Overview
(September 3, 2024, London) — Steptoe LLP has expanded its Antitrust/Competition practice with the addition of partner Ronan Scanlan, who joins the firm in London.
"As a former deputy director of mergers at the Competition and Markets Authority, Ronan has an exceptional background and unrivaled understanding of the competition landscape," said UK managing partner Matthew Farmer. "Ronan's addition complements our practice and uniquely positions us to provide strategic advice to our clients across the UK and the EU when dealing with their most complex antitrust and competition challenges."
Ronan brings over 15 years' experience practicing all elements of UK, EU and Irish competition and antitrust law. He advises major FTSE100 and Fortune 500 clients and private equity funds on foreign direct investment (FDI), market and merger control investigations, abuse of dominance, and antitrust investigations by the Competition and Markets Authority, the European Commission and National Competition Authorities, including the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission of Ireland (CCPC). Ronan has also advised clients on the new digital markets regimes in the EU and UK. Ronan brings a unique perspective to his role, having previously worked at CMA in the UK, where he led high-profile merger investigations (with a focus on the telecoms space, including BT Group's proposed acquisition of EE Limited and Hutchison 3G UK's proposed acquisition of Telefonica O2 UK Limited) and dawn raids on behalf of that authority (including in the pharmaceutical and medical sectors). He has worked closely with the Office of Communications (Ofcom) and the European Commission on several cases, and also spent time on secondment to the CCPC.
Ronan commented: "Steptoe has established itself as a leader in the antitrust arena, and I am delighted to join such an internationally renowned firm. Steptoe is a fantastic platform to expand my competition and merger control practice and provide a full-service to clients across the globe. I am passionate about competition law and look forward to working with such a tremendous group of accomplished and client-focused attorneys.”
Over the past two years, Steptoe has expanded its Antitrust/Competition practice with the significant additions of Robert Klotz in Brussels and Lee Berger in Washington, DC. The group has handled several noteworthy matters, often at the boundary areas of regulatory, litigation, and investigative proceedings, helping clients anticipate and mitigate legal and regulatory risks through cross-jurisdictional work. This includes obtaining a UK Court of Appeal judgment, benefitting all Defendants in UK collective (class action) proceedings in our representation of Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYKK); representing Inmarsat in connection with receiving unconditional clearance for Viasat’s $6.2 billion acquisition of Inmarsat; and obtaining a major summary judgment victory for client Aquestive Therapeutics, winning dismissal of antitrust conspiracy claims brought against Aquestive by a consortium of 42 state attorneys general.
About Steptoe
In more than 110 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
