Search

The United Kingdom’s new law regulating digital markets will also greatly enhance the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority’s powers to enforce consumer protection laws, including new and reinforced rules on publishing and facilitating the publication of fake reviews, McGuireWoods London partner Matthew Hall told Compliance Week in a Feb. 24, 2025, story. Hall, an antitrust lawyer and member of McGuireWoods’ Government Investigations & White Collar Litigation Department, said compliance officers need to be …

New legislation coming into force in the United Kingdom will shift the onus onto businesses to act as police officer, informant and star witness in the fight against fraud, McGuireWoods London partner Francesca Titus wrote in a Feb. 20, 2025, article in The Times. The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 — the key part of which comes into force in September — creates an offense aimed at holding organizations liable when employees, agents, subsidiaries or …

The United Kingdom’s new law regulating competition in digital markets gives the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) significant powers to regulate Big Tech “up front” and control companies’ behavior, McGuireWoods London partner Matthew Hall told Compliance Week in a Feb. 4, 2025, story. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, the digital markets and competition parts of which went into effect Jan. 1, lets the CMA intervene earlier to confront anticompetitive behavior by …

McGuireWoods London partner Francesca Titus questioned the significance of the UK Serious Fraud Office’s first use of an unexplained wealth order (UWO) in a Compliance Week article published on Feb. 10, 2025. On Jan. 17, 2025, the SFO obtained its first UWO at the High Court in London in a bid to recover a £1.5 million property suspected of being purchased with the proceeds of a £100 million fraud. The order required Claire …

… and Eric Snyder earned individual rankings for their litigation prowess. McCool was ranked in Litigation: Trial Lawyers and Snyder was ranked in Corporate Crimes & Investigations (Latin America - International Counsel).

Two Law 360 articles authored by McGuireWoods London partner Matthew Hall were nominated by Concurrences Antitrust Publications & Events and the George Washington University Law School’s Competition Law Center for their 2025 Antitrust Writing Awards. Hall’s articles, “Companies Trading In The EU Should Heed Mondelēz Ruling” and “Vodafone Decision Highlights Wide Scope Of UK’s FDI Rules,” ran in Law360 in 2024 and were nominated by Concurrences in the business articles category. (Readers may …

Revitalizing the United Kingdom’s stock of secondary office buildings will be critical to meet the country’s growing need for office space in 2025, McGuireWoods London partner Callum Hassall told BE News in a Jan. 10, 2025, story. BE News asked leaders from across the built environment industry to share their hopes, fears and expectations for 2025. Hassall, who leads the firm’s London real estate team, said he expects the United Kingdom’s …

Some businesses in the United Kingdom may feel a financial pinch from the new government’s budget, but they could still face unfair dismissal claims if cost pressures alone are used to justify job reductions, McGuireWoods London partner Daniel L. Peyton wrote in a Dec. 17, 2024, article in Personnel Today. Recently, 82 CEOs of the UK’s largest retailers predicted that proposed increases in the minimum wage and national insurance contributions will make redundancies …

Industrial and logistics tenants should tread carefully when considering whether their fit-out works require explicit landlord consent, McGuireWoods London associate Hannah Irish advised in a Dec. 2, 2024, article in BE News, which covers the built environment industry. This is due to the fact that there can be ambiguity when determining whether works are internal and non-structural (and therefore typically do not require landlord consent) or whether they go beyond this scope. In …

McGuireWoods London partner Callum Hassall provided insights on Manchester’s emergence as a leading regional office market in a Nov. 21, 2024, article in Institutional Real Estate Inc. Hassall cited recent large office deals and positive sentiment among prime office landlords and letting agents as evidence of Manchester’s appeal, which he attributed to the city’s growing economy, favorable demographics, tight supply and decentralized government. According to the article, the Manchester Office Agents Forum …

McGuireWoods London partner Matthew Hall discussed the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA’s) use of warning and advisory letters to encourage compliance with antitrust/competition law, in a Nov. 19, 2024, Law360 article. Hall explored the implications of these letters for businesses and the CMA’s recent introduction of heat maps to increase transparency. “Although receipt of one of these letters from the CMA does not necessarily mean there has been an …

Many employers in England, Scotland and Wales are likely behind schedule on amending their flexible working policies to ensure compliance with the United Kingdom’s Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023, McGuireWoods London associate Adam Penman told Employee Benefits in a Nov. 21, 2024, story. The law, which came into force in April 2024, boosted the rights of employees who ask for flexible working arrangements and imposed additional rules for how employers must handle such …

