Competition & Antitrust Associate

Buchanan; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Buchanan, on behalf of an elite US firm with a leading London antitrust practice, seeks a talented 2–4 PQE competition lawyer to join its team. The role offers exposure to merger control, investigations, and cross‑border advisory matters across UK and EU competition law within a high‑profile international platform.

Candidates will advise on a broad spectrum of matters for major international clients, with direct partner access and meaningful responsibility from the outset, in a fast‑moving,

Qualifications

• 2–4 PQE in competition law with strong UK/EU exposure.
• Proven track record in merger control, investigations or litigation.
• Ambitious with a proactive, commercial approach and global outlook.

Responsibilities

• Advise across a broad range of UK and EU competition matters.
• Handle merger control, EC investigations, and competition litigation.
• Contribute to cross‑border advisory work and high‑profile mandates.

Skills

Competition law

Merger control

Investigations

Litigation

UK/EU competition experience

Education

Qualified in England & Wales

Job description

An elite US firm with a highly regarded London antitrust and competition practice is seeking a talented 2–4 PQE competition lawyer to join its team. This is a strong opportunity to become part of one of the market's most respected competition platforms, advising major international clients on complex, high-value matters that span the full breadth of UK and EU competition law.

The Opportunity

The team has built a strong market reputation for handling sophisticated competition mandates across the technology, aviation, media, and consumer goods sectors, regularly working across multiple jurisdictions, regulators, and strategic workstreams simultaneously.

The practice is consistently instructed on some of the most complex and high-profile competition matters in the market, and offers a genuinely broad competition practice spanning transactional, contentious, and advisory work within an elite international platform.

The Role

The successful candidate will advise across a wide range of UK and EU competition matters, with exposure to the full spectrum of antitrust work. This includes merger control and big-ticket multi-jurisdictional merger processes, European Commission investigations, antitrust investigations, competition litigation and follow‑on damages claims, regulatory investigations, competition and IP‑related matters, behavioural work, strategic advisory mandates, and broader cross‑border competition law issues. The breadth of the practice means associates develop across all major areas of competition law rather than being siloed into a single workstream.

Why This Role Stands Out

This is an elite international platform with deep London market presence and a competition practice that is consistently active on high‑profile, technically demanding mandates. The team's strength across merger control, investigations, and contentious competition work means associates gain genuinely broad exposure at an early stage, rather than being confined to one area of the practice.

The client base is high‑profile and international, and the nature of the work frequently involving the European Commission, multiple regulators, and cross‑border strategic coordination is among the most complex available to a competition lawyer at this level. The team structure supports direct partner access and meaningful responsibility from the outset, and the role carries strong long‑term career value for a lawyer looking to build a serious antitrust practice within a top‑tier firm.

Candidate Requirements

This role is well suited to a 2–4 PQE competition lawyer from a leading City, international, or US firm who is seeking a step up in the quality and complexity of their work, alongside broader antitrust exposure and a stronger international platform. Candidates should be qualified in England and Wales, or an equivalent jurisdiction, with a solid background in merger control, investigations, competition litigation, or broader antitrust advisory work. Strong technical ability and sound commercial judgement are essential, as is the ability to manage complex, fast‑moving matters across multiple jurisdictions and stakeholders. Candidates should have a genuine interest in developing a long‑term career within a high‑performing competition practice at the top of the market.