Norton Rose Fulbright lawyers Marc Waha and Nicolas Cassauba joined us in this episode to discuss the transactional planning process in M&A deals. We discussed why competition lawyers are often involved early on, at the time term sheets are discussed, competition merger clearance and the impact will be on the transaction timetable, merger control requirements in the transaction documentation, conditions precedent unique to Asia jurisdictions and market practice on whether to retain separate counsel or to have one external counsel acting for both parties.

To finds out more about M&A and competition law in Asia, please visit https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en/services/24ba38a6/antitrust-and-competition

Marc is a partner and heads the Norton Rose Fulbright Asia Antitrust and Competition Team.

Based in our Hong Kong and Tokyo, Marc advises international companies on antitrust regimes in East Asia, and Asian companies on global competition compliance issues, multi-jurisdictional merger filings and international cartel investigations, particularly in Europe and Asia. For more than 20 years he has represented clients active in a wide variety of industrial and services sectors, with a focus on advising Asian companies on global antitrust and competition law matters.

Over the years, Marc has been ranked as a leading lawyer, and the Competition Team as a top tier competition practice, in several guides including Chambers & Partners (where Marc featured in the Global Guide for his "high reputation for his merger control clearance work" as well as in the Asia-Pacific Guide, where he has been ranked #1 for competition law in China for several years), Euromoney's Guide to leading lawyers, the Guide to the World's Leading Competition and Antitrust Lawyers, PLC's Which Lawyer?, Asialaw's Leading Lawyers, and The International Who's Who of Competition Lawyers & Economists.

Nicolas Cassauba, Senior Associate (Asia Antitrust and Competition)

Nicolas is a senior associate in the antitrust and competition practice. Based in Hong Kong, his practice covers a broad range of competition law matters, including M&A transactions, regulatory investigations and legal compliance.

Nicolas advises on antitrust regimes in Asia, global competition compliance issues, multijurisdictional merger filings, international cartel investigations, and other antitrust matters. He has extensive experience in relation to merger control and has guided parties to complex transactions through merger approval procedures in Asia as well as before the European Commission and other competition authorities around the globe. Nicolas frequently advises on abusive behaviour and cartel investigations in a multijurisdictional context. He has also assisted companies in the context of dawn raids conducted by the European Commission and other national competition authorities.

In Hong Kong, Nicolas has assisted companies in relation to a wide range of compliance issues and investigations, based on his international experience. He also gained significant experience in setting up and deploying compliance programs and trainings for diverse industry groups.

Nicolas is experienced across a number of industry sectors, including air transport, telecommunications, energy, construction, hospitality, insurance, shipping, fast moving consumer goods, life sciences and chemicals.