Finland’s government has proposed a merger between the competition and consumer authorities, which has prompted antitrust lawyers to ask for the independence of competition enforcement to be safeguarded.

Edward Henneberry has joined Bingham McCutchen’s antitrust and trade regulation group from Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe. Henneberry will divide his time between Bingham’s Washington, DC and London offices.

Former Gilbert + Tobin partner Nick Taylor has joined Jones Day’s antitrust practice in Sydney.

Voting for the GCR Awards 2012 closes at midnight GMT. Please click here to vote.

Leonard L Gordon, regional director at the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), has joined Venable in New York as partner.

Corrs Chambers Westgarth has appointed Ayman Guirguis to head its competition and regulatory practice in Sydney. Guirguis joins from Ashurst, where he was a partner for 10 years.

The Hellenic Competition Commission (HCC) has nominated Dimitris Loukas as its new vice president and appointed five new board members.

Stephen Kon has been elected as SJ Berwin’s senior partner.

Despite the hundreds of responses already received, just a handful of votes separate the two leading contenders for GCR’s Matter of the Year Award. Please click here to vote.

Speaking at GCR Live’s antitrust and technology conference in London, in-house and external counsel for Google have disputed possible allegations of abuse of dominance that the European Commission is examining. Stefano Berra in London

Covington & Burling has announced plans to open a new office in Seoul which will focus on antitrust and competition law matters.

Norton Rose Canada has promoted competition specialist Kevin Ackhurst to partner in the firm’s Toronto office.

Global Competition Review is pleased to publish the shortlist of nominations for its GCR Awards 2012.

Spain’s plan to merge the National Competition Commission (CNC) with several sector regulators, described as a “revolution” and “without precedent” by lawyers, has stirred a debate on whether the reform will help achieve more consistent enforcement or raise conflicts of interest.

Arnold & Porter LLP has promoted antitrust specialist Ryan Watts to counsel in the firm’s Washington, DC, office, the firm announced this week.