Competition Associate 3 to 5 years’ PQE

We are recruiting an Associate with three to five years’ post-qualification experience to work within our Competition practice, based either in London or Brussels.

About Macfarlanes

We are a distinctive London-based law firm with a unique combination of services built and shaped around the needs of our clients. Our unrivalled blend of expertise, agility and culture means we have the flexibility to meet their most challenging demands and adapt to the changing world around us. While many of our services can be found at other firms, the mix cannot.

We find, recruit and train talented people from all backgrounds, building careers for the long term, to one day shape and lead the firm. We know each other personally which means we work together with more cohesion, and less formality. Our culture is thoughtful, challenging and supportive, and we are a place where everyone, at whatever level, can thrive. We remain focused on equal treatment in recruitment, retention and promotion.  

What this means for you

Offering a partner-led service enables our fee earners to learn and develop through working closely with a senior member of the team. Our size means that you will often be very close to the front line or in a client facing role, gaining a greater insight into the issues facing our clients. 

We expect all our fee earners to assume real responsibility, as well as to participate in client and business development activities. That means wider exposure for you and a steep learning curve.

Our matters often have a cross-border element, so our fee earners frequently liaise with global businesses and specialists in overseas jurisdictions.

The importance we place on the development of our fee earners’ legal and commercial skills has allowed us to develop the excellent reputation we have – we believe our education and training programme is second to none.

We all work together as part of a cohesive and supportive team, with the firm recognising, appreciating and rewarding the efforts of its employees.

Practice overview

Our Competition practice consists of five Partners, one Senior Counsel, seven Associates, five Senior Associates, two Trainee Solicitors and one Senior Knowledge Lawyer.

The role

You will work as part of our Competition team across London and Brussels on a wide range of competition and regulatory matters, including transactions (encompassing merger control, NSIA/ FDI and FSR issues), antitrust investigations, compliance, state aid, and competition litigation.  You will work closely with the rest of the team, including its more senior members.

The successful individual will have relevant experience in the majority (through not necessarily all) of the following key areas. Some transactional experience is essential:

Transactions:

• UK merger control notifications under the Enterprise Act;
• EU Merger Regulation notifications;
• Filings under the UK National Security and Investment Act and/or national foreign direct investment regimes in other jurisdictions;
• Filings under the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation; and
• coordinating merger and foreign direct investment filings in multiple jurisdictions.

Investigations:

• CMA and/or European Commission investigations in respect of suspected horizontal or vertical anti-competitive agreements (Article 101 TFEU or Chapter I); and
• advising clients in relation to abuse of dominance issues (Article 102 TFEU or Chapter II).

Market studies/investigations and sector inquiries:

• advising in connection with CMA and/or European Commission market-wide investigations.

Distribution, licensing and compliance:

• advising clients in relation to competition law issues affecting distribution systems or agreements;
• advising clients in relation to competition law issues affecting IP or technology licences;
• advising clients in relation to competition law issues affecting cooperation agreements, strategic alliances and (non-full-function) joint ventures; and
• drafting and delivering competition law compliance training policies and programmes.

This job description encompasses the main duties of the role and is by no means exhaustive. It is anticipated that duties may vary from time to time according to the needs of the practice area.

The candidate

The successful candidate will possess the following:

• three to five years’ post-qualification experience across a broad range of UK and/or European competition law matters ideally including evidence of advising on merger control, NSIA/ FDI, FSR, antitrust investigations and compliance matters. We will consider candidates from non-UK jurisdictions;
• excellent technical knowledge;
• strong academic qualifications;
• articulate, a strong communicator, and confident to deliver at the highest standard; and
• ambitious, with a commitment to develop their legal and professional skills and the profile of the team.

We are recognised for the quality of our work, and the quality of our associates is an essential element of this – any recruitment will only be made if this high standard is met. 

We strive to provide our associates with long-term careers and have a career development programme in place which is designed to support each of our associate’s aspirations, enabling them to enhance their legal and commercial skills, and to reach their full potential. 

Application screening

Any offer of employment with us is subject to our pre-employment checks which are conducted by a third-party screening provider. These may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, any criminal records and employment references. These checks will be initiated with your consent and your offer will be subject to the successful completion of these checks.

Our commitment to inclusion

Inclusion is one of our key priorities and it is a goal we are actively working towards. We believe that an inclusive, forward-thinking culture is intrinsically important and enables us to provide innovative solutions to our clients.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, bringing different perspectives and experiences, making Macfarlanes an exciting and stimulating place to work. We seek to recruit the best candidates, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, social or economic background, religion, disability, sexual orientation or any other characteristic.

As part of this commitment, we will ask you certain diversity data questions. We would really appreciate you and/or your recruiter completing these questions when submitting an application to Macfarlanes as this data enables us to measure our progress and identify any actions needed to continue to support an inclusive culture. This data is anonymised to maintain the privacy of applicants. If you have any questions relating to how this data is used, please contact a member of the recruitment team.

Should you require any adjustments during the application and/or interview process, please do not hesitate to inform your recruiter or a member of the recruitment team. Please note, the job description is available in other accessible formats (for example, large print)

We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who best meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme, please email the recruitment team at recruitment@macfarlanes.com.