Dr. Jens-Olrik Murach is a partner in the Antitrust & Competition Practice Group. With more than 20 years of experience practicing antitrust law in Brussels and Germany, Jens’ practice covers the complete range of EU and German antitrust issues across a wide spectrum of industry sectors. Jens has also significant experience in handling Foreign Direct Investment Screening matters, particularly before the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. Jens also advises on EU Foreign Subsidies and EU state aid matters.
Over the course of his career, Jens has advised on many complex and high-stakes merger control matters, both before the European Commission and the German Federal Cartel Office, including recently advising on Telefónica Deutschland/E-Plus, Vodafone/Certain Liberty Global Assets, Tata Steel/ThyssenKrupp/JV (representing third-parties, respectively), Marriott/Starwood, TIL/PSA/PSA DGD, PepsiCo/SodaStream, and Gilead Sciences/MYR Pharma.* Jens has strong experience in managing global merger control investigations in virtually every part of the world.
Jens regularly represents companies in cartel and abuse of dominance investigations before both the German Federal Cartel Office and the European Commission, including handling leniency applications, settlement negotiations, and appeals against infringement decisions. He also has significant experience advising on vertical distribution matters and represents clients in commercial and administrative antitrust litigation before German courts and the courts of the EU in Luxembourg.
Jens is widely recognized as a leading practitioner. Chambers Europe and Chambers Global 2023 rank him among the leading practitioners in the area of Competition/European Law (Belgium) and cite interviewees who praise his “deep technical expertise and strong client relationship skills.” A client reports as impressed: “He takes our concerns seriously and is pragmatic.” He is consistently recommended in the JUVE Handbook (2017-2021), which has cited him as a “super antitrust lawyer” and “excellent lawyer, very pleasant to work with.” The Legal 500 Deutschland 2021 recommends him for antitrust law in Germany. The Legal 500 EMEA 2020 rates him a “key lawyer” for Competition: EU and Global in Belgium and quotes among testimonials: “Jens-Olrik Murach is always accessible and responsive, and his advice is thorough, helpful, pragmatic and prompt. He is excellent to work with.” He is also recognized by Best Lawyers™ in Germany (2022 edition) for both Competition/Antitrust Law and Litigation and Best Lawyers™ in Belgium (2022 edition) for Competition/Antitrust Law.
Jens is fluent in German and English.
* Jens advised on these matters prior to joining Willkie.
Experience
Prior to joining Willkie in 2021, Jens was a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
Jens is a frequent author and speaker on antitrust issues. He has authored a handbook on German merger control, Deutsche Fusionskontrolle, and is a co-author of a German commentary on EU antitrust law, Frankfurter Kommentar zum Kartellrecht. He serves on the academic advisory board of leading German antitrust law journal Wirtschaft und Wettbewerb (WuW) and regularly lectures at the Academy of European Law. He was shortlisted for the Best Business Cross-Border Issues Articles Award at the 2018 Antitrust Writing Awards.
- Speaker: ERA Summer Course on European Competition Law (2018 - 2020), lecturing on “Cartels, information exchange, tacit collusion and oligopoly issues” and “The impact of vertical agreements on competition”
- Co-author: “The EU Court of Justice rules in favour of restrictions on the use of platforms in a selective distribution system (Coty),” 6 December 2017, e-Competitions Bulletin March 2018 – II, Art. N° 86552
- Co-author: “The Düsseldorf Court of Appeals confirms a decision of the Bundeskartellamt against all prohibitions or restrictions imposed in relation to online sales made by traditional distributors (ASICS)”, 6 April 2017, e-Competitions Bulletin April 2017, Art. N° 86551
- Speaker: ERA Summer Course on European Competition Law, July 2016 and 2017, lecturing on “EU policy towards horizontal agreements: guidelines on horizontal cooperation and block exemption regulations” and on “EU policy towards vertical agreements: the block exemption regulation and its explanatory guidelines”
- Author: Global Competition Review Know How – Immunity, Sanctions & Settlements – Germany
- Panelist: ABA webinar, “Navigating the Globe: Cartel Enforcement Around the World – Chapter 13: Germany”, ABA Section of Antitrust Law, Cartel and Criminal Practice Committee and International Committee, 18 July 2013
- Author: “Deutsche Fusionskontrolle” (Handbook on German Merger Control), published by Erich Schmidt Verlag, 2011
- Commentator: Articles 11 – 14 of Council Regulation (EC), “Frankfurter Kommentar zum Kartellrecht” (Frankfurt Commentary on Competition Law), published by Dr. Otto Schmidt, No 1/2003
Credentials
Education
Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn, Dr. jur., 2007 Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn, Law Degree, 1997