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Competition Associate in EU merger control and foreign investment, London (2–3PQE)
We are working with an international firm whose London competition team secures merger clearances and foreign investment approvals for multinational corporations, financial institutions, private equity firms and sovereign wealth funds on cross-border deals, often across many jurisdictions at once. The team is hiring a 2–3PQE associate whose experience is mainly transactional.
This is not a general competition seat. The firm is looking for someone who has worked on EU merger control matters and can talk through them in detail, so UK-only merger experience is unlikely to be enough on its own. If you also have foreign direct investment experience, the firm will be particularly interested.
What the work involves
London is the firm’s base for competition and foreign investment work outside the US. On a typical international deal, the team works out where filings are needed and coordinates the approvals, working with colleagues in the US and other offices and with local counsel in each jurisdiction. The firm describes its experience as covering merger control and foreign investment reviews in more than 50 jurisdictions.
On the EU side, that means analysing whether a transaction falls under the EU Merger Regulation, drafting the Form CO or Short Form CO, dealing with the European Commission during pre-notification and Phase I, and sometimes supporting a Phase II investigation. Running alongside that, it means checking whether the same deal triggers a mandatory notification under the UK’s National Security and Investment Act or an EU member state’s screening regime, advising on any national security issues, and keeping all the approvals moving on one timetable. The CMA is a regular counterpart too.
The work comes from M&A, joint ventures, restructurings and special situations, so you would work closely with the firm’s corporate, private equity and restructuring lawyers. The sectors vary widely, including technology, energy, financial services, healthcare, defence and infrastructure. The wider team also handles EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation matters, abuse of dominance, cartels, state aid, compliance and competition litigation. These aren’t the focus of this hire, but they are part of the practice around you.
Who we’d like to hear from
If you are a transactional competition associate who has worked on EU merger filings for cross-border M&A, you are the person the firm most wants to meet. It would help to have handled jurisdictional analysis, drafted notifications and dealt with the Commission directly.
If, alongside that, you have worked on NSIA filings or foreign investment screening in other countries, you would be a particularly strong fit. Merger control and FDI increasingly run together on the same deals, and this team handles both.
What the firm is looking for
The firm wants 2–3PQE, with no preference within that range. It is looking for a strong grasp of EU competition law, demonstrable EU merger control experience, good drafting and analysis, and comfort working with corporate deal teams on international matters. When you apply, be ready to describe specific EU merger transactions you have worked on and what you were responsible for on each.
The role is less likely to suit competition litigators or lawyers whose work has been mainly contentious, UK-only merger lawyers without EU experience, FDI specialists who haven’t advised on merger control, or competition lawyers whose practice has centred on commercial agreements and compliance.