Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Michaela Westrup
Reed Smith strengthens private equity capabilities with partner hire in Munich
Mike Young, Head of Europe and Middle East Corporate Group, said: "We are delighted to welcome Bernd to Reed Smith. He is a highly regarded private equity lawyer with an impressive track record and strong market profile. Private equity remains a strategic priority for our Corporate Group, and the firm, and Bernd's arrival further strengthens our capabilities in Germany and across Europe.
Reed Smith advises Tripadvisor on proposed $700 million sale of TheFork to American Express
LONDON – Global law firm Reed Smith has advised Tripadvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP), a leading online travel company, in connection with its proposed sale of TheFork, Tripadvisor’s European online dining marketplace and software platform, to American Express for $700 million in an all-cash transaction. Tripadvisor has entered into a put option agreement pursuant to which American Express irrevocably commits to acquire TheFork.
PE and the evolution of global antitrust enforcement
Private equity has long operated at the intersection of corporate finance and strategic consolidation, but now finds itself at the center of a global regulatory reckoning. As a result, private equity players should assume that acquisitions in concentrated industries will receive close attention, regardless of deal size. Early antitrust assessments are essential. Transaction timelines must account for extended merger control and foreign direct investment (FDI) review periods.
Reed Smith strengthens European corporate practice with three-partner team in Munich
The highly experienced team has strong capabilities across M&A, private equity, venture capital, corporate restructurings, and complex cross-border transactions. They advise a diverse client base, with particular focus on the transportation, defence, tech, and life sciences sectors, and bring significant opportunities for cross-border collaboration with Reed Smith’s corporate, finance, private equity, tax, real estate, and sector-focused teams globally.
Getting the deal done: antitrust tips to push a transaction through effectively
|
1. Think ahead • Which countries are the parties active in? • Is there a change of control? (Minority investments can trigger filing requirements in certain circumstances.) • How large is the turnover of the parties? (Transaction values, asset values and/or market shares may also trigger filings.) • Beware! Under competition law, turnover may include revenues not considered turnover under accounting rules. 2.
By Michelle A. Mantine, Courtney Bedell Averbach, Daniel Booker, Christopher Brennan, Christian Filippitsch, Marjorie Holmes, Edward Schwartz, William J. Sheridan, Natasha Tardif, Gregory Vose, Michaela Westrup, Max Seuster, Rafael Szmid, Emma Weeden, Vaibhav Adlakha, Caitlyn M. Holsopple, Leah Hungerman, Stephan Johansen, Nicole Kaplan, Michalis Papachristodoulou, Alexandre Shamloo, Jay Simmons
|
reedsmith.com
Antitrust and Competition in M&A and Private Equity - The Dealmaker’s Edge
As part of The Dealmaker's Edge: PE and M&A Perspectives – focused on developments and trends driving deals in the current market, our latest installment features Dr. Michaela Westrup, Antitrust and Competition partner in Munich, on Antitrust and Competition in M&A and Private Equity. Michaela discusses the role of antitrust and competition law in private equity and M&A transactions, particularly within the current European market.
Restricting labour mobility as a competition law concern
The EU approach to no-poach agreements Competition policy in relation to labour markets has increasingly become a focal point for competition authorities across jurisdictions. In its 2024 Competition Policy Brief on Antitrust in Labour Markets, the European Commission (Commission) has signalled its focus on labour markets.1 The rise of “no-poach” agreements, contractual arrangements between companies not to solicit or hire each other’s employees, epitomises this shift.
With tariffs and trade measures continuing to reshape global markets, companies are navigating how best to respond, often considering price and supply chain adjustments as part of the process. As antitrust enforcers scrutinize competitor conduct, our antitrust and international trade teams have collaborated to launch a two-part podcast series, focusing on the practical impact of recent developments and key priorities for in-house counsel.
The German Competition Authority publishes a final report on its inquiry into the fuel refinery and wholesale sector – Concurrences
Article précédent Article suivant Partager sur | On 19 February 2025, the German Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt – FCO) published the final report on its sector inquiry into the refining and wholesale of fuels.
German Federal Cartel Office targets fuel refining and wholesale sector
Key takeaways On 19 February 2025, the German Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt – FCO) published the final report on its sector inquiry into the refining and wholesale of fuels. This sector inquiry was launched in 2022 in response to the market disruptions caused by the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and the subsequent EU embargo on Russian oil products, which led to a sharp rise in crude oil prices and a disruption of supply sources for the German fuel markets.
