Mara Ioana Ghiorghies

Mara has particular experience in advising large brand manufacturers, financial institutions, industrials and companies active in tech/media and healthcare sectors, on a wide range of antitrust behavioural issues, including horizontal competitor collaboration, pan-European vertical distribution networks, market power issues and abuse of dominance, and merger filing requirements. She passionately represents clients in the management of internal and external investigations, including developing robust compliance programs, responding effectively to dawn raids and requests for information from UK and EU antitrust authorities, conducting in-depth forensic investigations, audits and witness interviews, securing favourable settlements with government agencies and developing defence strategies in competition damages litigation.

Mara has also spent time working in Baker McKenzie's Brussels and Tokyo offices working closely with multinational companies to design business strategies in compliance with EU and UK competition laws. She has also spent time on an in-house client secondment at a large global financial institution working on the largest and most significant global antitrust enforcement cases in the sector.

• Representing a consumer goods company in relation to a 2024 abuse of dominance claim to the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

• Representing a global manufacturer of construction chemicals in the dawn raids conducted by the UK Competition and Markets Authority, the European Commission, and other regulators in Autumn 2023.

• Representing a global manufacturer of fragrances in the dawn raids conducted by the UK Competition and Markets Authority, the European Commission, and Swiss Competition Authority in Spring 2023.

• Advising a large media company in a number of dawn raids and follow-on investigations and enforcement cases by the European Commission and UK Competition and Markets Authority in respect of sports media rights and production of broadcasting content.

• Representing a global fashion business in a cross-border investigation into industry-wide collaboration to pursue sustainability objectives.

• Advising a manufacturer of musical instruments on a series of parallel national antitrust investigations into resale price maintenance.

• Advising a global financial institution on a series of significant multijurisdictional investigations into breaches of competition law, financial services regulation, and compliance policies.

• Advising on a global corporate on investigations regarding no-poach agreements and sharing of information on compensation and remuneration.

• Representing the Brands for Europe, a coalition of global brand owners in connection with the European Commission and UK Competition and Markets Authority review of the Vertical Restraints Block Exemption & Guidelines.

• Advising a number of Japanese conglomerates on EU and UK merger filings processes and securing full approvals.

• Advising a multinational pharmaceutical company on an internal investigation covering possible breaches of antitrust, regulatory and anti-bribery and corruption laws.

• Advising a Japanese conglomerate on the European Commission's investigation into a global cartel, including in respect of reporting strategies, fining policies, settlement, relevant defence matters and potential civil litigation exposure.

• Advising a leading manufacturer of electronic products in a contested EU investigation, leading to a successful acquittal.

• Advising a number of large consumer goods companies (including in fashion, cosmetics, electronics and IT) on distribution agreements, including on risks arising in respect of resale price maintenance, territorial restrictions and online sales.

• Advising private equity companies on EU and UK merger control and liaising with the EU and UK authorities on merger notifications.

• Law Society of England & Wales