Associate - EU Trade & Competition

We have an exciting opportunity for an Associate to join our award-winning EU, Trade & Competition team in London

About the team

Gowling WLG's award winning EU, Trade & Competition team receives high quality instructions from a diverse client base, and provides clear advice on complex issues.

In 2021, the team won Legal Business' "Competition Team of the Year" award for its work in bringing an innovative abuse of dominance claim before the High Court, which resulted in the grant of an interim injunction against Royal Mail. The claim advanced a number of novel legal arguments, and the resulting interim injunction enabled our client to negotiate a commercial resolution to the dispute.

In 2020, the team was a finalist in the "Competition and Regulatory" category at The Lawyer awards, and was "Highly Commended" in the "Competition and Regulatory" category in 2019 at the British Legal Awards, for its work in acting for E (Gas and Electricity) Limited in the context of an investigation by Ofgem into a suspected breach of the Chapter I Prohibition.

The team advises national and international clients on a broad range of areas, including merger control; National Security and Investment Act issues; competition investigations (including dawn raid support); market investigations; competition litigation (High Court and CAT); the interface between competition law and IP; distribution and licensing arrangements; State aid and subsidy control; and trade, customs, and sanctions issues.

In doing so, the team works closely with colleagues across the wider firm and its international offices, including within Gowling WLG's award winning IP, Corporate, and Real Estate teams.

Other recent instructions have included:

• Acting for parties in the context of investigations conducted by the Competition and Markets Authority and the European Commission into suspected infringements of UK and EU competition law, including attending "dawn raids".
• Acting in the Housebuilding Market study
• Advising Dixons Carphone (now Currys) on multi-million pound claims for damages against MasterCard and Visa in relation to alleged competition law infringements.
• Advising GCP Student Living on the application of the UK merger control regime to its £969 million sale to a consortium backed by Blackstone and APG.
• Advising a major technology research and development company on competition law issues in relation to the licensing and enforcement of patents declared essential to voluntary standards.
• Advising Codemasters on UK and EU merger control aspects in the context of its £945 million sale to EA Games.
• Advising various international brand owners on UK and EU competition law issues arising in the context of restructuring of distribution arrangements in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Advising various government bodies and public authorities on subsidy control and State aid issues in the context of proposed arrangements.
• Judicial review against DEFRA in relation to the setting of import tariffs.
• Advising clients on the application of UK and EU sanctions against Russia
• Advising on rules of origin and other Brexit related trade issues.
• Submissions to the Trade Remedies Authority.

Team members have direct contact with clients, and are encouraged to expand their internal and external networks, including by participating in sector-aligned business development activities, social events, and client-focussed events.

In addition to providing outstanding client service, the team provides an inclusive and supportive environment, encouraging colleagues in their development and the achievement of their goals.

The team is committed to professional development, holding regular training sessions, combined with 1-to-1 feedback and mentoring. Team members have individually mapped pathways for career progression, and have the opportunity to complete post-graduate qualifications in competition law, deepening their knowledge and understanding.

About you

We are looking for a qualified solicitor with an enthusiasm for competition law, who has experience of working on a range of significant competition law matters, and is keen to work on high quality instructions within a supportive team environment. An interest in trade, customs, and sanctions issues would be useful, but is not essential.

What we can offer you

The opportunity to work for a firm which has been recognised as one of the top 10 best places to work in the UK and has been ranked by Great Place to Work® for 22 consecutive years.

• A hybrid approach to office and remote working, with up to 50% remote working available.
• Excellent benefits, including:
  • Lawyer bonus
  • 25 days annual leave, with the option to buy up to a week's extra annual leave
  • Private medical insurance, and the option to add family members
  • A generous pension allowance
  • Life assurance covering four times your annual salary
  • The chance of a three-month sabbatical every five years
  • Maternity, paternity and adoption leave schemes
  • A range of health and wellbeing programmes
  • State of the art offices, in the heart of Birmingham City Centre, with an onsite restaurant
• Opportunities to flourish in your role through training and personal development.

Many of our people work flexibly in some way. If you would like to explore your own flexible working arrangements with us, we are happy to discuss this during the recruitment process.

Equal opportunities

Gowling WLG is committed both to promoting equality and diversity in the firm and to Equal Opportunities in employment. The firm believes in equality of opportunity regardless of race or racial group (including colour, nationality, ethnicity, national origins), religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, sex, gender re-assignment and gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy, maternity and paternity. This also includes any incidents of perceptive or associative discrimination and harassment.

At Gowling WLG we seek to attract and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures, to create an exciting and rewarding place to work. Our aim is to fulfil everyone's potential and together to achieve personal and business goals.

Any offers we make will be conditional subject to clearance by the SRA, evidence of eligibility to work in the UK and DBS clearance.

If you have any queries in relation to this position or would like to see a full job description please contact sam.price@uk.gowlingwlg.com

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