Agenda*

08:30

Registration

09:00

Introduction from Thomson Reuters and the Chairman

09:10

Keynote – UK competition enforcement – where next?

CMA – Enforcement and horizon scanning from UK perspective

09:40

Plenary 1 – The Impact of Brexit on Competition Law

  • Proposed legal and process changes (Brexit/risk context)
  • Brexit: will the UK still be forum of choice for competition law damages claims?
  • The status of European Commission infringement decisions post-Brexit. Will they have any evidentiary value?
  • Future regime and conflicts of laws and scope of foreign judgements post Brexit
  • The role of the ECJ post-Brexit, both in terms of cases that are currently pending before ECJ and the status of ECJ decisions post Brexit in the UK.
  • Use of competition law for consumer protection: industry policy and vulnerable customers, post-Brexit competition law policy powers

10:40

Break

11:00

Breakout sessions

A choice of one of the following options

1. Competition cases in a digital space

  • Virtual competition – Algorithms and Collusion
  • Digital Tools
  • Digital Mergers – enforcement gaps and reviews
  • Platforms
  • Interface between competition and big data
  • Verticals and MFNs

2. Compliance, dawn raids and the unexpected

  • Auditing and testing competition compliance programmes
  • Managing competitor information and contact
  • Dawn raids – practical challenges
  • Susanna Rogers Of Counsel / Head of Antitrust & Competition Knowledge, Norton Rose Fulbright
  • Fred Houwen Project Director, CMA

12:00

Breakout sessions

A choice of one of the following options

3. Merger control: Recent trends and upcoming developments

  • Key themes in substantive assessment in the EU and the UK
  • The role of remedies
  • Procedural infringements – recent developments and impact for business

4. Sector regulation and enforcement: How to deal with your regulator

  • Practical tips
  • What to expect when being investigated
  • What is the FCA investigating with its competition powers?
  • How is the CMA’s approach to concurrency evolving?
  • How is the CMA working with the FCA and other sector regulators?
  • Legal privilege, lawyer’s rights of audience and criminal risk
  • How to run an internal investigation
  • Reconciling competing requirements from different regulators
  • Working in a complex and regulated organisations

13:00

Lunch

13:45

Plenary 2 – Practical implications of competition law to distribution models

  • Overview of key cases (including Coty) and emerging themes
  • Fresh focus on vertical agreements – what are the concerns?
  • Online business models  and current issues

15:00

Break

15:15

Plenary 3 – Damages and private enforcement

Case law and litigation update:

  • Litigation procedural processes
  • Class certification for opt out claims – what are the lessons learned for potential claimants and defendants from the Pride Mobility Scooters and Mastercard decisions?
  • Passing-on defence – who wins?
  • Economics of competition litigation
  • Retailer actions against Mastercard (Sainsbury’s, Asda etc – differences in European Commission, CAT and High Court approaches)
  • Litigation funding – is there a gap between funding capacity in the market and the value of claims and will this close as the limitation regime beds in?
  • Upcoming cases, including the trucks cartel

16:30

Keynote

17:00

Drinks Reception

*Please note the agenda is subject to change

The page will be updated with further details on the agenda once they are confirmed.