within my business as much as by external regulatory stakeholders. ’

Key clients

  • Microsoft
  • Advent International
  • Eutelsat
  • Brookfield
  • Virgin Media O2
  • Liberty Global
  • Berkshire Partners
  • MBCC
  • Bain Capital
  • Nielsen IQ
  • TPG
  • Global Infrastructure Partners
  • Sixth Street Partners
  • CPPIB
  • Providence Equity Partners
  • Sanofi

Work highlights

  • Advised Microsoft on its acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc., including in the appeal before the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT).
  • Advised Microsoft on the antitrust aspects of its additional investment in OpenAI.
  • Advised Lone Star and MBCC Group on the sale of MBCC Group, the former BASF Construction Chemicals business, to a competitor in the construction chemicals industry, Sika for a consideration of €5.2 billion.

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.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Jenine Hulsmann

Other key lawyers

Niklas Maydell, Neil Rigby, Nafees Saeed, Chris Chapman, Chris Thomas