Karen has a particular focus on merger control advice, and also advises on other aspects of the competition rules including cartels, misuse of market power and general compliance.

Karen joined Freehills in 2006 after over a decade of practice in Ireland, Brussels and Luxembourg, where she specialised in European and Irish competition law.

Practice

Karen has provided merger control advice in the context of a number of mergers and joint ventures in various sectors. In particular she has advised:

• National Australia Bank on ACCC clearance processes of a number of acquisitions including proposed acquisition of the Australian operations of AXA APH, the acquisition of wealth management company, Aviva, the Australian stockbroking arm of Goldman Sachs JBWere, and mortgage manager Challenger Mortgage Management
• Gunns on ACCC clearance processes for a number of acquisitions in the timber industry
• National Foods on the ACCC clearance strategy for its proposed acquisition of Dairy Farmers
• BUPA on its successful application for informal clearance from the ACCC for its merger with MBF, the first significant merger in the private health insurance industry considered by the ACCC
• Promina, one of the Australia’s largest insurers, on the ACCC clearance of its merger with Suncorp, and
• Fairfax Media on the ACCC clearance process for its merger with Rural Press, including negotiation of a divestment undertaking.

In addition, Karen has advised clients:

• in relation to the investigation and prosecution of alleged price-fixing cartel matters in Europe and Australia
• subject to an ACCC investigation of alleged bid rigging and market sharing conduct, including advising on defence strategies
• seeking immunity from prosecution for cartel conduct
• subject to confidential ACCC investigations, including responding to compulsory information requests and individual interviews (section 155)
• seeking ACCC authorisation for conduct which might otherwise contravene the Trade Practices Act
• negotiating section 87B undertakings with the ACCC
• pursuing and defending private litigation for anti-competitive conduct, and
• on regulatory and abuse of dominance matters before European and Australian competition regulators and regulatory appeals panels.

Karen is an Irish and Australian qualified solicitor, admitted in Ireland since 1998 and in New South Wales and Victoria since 2006. She holds a Bachelor of Civil Laws (BCL) and Masters in Law (LLM) from University College Cork, Ireland.

Karen worked for many years in the competition group of a major Irish law firm and prior to that with a boutique competition practice based in Brussels. She has also worked at the European Commission in Brussels and at the European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg.

Karen recently co-authored the Australian chapter to the International Comparative Guide to Merger Control 2011.

Karen is a regular speaker at conferences, contributing on Australian, EC and Irish competition law topics.