Pinsent Masons boosts EU & Competition Practice

Alan re-joins the firm from Jones Day where he was also a partner.

Alan is a senior competition lawyer advising on both UK and EU competition matters including cartels, mergers, market investigations, and litigation. He advises clients across a wide range of sectors, in particular in financial services and construction. He recently advised CST Industries, Inc in connection with the criminal and civil cartel investigations in the UK galvanized steel tanks market and also advised a major construction contractor on the investigation of bid-rigging in the UK construction industry including the subsequent successful appeal against the level of penalty to the Competition Appeal Tribunal. He advised leading insurance companies on the UK market investigations of payment protection insurance and private motor insurance and he advised the UK member banks of MasterCard for many years on the UK and EU antitrust investigations of credit card interchange fees.

He joins Pinsent Masons following a busy period for its competition team. In mandates which reflect the firm's strong sector focus, the team has recently acted as lead external counsel to E.ON in relation to the CMA's market investigation of the energy market, and to Clydesdale Bank in relation to the retail banking market investigation. Competition Partner Giles Warrington represented Hanson Quarry Products Europe on the CMA's market investigation into the supply of aggregates and cement. Guy Lougher and Angelique Bret led a team advising Eurotunnel on the CMA's investigation of its acquisition of Sea France which was ultimately appealed to the Supreme Court.

The firm has invested significantly in its EU & Competition team in recent years, hiring partners Michael Reich in Munich and competition litigator Ben Lasserson from Quinn Emanuel in 2014. Fellow-competition specialist Angelique Bret was made partner in 2015, as was Caroline Ramsay in 2016 whose practice is focused on State aid.

The team advises on the whole range of competition law matters including merger control, antitrust investigations, competition litigation, market investigations, State aid and public procurement.

Alan re-joins Pinsent Masons at what is a crucial time for the EU & Competition practice and the firm's clients. He will focus on shaping the practice's strategic response to changes in the nature and scope of client need. The firm's reputation for innovation and clear focus on well-defined industry sectors means that its EU & Competition practice is well-placed to help clients in areas like energy, infrastructure, financial services, advanced manufacturing and technology assess and respond to an unprecedented period of change.

Guy Lougher, the firm's incumbent head of EU & Competition, will step back from the role to focus on leading the firm's client response to Brexit and to continue his competition law practice.

Guy Lougher says:

"We are delighted to welcome Alan back to the firm. He is an individual whom we have always rated highly and the timing of his appointment could not be better. The CMA will have a new CEO in the near future and our expectation is that it will become more active. It is also likely to have a more significant and proactive role to play both from the perspective of investigations and merger control in a post-Brexit environment. Brexit has also given us cause to further consider how we should expand our international practice from a strategic perspective and Alan will play a vital role in that. For my part, I look forward to focusing my energies on leading the Brexit Advisory Team at Pinsent Masons and to working at the coalface as a competition partner over what is likely to be a truly historic period."