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Tatiana Siakka
Partner
Tatiana Siakka is a competition law specialist with wide-ranging experience in both transactional and contentious matters. She is a noted practitioner, with Legal 500 describing her as an "outstanding competition lawyer" whose "knowledge of the subject is second-to-none". Tatiana advises clients on all aspects of EU and UK competition law and related commercial strategy and has successfully represented clients before the European and UK courts, as well as before the European Commission and the CMA.
"Tatiana Siakka is exceptional. She is highly intelligent, extremely personable and a real pleasure to work with. She truly goes above and beyond with the levels of commitment and hard work that she puts into a case. Her depth of understanding of how to manage a case is evident from how smooth a process it is to work with her. An excellent person to have in your corner." Legal 500 UK 2024
In addition to her transactional practice – routinely handling merger control filings, global FDI screening and clearances under the UK National Security and Investment Act – Tatiana has extensive experience in high stakes competition litigation in the EU and UK courts, including the High Court, the Competition Appeal Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, having acted in seminal and high profile proceedings for both defendants and claimants, including the leading UK authority on unlawful information exchange (Balmoral Tanks v. CMA), as well as two of the largest competition damages claims in the UK – the interchange fees and air cargo litigation – setting a precedent regarding the ability to recover global damages in England.
Tatiana is an appointed member of the Law Society’s EU Committee. She is regularly invited to speak on competition law developments and contributes towards leading competition publications.
- Representing Altrad Group before the CMA in connection with its successful acquisition of Stork UK (secured unconditional Phase I clearance).
- Securing the first ever successful interim injunction by the CAT in UK merger control proceedings on behalf of Tereos SCA, thereby enabling the successful sale of Tereos CSA under the rarely accepted failing firm defence (Case 1638/4/12/24).
- Defending one of the parties under investigation in the CMA’s ongoing end-of-life vehicles cartel investigation launched in March 2022.
- Defending US sports data and analytics company, Stats Perform, in proceedings before the UK High Court for alleged unlawful means conspiracy and inducement to breach (Case No: BL-2023-000440).
- Advising Rimac Group on all antitrust and merger control aspects of its historic acquisition of Bugatti.
- Advising Rimac Group on all antitrust, merger control and foreign investment aspects of its £500 million financing round by Goldman Sachs and Softbank.
- Successfully defending an international sports government body before the European Commission against allegations of abuse of dominance in relation to the selection of the 2024 Olympics Games equipment; designed and rolled out a FRAND licensing policy in relation to the selection of Olympic equipment.
- Successfully defending a leading global provider of market research/media analysis against an abuse of dominance complaint before the European Commission.
- Advising a UK professional association football club in connection with contemplated litigation against the English Football League (EFL) stemming from EFL’s 2020 season curtailment decision and ensuing relegation/promotion rules.
- Representing independent providers of software services in a dispute with sports governing bodies of a leading UK sport for breach of the EU/UK competition rules (gatekeeping) and successfully securing a favourable settlement.
- Representing Studio Retail Group plc on the CMA’s Phase 2 review of the sale of its Findel Education business to YPO.
- Advising the leading global provider of market research/media analysis on the CMA’s market study into outline platforms and digital advertising.
- Representing A.C. Nielsen on the CMA’s Phase 1 and Phase 2 merger control review of its successful acquisition of Ebiquity Plc’s AdIntel business; secured unconditional Phase 2 clearance.
- Representing a major Polish motorway company in State aid proceedings before the General Court and the CJEU (Cases T-778/17 and C-933/19 P).
- Representing a Taiwan-based technology company in its action for annulment against a Commission decision alleging cartel practices in the market for optical disc drives (Case T-772/15).
- Representing Calon Energy in State aid and national recovery proceedings stemming from the UK’s Capacity Mechanism scheme: (a) Intervention in judicial review proceedings concerning provisional recovery of aid before the UK High Court (Claim no. CO/919/2019); (b) Intervention in support of the Commission’s appeal before the European Court of Justice (Case C-57/19 P); (c) the Commission’s phase II investigation into the Capacity Market scheme (Case no. SA.35980).
- Securing a favourable settlement for AUO Optronics Corp in connection with a follow-on cartel damages action arising from the European Commission’s LCD panel cartel decision.
- Acting for Cathay Pacific in its appeal before the General Court against the Commission’s decision alleging cartel practices in the Airfreight case (Case T-343/17).
- Advising the government of Slovakia in its appeal against a General Court judgment concerning State aid proceedings in the healthcare sector (Case C-271/18 P).
- Representing Balmoral Tanks in the CMA’s investigation into the supply of galvanised steel tanks for water storage concerning allegations of unlawful information exchange (one of the rare CMA cases comprising both criminal prosecutions and a civil investigation) and in its subsequent appeal against the CMA’s decision in the supply of galvanised steel tanks cartel investigation (Case: 1277/1/12/17).
