"I was very impressed by the very high quality of advice and tireless support provided by the Hammonds team. Hammonds is able to combine its team's significant experience across diverse jurisdictions to provide the advice necessary to achieve practicable and constructive solutions. We could not have done it without them."

Ian Lambert, CEO Lucite International

Hammonds regularly advises merging parties, or third parties, in merger control proceedings before the European Commission, Office of Fair Trading and Competition Commission in the UK, the German Federal Cartel Office and national merger control authorities in other EU member states, including France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Austria, Cyprus and Greece. We also regularly advise clients on mergers outside the EU, including in particular, Asia and Eastern Europe.

Hammonds has a strong reputation and in-depth expertise in advising corporates in seeking merger control clearance before the European Commission and national competition authorities.

Examples of our recent experience in this area include:

• Mitsubishi Rayon Co/Lucite: Advising Lucite and its owners on merger control issues arising from the sale of Lucite to Mitsubishi Rayon Company. This transaction involved one of the first "Phase 2" reviews by MOFCOM under the Chinese merger control rules and was cleared subject to a remedies package, which was a milestone in the development of Chinese merger control practice.
• Alba/Beko/Grundig: Notification to the European Commission of the acquisition of joint control by UK Company Alba plc and Turkish company, Beko Elektronik AS of the consumer electronic division (Home Intermedia Systems Business) of German company Grundig AG.
• INEOS Chlor/BOC: Advising INEOS on the UK merger control aspects of the disposal of its packed chlorine business to BOC. Hammonds represented INEOS Chlor before the OFT and subsequently before the Competition Commission. This matter was one of the first cases to involve the application of the OFT's new de minimis criteria and led the OFT to clarify a number of important features of its approach to de minimis.
• Live Nation/Hamsard/AMG: Submission of a merger filing to the OFT in respect of the proposed acquisition of the Academy Music Group by a joint venture between Live Nation and Gaiety, including advising on proceedings before the OFT and subsequent Competition Commission investigation.
• Metinvest/SMART: Advising on a multi-billion dollar joint venture between a CIS mining and steel conglomerate and a Russian based group. The joint venture required Form RS and Form CO filings at the European Commission as well as a number of filings outside the EU.
• Delta/Pan-Am: Notification to the European Commission of Pan-Am's acquisition of the European operations of Delta and successfully obtaining approval after an in-depth Phase II investigation.