Jon Lawrence

Biography: Competition

Jon Lawrence is a partner at Freshfields specialising in commercial and international litigation and regulatory investigations/disputes, particularly involving EU and antitrust law. He is based in London.

Jon is listed as a Star Individual in Chambers and heads Freshfields' competition litigation team. He is one of the two solicitor representatives on the Competition Appeal Tribunal's user group. Jon often acts for multinational companies in co-ordinating Europe-wide defences of damages claims arising from European Commission and national authority cartel decisions. Recently he has acted for: Hoffmann-La Roche in its defence of claims arising from the vitamins cartels (Provimi v Aventis and others, Deans v Aventis, Devenish v Aventis and others and Grampian v Aventis and others); Bayer AG in its European litigation arising from synthetic rubber cartels (Cooper Tire & Rubber Company v Shell Chemicals and others); ABB in its European and other litigation arising from the gas insulated switchgear cartel (National Grid v ABB Limited); SGL in the prospective Competition Appeal Tribunal proceedings relating to a cartel in electrical and mechanical carbon and graphite products (Emerson v Morgan Crucible and others); EWS in its defence to regulatory proceedings in the freight rail industry and related follow-on damages claims, (Freightliner Limited v EWS and Enron Coal Services v EWS); The London Stock Exchange in its dispute with PLUS regarding the compatibility of certain Rules of the Exchange with competition law and the free movement rules under the EC Treaty; Mars in its 'ice cream war' with Unilever.

Jon was educated at Downing College, Cambridge and has been a partner since 1993.

Freshfields' antitrust competition and trade practice comprises more than 50 partners and 260 specialists based in Austria, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, the UK and the US. Our coverage of Asia, Europe and the US enables us to advise our clients in competition cases involving many jurisdictions around the world.