Past Events

Scottish Competition Law Forum – Events to date

November 2011: COMPETITION LITIGATION IN SCOTLAND AND BEYOND

Brodies LLP and Faculty of Advocates

  • Sir Gerald Barling, Competition Appeal tribunal
  • Judge Nicholas Forwood,
  • Hector Currie QC

Our Autumn event provoked some interesting debate around the lack of competition litigation in Scotland to date and the appropriate remedies for competition law infringements.  Judge Nicholas Forwood started by posing a number of questions to be tackled including whether an infringement of competition law, which is essentially a ‘public’ harm, should be remedied through private enforcement.  We also heard from Sir Gerald Barling, President of the Competition Appeal Tribunal, on the difficulties with the current system including the need for the appointment of Scottish and Northern Irish Judges to the CAT in order that it is representative of its UK-wide jurisdiction.  Sir Gerald also highlighted the inadequacies of the system which only allows follow-on actions to be brought to the CAT. He advised of current developments which may lead to a change in the law to resolve this.  We were also given some interesting insights into the experience of competition litigation in the Scottish courts from Heriot Currie QC, including the ability to obtain interim relief by way of interdict to bring the offending behaviour to a halt and the different approaches to interim relief north and south of the border.    Laura Kennedy Brodies LLP

June  2011: Options for reform – consultation on the future of UK competition enforcement 

Dundas & Wilson LLP

  • Kam Roopra, BIS
  • Michael Dean, Partner, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP
  • Lindsey Miller, Head of Serious and Organised Crime Division, the Crown Office (unable to attend)
  • Peter Willis, Partner, Dundas & Wilson LLP 

 

 

April 2011: Competition Law and Public Procurement

Maclay Murray and Spens LLP

  • Haris Irshad, OFT Public markets advocacy
  • Maria Weir, Intellectual Assets Centre
  • Fod Barnes, Oxera

 

November 2010: On-line distribution 

5th Anniversary Meeting

University of Edinburgh

Note that this event was severely (!) disrupted by snow

October 2010: The Competition Commission

  • David Saunders, Chief Executive of the Competition Commission
  • Rhodri Thompson QC of Matrix Chambers
  • Dr Gunnar Niels, Director, Oxera

  

June 2010: The Competition Act 10 Years On

Glasgow University

  • Sir David Edward KCMG QC chaired a panel with:
    • Catriona Munro, Partner, Maclay, Murray & Spens LLP
    • Gordon Downie, Partner, Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP
    • Prof Barry Rodger, University of Strathclyde
    • Peter Willis, Partner, Dundas & Wilson LLP
    • Professor Richard Whish, Kings College London chaired a panel with
      • Alastair Mordaunt, Director of Services, Office of Fair Trading
      • Christopher Clarke, Deputy Chairman, Competition Commission
      • Dr Jorge Padilla, Chief Executive Europe, LECG
      • Duncan Campbell, Company Affairs, CBI

  

March 2010: Government Interventions in Markets – Healthcare Perspectives

Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP

  • Professor Johan van de Gronden, Radbond University, Nijmegen
  • Declan Purcell, Irish Competition Authority
  • Catherine Davies, Cooperation and competition Panel for NHS funded services

 

 November 2009 : Sport and Competition Law

Scottish Competition Law Forum 4th Anniversary Meeting

Maclay Murray and Spens LLP

  • David Taylor – UEFA General Secretary
  • Gianluca Monte – Sports Unit of the European Commission
  • Ian Forrester – White & Case LLP
  • Simon Cliff – General Counsel Manchester City
  • Abbe Brown – University of Edinburgh
  • Alasdair Bell – Partner, McDermott Will & Emery UK LLP
  • William Kovacik – Federal Trade Commission 

 

 October 2009: Time for (private) action?

Maclay Murray And Spens LLP

  • Sir Gerald Barling Competition Appeal Tribunal
  • Robin Noble, Oxera Economic Consulting
  • Aidan Robertson QC, Brick Court Chambers

 

June  2009: Sanctions in Competition Enforcement

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP

  • Peter Willis, Head of EU & Competition at Dundas & Wilson
  • Morven Hadden, Legal Director at the Competition Commission
  • Simon Williams, Senior Director of Cartels and Criminal Enforcement at the OFT

Followed by November 2009: SCLF lite: the new Scottish arrangements on cartel leniency

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP

  • Katie Stewart, Head of the National Casework Division of the Crown Office
  • Stephen Blake, Director of Cartels and Criminal Enforcement at the OFT

 

February  2009: Competition and the Crunch

Glasgow University Law School

  • Professors Mark Furse and Rosa Greaves
  • Mercedes Campo Mozo from DG Comp
  • Steve Smith from Ofgem

Followed by May 2009: SCLF Lite: Competition and the Crunch

December 2008: SCLF 3rd Anniversary

  • Sir Gerald Barling, Competition Appeal Tribunal
  • Terry Calvani

 