Nadja Josefin Runzel – Concurrences
Reed Smith (Munich) Associate Nadja Josefin Runzel is an associate at Reed Smith, based in the firm’s Munich office. She focusing on competition, antitrust, litigation, and regulatory matters. She provides counsel to global companies on EU and German competition and antitrust matters, assisting digital platforms and industry leaders with compliance, distribution, merger competition issues, cartel cases, and market dominance matters.
ECJ: national competition authorities may assess infringements outside competition law when establishing a dominance abuse
Please click here to access the source post from our Global Regulatory Enforcement Law Blog. In this blog, the authors delve into a significant decision by the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) four years ago, accusing a major technology company of abusive behavior due to alleged violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
ECJ: National Competition Authorities may assess infringements outside competition law when establishing a dominance abuse
Four years after a landmark decision by the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) (decision of 6 February 2019, B6-22/16) finding that a major technology company acted abusively due to an alleged General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) infringement, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) recently confirmed the FCO’s decision in that, depending on the circumstances of the specific case, a GDPR violation can be considered part of a dominance abuse (decision of 4 July 2023, C-252/21).
Countdown to compliance: The DMA to apply to digital gatekeepers from May 2, 2023
Digital Markets Act: Developments since its proposal Following the European Commission’s initial proposal of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in December 2020, its adoption by the European Parliament in March 2022 and the entry into force on November 1, 2022, the DMA will finally apply from May 2, 2023. The DMA contains a list of obligations and prohibitions, subject to fines, that core platform services (CPS) provided by so-called gatekeepers must comply with in their daily operations.
German fiduciary administration over Rosneft subsidiaries confirmed by top court
On 14 March 2023, the German Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht - BVerwG) handed down its judgment dismissing Rosneft’s appeal challenging the legality of the September 2022 German Government order that brought two German subsidiaries of the Russian oil supplier Rosneft under the fiduciary administration of the German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur – BNetzA), initially for six months.
Competition law in the metaverse
Preparing for the new regulatory frontier by Ross Mackenzie, Geert Goeteyn, Michelle Mantine and Michaela Westrup 2021-07-12 00:00:00.0 The word metaverse means “beyond the universe,” but what exactly is the metaverse in practice? One way to describe it is the increasing permeability of the borders between different digital environments and the physical world.
Non-Luxury Brands can ban resale on third-party platforms
As the Amsterdam Court of Appeal recently confirmed in Action Sport v Nike, the prohibition of sales on third-party platforms contained in selective distribution agreements of brand manufacturers in the EU can be in line with EU competition law irrespective of whether or not the relevant products are luxurious. The Appeal Court’s decision confirmed the judgment of the lower instance court that arose out of a dispute between Nike and Action Sport, a former authorized reseller of Nike.
German lawmakers adopt temporary amendments to the German Competition Act to mitigate consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in competition law
On 14 May 2020, the German Parliament adopted temporary amendments to the Act against Restraints of Competition (ARC) to mitigate consequences resulting from COVID-19 in the field of competition law. See BT-Drucksache 19/18963.
German Competition Authority presents sector inquiry report on potential infringements of consumer rights by price comparison websites | Lexology
On 11 April 2019, the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) published the final report on its sector inquiry into comparison websites. The FCO focused on the areas of energy, telecommunications, insurance, finance and travel, which are particularly relevant for consumers. The FCO takes the view that in some cases consumers are being misled, that transparency obligations are not fully complied with and that advertisements are not always identified as such by the relevant website provider.
European Court’s Advocate General Approves Brand Owner’s Ban On Resale Through Third-Party Website
Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra: Already signed up? Log in here By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra provides users with access to its legal industry publishing services (the "Service") through its website (the "Website") as well as through other sources.
Impact of Online Sales Restrictions on EU and German Competition Enforcement
In the course of its E-commerce Sector Inquiry (Sector Inquiry) launched in May 2015, the European Commission gained an insight into the standard business practices engaged in by producers of consumer goods when distributing their products online. The Sector Inquiry, which formed part of the Commission’s wider Digital Single Market Strategy, was recently completed, with the European Commission publishing its long-awaited final report (Report) on 10 May 2017.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Michaela
Contact Michaela, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack