Morrison & Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce the addition of Marie-Claire Strawbridge as a partner in the firm’s Antitrust Law/Competition and National Security practices. Strawbridge joins from another law firm’s leading competition practice and brings extensive experience of UK and EU competition law to Morrison & Foerster, with a primary focus on transactional matters. Her arrival further strengthens the firm’s leading global antitrust/competition and national security capabilities at a time of increasing demand from clients for advice regarding UK competition law and dealing with the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), as well as UK and multi-jurisdictional national security issues.
Strawbridge’s practice focuses on advising clients on the merger control and foreign direct investment (FDI) aspects of complex global transactions, as well as broader antitrust issues, including investigations, abuse of dominance, and complex vertical agreements. She advises corporate clients, private equity houses, and financial investors across a range of sectors, including technology, healthcare, energy, retail, sports rights, and industrials. In addition to coordinating complex multi-jurisdictional advice and delivering EU and other global merger control and foreign investment clearances, Strawbridge has extensive CMA experience, having acted for clients on a number of complex CMA investigations, both at Phase 1 and Phase 2, and having delivered multiple informal CMA clearances. She regularly advises on CMA engagement strategy in global deals.
“Marie-Claire is a terrific addition to the London office,” said Paul Friedman, Morrison & Foerster’s managing partner for Europe. “Adding a dedicated CMA-focused competition and FDI practice is key in a post-Brexit context, and essential to our burgeoning M&A practice. The emerging UK regulatory approaches around competition enforcement and the new UK-specific FDI regime introduced by the National Security and Investment Act mean Marie-Claire’s experience will greatly benefit our clients. Her practice will be fully integrated with our broader European and global Antitrust Law and National Security practices. Marie-Claire will also work closely with our M&A group to advise clients on their CMA engagement strategy as part of their most significant deals.”
“We are in a period of rapid evolution in global enforcement of antitrust and competition law,” added Alexander Okuliar, co-chair of Morrison & Foerster’s Global Antitrust Law Practice Group. “The United States, European Union, United Kingdom, and many more jurisdictions globally are taking steps to increase their competition enforcement efforts, which is having a significant impact on our clients and their high-stakes, cross-border matters. This is especially true for clients in the technology and life sciences industries. Marie-Claire’s skills and experience perfectly align with our existing capabilities and she will be a tremendous asset to the firm and to our clients.”
“I am drawn to Morrison & Foerster’s standout global antitrust capabilities and deep sector knowledge across technology and life sciences, two sectors which are highly aligned with my practice and experience,” said Strawbridge. “I am also very excited to join the firm’s dynamic and fast-growing London office. I look forward to growing my practice here in London and working with my new colleagues in Europe and across the firm to help guide the firm’s clients through their most strategic transactions.”
Strawbridge obtained her undergraduate degree in Law and French from the University of Glasgow and holds a Master’s in European Legal Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. She is qualified in England & Wales and registered with the Brussels bar. Strawbridge is fluent in French.