Capable of advising across numerous sectors, Linklaters LLP is ‘one of the premier’ defence advocates for clients engaged in competition litigation and class action proceedings. Team head Tom Cassels frequently advises on the team’s complex, funded collection actions, as well as other high-profile contentious competition work. Leading some of the firm’s most critical cartel matters, Harriet Ellis is a skilled litigator who has received notworthy defence instructions from telecoms clients. Other key figures include the ’dynamic’ and ‘proactive’ Sarina Williams, well versed in complex litigation concerning the financial services sector; James Hennah, whose practice incorporates collective actions, abuse of dominance claims, and cartel disputes; and Alex Fawke, noted for his strength in CMA penalty appeals and subsidy control matters.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Linklaters are one of the very premier teams for competition litigation in the City, with tremendous strength in depth across the team.’
‘Tom Cassels is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the competition litigation field and deserves his reputation. He deploys his excellent judgment with a light touch and much charm, but he is undoubtedly one of the most effective competition and sports litigators around.'
'Sarina Williams is a new superstar, bound for greatness. James Hennah is a young partner who is bound to go very far.’
‘Linklaters is one of the very few firms that can deploy a large team of competition litigators capable of delivering genuinely and consistently outstanding performance on a big piece of competition litigation. This is because they blend a good number of real specialists who have years of experience fighting the most complex competition cases with a large number of associates who have top-notch general commercial litigation experience and can turn their hands to anything.'
‘Tom Cassels is at the absolute top of his game. His combination of intelligence, judgement and a cool head make him the partner you want in your corner. He is also a great leader, showing genuine warmth and compassion for his team members.'
- 'Sarina Williams is also a superstar. Her ability to make extremely insightful points that draw on her years of experience makes her invaluable. She also has the critical ability to make a plan and devote the right resources to the right work streams which is essential for these cases.'
‘Harriet Ellis, Rebecca Burton and Johnny Watson are all extremely impressive litigators and were a total pleasure to work with. Harriet in particular is incredibly sharp, very quick and pragmatic. She is great at knowing when to push a point to her client's advantage and when to let something go in the interest of the bigger picture.'
‘Sarina Williams is dynamic, proactive, sharp and always on the ball. Sarina always alerts us to key developments that may affect our company even if not instructed on a matter.’
Key clients
- UK Department for Transport
- Visa
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Hutchinson 3G
- Telefonica O2 Holdings
- DENSO
- Société Générale
- Kelkoo
- BGL Group
- HG Capital
- Anglian Water
- Porsche
- The Football Association Premier League
- Camelot
Work highlights
- Advising the Department for Transport in its role as an intervener in the separate “opt-out” collective actions in the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
- Representing Visa in thousands of actions brought before the English High Court and the Competition Appeal Tribunal by retailers seeking damages related to Visa's multilateral interchange fees.
- Advising Sony Interactive Entertainment concerning an opt-out collective action before the CAT addressing the PlayStation Store.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Tom Cassels