Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's antitrust practice takes top honours in our inaugural guide to the world's leading competition groups, the GCR 100 – and it's obvious why. Freshfields boasts the world's third-biggest antitrust practice – over 250 specialists, including an unrivalled 26 Who's Who nominees. The majority of the firm's most highly nominated figures are in Brussels. Frank Montag is held in the highest esteem by fellow practitioners. “He's the number one guy. There's no one better,” says one source. “He's unrivalled for EC work,” says another.

Two lawyers who practise in both London and Brussels are also highly rated. John Davies is described as having “a profound understanding of complex issues” and the ability to give “clear, concise and innovative” advice. Rachel Brandenburger is praised for her “technical brilliance” and experience of European merger regulation inquiries.

Today, Freshfields' antitrust, competition and trade practice is led by David Charles Aitman and Helmut Bergmann. Aitman, a partner in London, is praised for his work for supermarket Tesco in an investigation by the UK's Competition Commission.

Other highly rated individuals include Martin Klusmann and Gerhard Wiedemann in Berlin, Onno Brouwer and Winfred Knibbeler in Amsterdam, and Terry Calvani, Robert Schlossberg and Paul Yde in Washington, DC.

In addition, Freshfields received more votes from corporate counsel than any other firm and came second only to Cleary Gottlieb when we asked GCR 100 firms to name the global competition practice with the most enviable docket of cases. What's more, Freshfields' competition practice grew significantly at the partnership level this year. In London, Simon Priddis, a former senior director at the OFT, joined in January 2007; the firm made up Bea Tormey to its EU/competition law litigation team in London; and Alexander Schaub, the former director-general for competition at the European Commission between 1995 and 2002, joined the Brussels office as of counsel in February 2007.

Quite apart from that, Freshfields' docket speaks for itself. The firm handled a string of headline-making antitrust cases this year: it advised Alcan on the EU and international aspects of the US$27.7 billion bid by Alcoa and the US$38.1 billion bid by Rio Tinto to create the world's largest aluminium business. It also represented the London Stock Exchange on bids by NASDAQ and on the LSE's successful e1.63 billion bid for Borsa Italiana.

Freshfields was also instructed on the world's largest mining takeover – advising Xstrata on its successful US$11 billion acquisition of Falconbridge. It also advised Siemens on the US and European antitrust aspects of its e4.2 billion acquisition of Bayer's diagnostic health business, and ICI on its £8 billion acquisition by Akzo Nobel and the related on-sale of its adhesives and electronics material business to Henkel. In the US, meanwhile, Freshfields advised Monsanto on its acquisition of Delta and Pine Land.

On the litigation front, Freshfields enjoyed an equally high-profile docket this year. It acted for ABB in leniency proceedings in relation to the gas-insulated switchgear cartel, helping ABB to obtain full immunity from the European Commission. It represented Chiquita Brands in antitrust proceedings before the European Commission. And it advised France Telecom on its appeal before the European Court of Justice against a ruling of the court of first instance (in relation to DG Comp's Wanadoo decision, imposing fines for predatory pricing in the high-speed internet access sector).

Also in Europe, Freshfields represented the Irish government – the largest shareholder in Aer Lingus, the budget airline – as the principal opponent to Ryanair's hostile takeover bid for Aer Lingus, successfully persuading DG Comp to block the deal. And it advised leading cement manufacturer Holcim in the first German ‘class action'-type damage claim proceeding, and ThyssenKrupp on DG Comp's alleged elevator-cartel probe. It also successfully represented Mars in various European court proceedings regarding the ‘impulse' ice-cream market.

In the UK, Freshfields is advising Tesco on the Competition Commission's investigation of the grocery sector. It also represented Visa Europe on its intervention in MasterCard's appeal against the OFT's prohibition decision in the setting of interchange fees.

Besides the headline-making deals, Freshfields handled a string of matters ‘under the radar' this year: for example, it advised BAE Systems on the antitrust aspects of its joint venture with VT Group; the Dutch Bar Association on its intervention in a case brought by Akzo Nobel concerning legal privilege; Shell in the European Commission's investigation of the Dutch bitumen market; and Glaverbel in DG Comp's probe of the alleged flat-glass cartel.