OVERVIEW

Joanna Christoforou has extensive experience on EU and UK competition law, including competition litigation and complex multi-party investigations in the EU and UK.

Expertise

Joanna has had a leading role in significant competition litigation and investigation matters before the European Commission and European courts; the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court; and antitrust agencies in other jurisdictions. She acts for clients in complex, high-value cartel or abuse of dominance court proceedings and investigations, damages actions, competition disputes, dawn raids and director disqualification proceedings.

Joanna represented a leading national retailer in the leading case against Visa in the interchange fee litigation in the English courts, with successful appeals to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court and represented a leading pharmaceutical company in its challenge to the CMA’s search warrants in a first-of-its-kind litigation. She has also represented clients in the successful appeals against the CMA’s decisions in each of Hydrocortisone and Prochlorperazine, the appeal against the CMA’s decision in Liothyronine and appeals against director disqualification proceedings.

She was seconded to the Competition and Cooperation Panel (then Monitor), where she advised on the introduction of a competition law regime to the UK National Health Service (NHS).

Joanna also maintains an active pro bono practice and has assisted Amicus, a not-for-profit organisation, with providing representation to individuals facing the death penalty in the United States.

Clients

Joanna works across a broad range of industries, including life sciences, technology, retail, grocery, ecommerce, financial services, commodities, and healthcare. Her clients describe her as “highly accomplished and effective” and praise her for her “excellent support” and for showing “a real sense of being on your side, even when conveying tough messages.”

Experience