 September  2008: Competition and the regulated utilities

KPMG LLP

  • Charles Coulthard, Water Industry Commission for Scotland and the Chair of the Gas and Electricity Consumers Council in Scotland
  • Professor George Yarrow – non-executive member of the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority and Director of the Regulatory Policy Institute
  • John Grady – Advocate, Hastie Stable, and formerly in-house legal counsel at Scottish Power
  • Rhodri Thompson QC – counsel to Albion Water acting in the CAT and Court Appeal

 

 

June  2008: Competition and Professional Services

Faculty of Advocates

  • Richard Keen QC, Faculty of Advocates
  • Karina McTeague Lloyds TSB
  • John Madill  European Commission
  • Janet Hamblin Baker Tilley
  • Dr John Garner former chair of BMA Scottish Council
  • Frank Stephen University of Manchester
  • Sarah O’Neill Scottish Consumer Council

 

 May 2008: Professor Eleanor Fox Lecture

 

 April 2008: Making markets work in devolved contexts

Strathclyde University and OFT

  • Iain McMillan, Director of CBI Scotland
  • John Fingleton, Chief Executive of the OFT
  • Cristina Pellise de Urquiza, member of the Catalan Competition Tribunal
  • Eleanor Gill, Chief Executive Consumer Council for Northern Ireland
  • Fod Barnes, Oxera Consulting
  • Martyn Evans, Director of the Scottish Consumer Council
  • Catriona Munro, Partner, Maclay Murray & Spens

 

 January 2008: SCLF 2nd Anniversary Gathering

Dundas & Wilson LLP

  • Richard Whish

 

 

October 2007: Competition and Financial Services

Standard Life

  • Christopher Clarke, deputy Chairman of the Competition Commission, chair of Northern Irish Personal Banking Inquiry
  • Sean Greenaway, from the Financial Services Unit of the European Commission, on business insurance

  

July 2007: Consumers, Choice and Competition

OFT

  • Professor Andrew Scott, Europa Institute
  • Sean Williams, Executive Director Office of Fair Trading
  • Mme Eliana Garces Tolon, Representative of the European Commissioner for Consumer Protection
  • David McIntosh, Operations Director Menzies Distribution
  • Ingrid Gubbay, Campaigns Lawyer Which?
  • John Schmidt, Partner Shepherd and Wedderburn
  • Alan Mckay, BBC news
  • Martyn Evans, Director Scottish Consumer Council
  • Dr James McCormick, Director Scottish Council Foundation
  • David Thomson, Chairman Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards William Frain-Bell Advocate
  • Hilary Lynne, Vice-Chair of Scottish Youth Parliament
  • Gordon Downie, Convenor Scottish Competition Law Forum

 

Followed by

November 29, 2007: SCLF lite: Consumers Choice and Competition

  • Professor Jenny Hamilton, Strathclyde University

 

 

April 2007: EU and UK cartel enforcement

Maclay, Murray and Spens

  • Kris Dekeyser, Head of Unit, European Competition Network and Institutional relations, European Commission
  • Dr. Alan Riley, City Law School, City University, London
  • Laura Guttuso, Senior Legal and Policy Adviser, OFT

 

February 2007: Public Procurement

McGrigors

  • Philip Collins in the chair
  • Paul McNulty, Scottish Executive Procurement Directorate
  • Dorothy Cowie, Authorities Buying Consortium

 

November 2006: SCLF 1st Anniversary event

Shepherd and Wedderburn

  • Jo Armstrong, Independent Economist,
  • Heike Gading from the Scottish Executive
  • Abbe Brown from Edinburgh University
  • Vincent Smith from the OFT
  • Sir Andrew Park, former High Court judge
  • Ian Forrester, Q.C, then acting for Microsoft in litigation against the European Commission

 

July 2006: State Aid

Faculty of Advocates

  • Robert Hankin, head of the Regional Aid Unit at the European Commission
  • Sheena Brown, head of the State Aid Unit at the Scottish Executive
  • Lindsay Gardiner, OFT  public markets advocacy team

 

April 2006: Private Enforcement

Maclay, Murray and Spens

  • Donncadh Woods, deputy head of antitrust policy at DG Competition
  • Neil Dryden of NERA economic consultants, a London-based specialist in Competition damages
  • Professor Barry Rodger of Strathclyde University

 

January 2006 Breakfast seminar

Strathclyde University

  • John Fingleton, then new Chief Executive Officer of the Office of Fair Trading and former chair of the Irish Competition Authority
  • Philip Collins, then new chairman of the OFT
  • Professor Barry Rodger, lecturer at Strathclyde University

 

Inaugural meeting, October  2005

Creation of SCLF, hosted by Shepherd & Wedderburn