Director
Languages spoken
English | French
William (Will) Sparks is an experienced antitrust lawyer whose practice covers antitrust investigations, merger control, litigation and compliance. He also advises on public procurement, EU state aid and the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, and the UK subsidy control regime.
Will has worked in industries including chemicals, energy/green energy, pharmaceuticals, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG)/retail, transportation, infrastructure and telecoms. He has represented clients in European Commission cartel investigations, litigation before the European Court of Justice and national courts and merger control and foreign investment filings in the EU, the UK and many other jurisdictions worldwide.
Will is a dual UK and Belgian national, and he is admitted to practice in the EU (Brussels bar, A-list) and England and Wales.
“Will has a deep legal understanding of the EU.” – Legal 500, Belgium
Transactional and advisory matters
Obtaining worldwide merger clearance and foreign investment approval for high-value transactions.
Advising businesses on the competition law aspects of horizontal agreements (e.g. joint production and joint research and development) and vertical agreements (e.g. supply and distribution).
Advising clients on the design, implementation and rollout of antitrust compliance programmes, including dawn raid training.
Litigation and investigations
Pleading before both the General Court and the European Court of Justice in successful appeals against the European Commission’s Airfreight cartel decision (Global Competition Review Matter of the Year).
Acting for both complainants and defendants in anticompetitive agreement and abuse of dominance cases before the European Commission and other regulators.
Advising a non-EU investor on a European Commission investigation under the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation.
Representing clients in International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) international arbitration proceedings, English High Court cases and other forums on EU law matters.