McGuireWoods London partner Matthew Hall shared insights in a Nov. 8, 2024, Equity Report article regarding the ongoing merger control review of Synopsys’ proposed $35 billion acquisition of engineering simulation software provider Ansys. The China State Administration for Market Regulation is expected to require behavioral remedies tailored to the Chinese market as a condition for approving the deal. The transaction is under scrutiny from competition authorities in other jurisdictions as well. Hall highlighted the extensive …

McGuireWoods London partner Callum Hassall authored a Nov. 14, 2024, article in Property Week — the UK’s leading publication for commercial and residential property market news — outlining why corporate occupiers should pay close attention to operators’ standard terms and conditions for flexible working space. “With demand for best-in-class space high, there is often little room for negotiation, putting occupiers under pressure to act quickly or risk losing out,” wrote Hassall, who leads McGuireWoods …

The UK government should present a clear and consistent message on the role the Competition and Markets Authority plays in driving growth and innovation, McGuireWoods London partner Matthew Hall wrote in a Nov. 14, 2024, article in The Times. Hall cited the disconnect between remarks made by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the government’s recent international Investment Summit and a draft of the government’s strategy document, “Invest 2035: The UK’s Modern …

Companies that lean heavily on AI need to think seriously about the risk implications for their business models and start documenting their use of the technology now, McGuireWoods London associate Adam Penman told Risk Management magazine in an Oct. 31, 2024, story. Penman, a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment Department, said organizations should track legislative developments in relevant jurisdictions because AI regulation will develop country by country and compliance requirements may differ significantly …

The budget delivered by UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves could spur greater investment in North West England, McGuireWoods London partner Callum Hassall said in an Oct. 30, 2024, story in Place North West, which covers the region’s real estate industry. The story quoted industry stakeholders on the budget’s implications for housing, construction, transportation and taxes. The budget includes a pledge to spend £5 billion on housing, including increasing the supply of …

McGuireWoods London partners Daniel L. Peyton and Callum Hassall earned rankings in the Chambers UK Guide 2025, the authoritative guide to top lawyers and law firms in the United Kingdom. Peyton is managing partner of the firm’s London office and an accomplished employment lawyer who was ranked for the ninth time by Chambers UK for representing employers. Peyton represents clients in all aspects of English employment law, with an emphasis on high value contentious …

… member of McGuireWoods’ Government Investigations & White Collar Litigation Department. “However, there remain many pitfalls in EU merger control.”

McGuireWoods partner Matthew Hall was featured in an Equity Report article discussing the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) preliminary review of the proposed $35 billion acquisition of Ansys by Synopsys. The CMA’s review, which will likely align with ongoing investigations by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the European Commission, signals additional scrutiny for this significant merger in the tech industry, Hall said. “The case is certain to be formally …

The European Commission, which has launched its first in-depth investigation under the European Union’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR), may require commitments to address competition concerns, setting a precedent for future FSR-related cases, McGuireWoods London partner Matthew Hall wrote in an Aug. 19, 2024, Law360 article. The investigation concerns the proposed acquisition of PPF Telecom Group B.V. by Emirates Telecommunications Group Company PJSC (e&), a UAE state-controlled telecom operator. The FSR …

In a July 25, 2024, opinion article for Thomson Reuters’ PLC Magazine, McGuireWoods London partner Francesca Titus addressed the ongoing debate over private prosecutions, sparked by the U.K. Post Office scandal, which Titus described as one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in English legal history. The scandal, caused by the misuse of prosecutorial powers by Post Office Limited, prompted discussions on the legitimacy of private prosecutions. Titus argued that while critics question whether …

To mount a successful “failing firm” defense of a potentially anticompetitive merger, the companies must present strong factual evidence prepared pre-transaction, McGuireWoods London partner Matthew Hall told Global Competition Review in an Aug. 6, 2024, article. In a rare move, the U.K. Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) announced that it provisionally cleared T&L Sugars’ proposed acquisition of certain Tereos assets despite concerns that the merger could hamper competition in the U.K. sugar …

The European Commission (EC) considers deleting messages exchanged via social media apps during a dawn raid to be obstruction and a serious breach of EU competition law, McGuireWoods London partner Matthew Hall wrote in a July 29, 2024, Law360 article. On June 24, 2024, the EC announced a fine of €15.9 million against International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) when an employee was found to have intentionally deleted WhatsApp messages after he had been informed of …