Buchanan
Competition Litigation Associate
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Competition Litigation Associate (2–4 PQE)
Location: London
Practice: Antitrust & Competition Litigation
Level: 2–4 PQE (some flexibility for standout candidates)
The Opportunity
This is a live, quality-driven search into a lean and rapidly growing competition litigation platform, offering genuine partner exposure and early involvement in high-stakes, high-value disputes. The team was originally built through a lateral hire of a well-known partner-led group from a prominent US litigation firm, bringing an established, market-leading competition litigation practice and a strong existing client base with it. Since that move, the team has continued to build out its capability and is now looking to add further associate strength to keep pace with growing workflow.
The practice is led by a genuinely well-regarded figure in the competition litigation world, someone who acts regularly for both claimants and defendants (a relatively unusual position in this space, and one that gives real insight into how disputes play out from both sides of the table), and who has been involved in some of the largest and most closely watched competition cases to reach the English courts in recent years, including landmark, multi-billion-pound collective actions that have gone all the way to the Supreme Court. The wider partner group brings similarly deep experience across contentious EU and competition litigation, including regularly representing clients in investigations by the European Commission and UK regulators.
Structurally, this is a lean team by design: several partners, a senior associate, and a tight band of associates across PQE levels, with no traditional Counsel tier. Progression here runs through to Non-Equity and then Equity Partnership over time, which tends to appeal to associates who want a clearer, more direct path upward rather than an additional layer to work through first.
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What They're Looking For
The team is looking for genuine competition litigators rather than generalists who've brushed up against the area. In practice, they're after:
- Training and retention at a Magic Circle, Silver Circle, Elite US, or comparable peer litigation platform
- A genuine, substantive competition litigation background: cartel damages claims, follow-on litigation, collective actions, behavioural investigations, abuse of dominance disputes, and wider contentious antitrust work
- The ability to operate independently within a lean team structure, taking real ownership of matters rather than working in a purely supporting capacity
- Strong academics and a solid technical litigation grounding more broadly
Commercial litigators with meaningful competition litigation exposure will also be considered, even without a purely specialist background.
On the other hand, the team has been clear that merger-control-only profiles and advisory-only antitrust backgrounds are unlikely to be a good fit here. This is a genuinely contentious, courtroom-facing practice. Candidates from litigation boutiques are generally viewed less favourably than those from larger peer firms, and claimant-focused boutiques in particular aren't seen as directly comparable to the target peer group. Given how the team was originally formed, very long-tenured candidates from the firm it was built out of may also be viewed as a less natural fit, simply because that alumni network is already well represented internally.
International candidates are welcome, particularly strong overseas-qualified candidates from Australia or New Zealand, though London market experience is strongly preferred, and a trained-and-retained UK background remains the ideal profile.
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Compensation
Compensation follows the Cravath scale (Elite US pay levels), with a competitive bonus structure aligned with the leading US firms. NQ salary currently sits at £180,000.
Why Join This Practice
Beyond the compensation, the appeal here is largely about trajectory and exposure: a genuinely growing team within an elite US platform, a lean structure that puts associates in front of partners and clients early, and exposure to complex, high-value contentious competition work rather than a narrower or more advisory-focused practice.
Notably, the Cravath-level pay here comes without the rigid hours targets that often accompany it elsewhere, though it's worth being clear-eyed that the culture is genuinely demanding and fast-paced. This suits candidates who want to build a specialist competition litigation profile and are comfortable with the pace that comes with it.
Interview Process
The process typically runs across two stages: initial meetings with the partner group, followed by further interviews with the wider partner team, along with informal conversations with associates or other team members where appropriate. Candidates are expected to come well-briefed on the practice and its reputation before interview.
Points of Note
- This is a highly selective, quality-over-volume search
- Driven by genuine team growth and increased workflow rather than backfilling a departure
- Lean structure means meaningful responsibility and visibility from an early stage
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