Our competition law experts say that Competition Law, known in the United States as antitrust law, can be defined as law which promotes or maintains market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is not new, it in fact can be traced back to the Roman Empire when the business practices of markets, traders and governments were subject to scrutiny, and often sanctions. During the 20th Century however it has been formalised into law in most global economies; being strongest in the US and Europe.

The law is not new, but the practice of competition law is however a fairly specialised field. Adams & Adams has a dedicated team of experts that deals with all matters relating to the Competition Action (1998), including expertise in compliance, corporate governance and mergers amongst other things. Moreover, Adams & Adams specialises in the very niche area of competition law relating to intellectual property law.

Alexis Apostolidis and Jac Marais, both partners of the firm, have recently read for a Postgraduate Diploma in European Competition Law, through King’s College in London. Both Marais and Apostolidis were awarded the diploma with merit. The course familiarises attorneys with the manner in which states within the European Union interact from a legislative point of view but also with the procedural aspects of competition law in the European Union. For Apostolidis and Marais however, Apostolidis says: “The aim of the course for us was to study, in depth, the principles and methods of analysis used in assessing mergers and acquisitions and prohibited practices, as developed through the extensive case law of the European Union. In so doing, we are able to extract principles of competition law that can be applied within the framework of the South African Competition Act.” This also means they are able to advise clients on the competition law impact of cross boarder commercial strategies with third parties located in the European Union.

Over and above this, Adams & Adams is also in a position to assist clients in competition matters in jurisdictions outside of South Africa, including Namibia, Mauritius and Botswana which also have formalised competition laws in place.

Adams & Adams has been awarded more than 85 independent awards since 2010, some of which include awards for competition law matters, these notably include the following in South Africa: Corporate INTL Legal Awards: Competition/Antitrust Law Firm of the Year 2010; ACQ Global Awards: and Competition Law Firm of the Year.