For many years, Ireland’s Competition Authority was highly regarded for its efficiency and pluck, but recently it has struggled to maintain its reputation. Faaez Samadi takes a look at the external economic and political factors that have been holding the authority back

Just before stepping down as chairman of Ireland’s Competition Authority, Declan Purcell spoke to Faaez Samadi to discuss the challenges of running an authority in uncertain political and economic times

Despite criticism from Korea’s competition community, KFTC Chairman Dongsoo Kim maintains that the new direction in which he is taking the enforcer is the appropriate one. Rachel Bull met him in Seoul to find out more about his unique strategy

Title: Group General CounselCompany: SolvayAge: 54

Review by Kenneth R Logan, former partner, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

When a company contemplates a merger, when it’s the subject of a dawn raid, or when it needs to devise a compliance programme, competition law advisors are never far from the scene. Those advisors may be a formidable team from a storied City firm. But working alongside any group of external antitrust advisers are their essential in-house counterparts. Each side brings its own specialist skills and expertise to the table, but with costs, policy agendas and ever-changing legal frameworks to contend with, professional relationships are frequently put to the test. Rachel Bull investigates

August marked the third anniversary of the passage of China’s Anti-Monopoly Law. Supporters say China’s competition authorities have shown demonstrable progress in enforcing those laws; critics claim there is much room for improvement. Ron Knox examines the development of China’s competition regime

In most European countries, competition lawyers coalesce in a single city – usually the nation’s capital. But in Germany, vibrant antitrust practices are thriving in Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin. Emily Gray meets the teams practising across the country

Andreas Mundt wins universal praise from Germany’s competition bar for his dynamic leadership of the country’s Federal Cartel Office. Emily Gray interviewed him

In late July, officials from the US Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice’s antitrust division travelled to Beijing to sign a memorandum of understanding with China’s antitrust agencies. The agreement provides that both countries may work together on antitrust cases and mergers that could have an impact on both economies. In the weeks after the agreement was signed, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz spoke to Ron Knox about its implications and the progress Chinese enforcers have made in the three years since the Anti-Monopoly Law (AML) came into force

With its proximity to US antitrust hubs New York and Washington, DC, the antitrust bar in Boston can at times hide in the shadows of its towering neighbours. But very quietly, observers say, Boston boasts some of the most skilled antitrust lawyers in the country who advise clients in industries other practitioners only dabble in. Ron Knox investigates

Will a rise in private antitrust litigation sound the death knell for Germany’s leniency programme? Emily Gray investigates

Authors: H Stephen Harris, Peter J Wang, Mark A Cohen, Yizhe Zhang and Sebastien J Evrard Publisher: Oxford University Press Price: US$295.00 Review by Vanessa Zhang, Principal, Global Economics Group