Robert is a senior competition and regulatory lawyer with invaluable experience from having worked for competition authorities as well as in private practice in Brussels and London.
Robert joined Stevens & Bolton in 2021. He has 20 years' experience of advising on EU and UK competition law and related regulatory issues, having worked as a Senior Case Officer at the Swedish Competition Authority and at a number of City firms. He was also a secondee to the FCA’s Competition Division in 2014.
He has particular expertise in advising clients on merger control matters, national security matters, abuse of dominance and cartel investigations, including attending dawn raids (both in private practice and for authorities) and market investigations. Robert also advises clients on compliance programmes, including dawn raid training, as well as on a range of regulatory issues and commercial arrangements. He has advised clients in various different industries, particularly in the life sciences, retail, oil and gas and financial services sectors, both in the UK and abroad, including the Nordic region.
Recent highlights include advising:
- A pharmaceutical supplier in relation to a Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) cartel investigation, including interviews by the CMA, responses to the Statement of Objections (SO), settlement process and director disqualification procedures
- A broker firm in relation to the multijurisdictional LIBOR cartel investigation by inter alia the European Commission (EC), the US Department of Justice and other authorities
- A trade association in relation to a regulatory investigation by the EC, including advising the client during the dawn raid, and negotiating final commitments accepted by the EC
- An individual on a multi-jurisdictional cartel investigation
- Major generic manufacturers on patent litigation settlement agreements; supply and IP licensing agreements, including with contract research organisations; and patent licensing agreements, including sale restrictions in relation to non-EU jurisdictions
- The Post Office on the acquisition of Payzone Bill Payments, obtaining the CMA's unconditional merger control clearance in Phase 1
- Clients on various merger control matters including merger filings to the CMA in the UK, advising clients on Enquiry Letters from the CMA concerning un-notified transactions, merger notifications to the EC, and multijurisdictional merger filings
- Clients on the application of the National Security & Investment Act in relation to various transacations and restructurings
- Clients on CMA and FCA market studies and investigations into e.g. retail banking, aggregates and credit cards
- Various clients on compliance programmes, including dawn raid training
He writes for many legal and industry publications, including the UK chapter of Global Competition Review (GCR)’s The Guide to Life Sciences - First Edition.
Robert is listed as a Future Leader in the area of Competition Law by Who's Who Legal.
Clients cite his “in-depth knowledge, expertise and ability to think ‘outside the box’ and provide rapid responses and really tailored advice”.