- Representing a group of more than 500 claimants in their damages claim against British Airways in relation to the worldwide air cargo cartel in the airfreight surcharges. One of the largest competition damages claims, setting a precedent regarding the ability to recover global damages in England, the treatment of Pergan materials and application of the unlawful means conspiracy tort in damages claims.
- Represented a group of multinational corporations in their hybrid damages claim arising from unlawful interchange fees against MasterCard and Visa in proceedings before the UK High Court; a hybrid claim, comprising a follow-on action for intra-EEA interchange fees and standalone claims for domestic fees applicable in 23 jurisdictions.
- Advised a group of concrete manufacturers in relation to their follow-on claims against cement manufacturing companies.
Education
- BPP Law School, Qualified Lawyer Transfer Scheme, 2014
- Universiteit Leiden, LL.M., EU and Competition Law, 2012
- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, LL.B., 2009
- Free University of Brussels, Erasmus Scholar, 2007
Admissions
- England and Wales, 2015
- Greece, 2011
Memberships & Affiliations
- Member of the Law Society’s Competition Law section
- Member of the Competition Law Association (CLA)
Languages
- English
- Greek
- French
- Recommended in Legal 500 UK 2023.
- Recommended in Legal 500 UK 2022.
- Legal 500 UK 2023 interviewees describe Tatiana as “Tatiana Siakka is an outstanding competition lawyer and meticulous in her attention to detail. Her knowledge of the subject is also second to none.”
- Ranked as a Rising Star in Competition and Antitrust by the Euromoney Expert Guides 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Publications
- "Labor Collusion Warning Could Signal Enforcement To Come", Law 360 UK, 10 May 2023.
- “Case C-724/17 Vantaan kaupunki v Skanska Industrial Solutions: Transposition of the Concept of an ‘Undertaking’ into Civil Damages Actions”, Journal of European Competition Law & Practice, 18 November 2019.
- “Redrawing the Market Economy Operator Test: EU State Aid Law Post-Frucona”, European Competition Law Review, August 2018.
- “Hybrid settlements – Cartel facilitation and procedural safeguards in Icap”, Competition Law Insight, 15 March 2018.
- “EU Commissioner Warns Companies of Potentially Unlawful Use of Pricing Algorithms”, Lexology, 30 March 2017.
- “European Commission Opens Investigation into Suspected Price Restrictions by Electronic Goods Producers”, Lexology, 7 February 2017.
- “Football Association Premier League Limited v Luxton [2016] EWCA Civ 1097”, Lexology, 2 December 2016.
- “Competition and Markets Authority Opens Investigation into Auction Service Providers, Lexology, 28 November 2016.
- “European Commission’s Preliminary Report in the E-Commerce Sector Inquiry: Highlighting Risk Areas for Suppliers of Branded Goods”, Lexology, 11 October 2016.
- “ECJ Interprets Rules of Jurisdiction for Cartel Damages Claims”, Legal Media Group’s Expert Guides, 2016.
- “CJEU Confirms EU Competition Law Does Not Prevent Royalties for Revoked Patent Licences”, Lexology, 14 July 2016.
- “EU Competition Law Does Not Prevent Royalties for Revoked Patent Licences”, Lexology, May 2016.
- “‘Eturas’ UAB and Others v. Lietuvos Respublikos konkurencijostaryba”, E-Commerce Law Reports, Vol. 16 Issue 2, April 2016.
- “CJEU Sends Clear Warning to ‘Cartel Facilitators’”, JD Supra, 29 October 2015.
- “Keeping up with Competition – Jurisdictional Issues”, Lexis PSL, 14 September 2015.
- “A summary of recent developments in antitrust damages claims, collective redress and funding in the EU and UK”, Global Competition Litigation Review, 4 July 2013.
- Contributing author, “Albion v Dër Cymru: Turning the taps on follow-on claims?” Lexis PSL Competition, April 2013.
- Contributing author, “Consumer opt-outs: a damp squib?”, post on UK Government reforms of private actions in competition law, Kluwer Competition Law Blog, February 2013.
- “Out of time: the Supreme Court rules on the limitation period for bringing ‘follow on’ damages actions”, Global Competition Litigation Review, 2012.
Speaking Engagements
- Speaker, “The UK Subsidy Control Act Explained: Interaction With EU Rules”, The Law Society Seminar, 12 July 2022.
- Speaker, “Overview – Preparing for the Subsidy Control Act 2022: Observations on the UK's forthcoming State Aid regime”, Lexxion, 7 March 2022.
- Speaker, “State Aid v Subsidy Control Bill – Preparing For Change”, The Law Society Seminar, 21 October 2021.
- Speaker, “Class Actions – The New Regime”, MBL Seminar, London, 20 June 2016.
- Speaker, “Package Travel 2.0”, ETOA Conference, London, 18 March 2016.