Our Curious Amalgam

The UK merger control regime is undergoing procedural and substantive changes. What is happening and what should practicioners know? John Schmidt, solicitor at Arnold & Porter in London, joins Matthew Hall and Jaclyn Phillips to discuss the changes introduced by the UK Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) and the UK government. Listen to this episode to learn more about new CMA jurisdictional and procedural guidance, a strategic reform of UK merger remedies and institutional changes to phase 2 merger reviews.
With special guest:
John Schmidt, partner, Arnold & Porter

Related Links:
Arnold & Porter, UK Merger Review Reform: From Merger Mystery To Remedy Rodeo (17 November 2025)
UK CMA, Merger remedies (19 December 2025)
UK CMA, Mergers: Guidance on the CMA's jurisdiction and procedure (19 December 2025)
UK government press release, Growth placed at the heart of regulators' remit alongside new measures to boost scrutiny and transparency (21 October 2025)


Hosted by:
Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods and Jaclyn Phillips, Proskauer Rose

Blockchain and cryptocurrency promised to decentralize modern financial markets to take market power away from centralized financial intermediaries. But have they lived up to this promise? Hanna Halaburda, Associate Professor of Technology, Operations, and Statistics at NYU, joins Panos Dimitrellos and Christina Ma, to break down the layers of blockchain and the competitive forces and dynamics in these markets. Listen to this episode to learn more about the intersection of blockchain, crypto and antitrust.
With special guest:
Hanna Halaburda, Associate Professor of Technology, Operations, and Statistics, NYU Stern

Related Links:
Hanna Halaburda Articles and Research
Hosted by:
Christina Ma, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Panos Dimitrellos, Secretariat Economists

Billions have been claimed under the UK competition law opt-out collective actions regime since its introduction in 2015. What issues are faced by class members, class representatives and defendants? Jeremy Robinson, solicitor at Harcus Parker in London, joins Matthew Hall to discuss the regime. Listen to this episode to learn more about how it is structured, funding issues, the first damages award and the UK government's call for evidence on its operation.
With special guest:
Jeremy Robinson, partner, Harcus Parker

Related Links:
Harcus Parker, The future of the UK's competition collective actions regime, 15 October 2025
Harcus Parker, The CJC Review of Litigation Funding, 13 June 2025
UK Department for Business & Trade, Opt-out collective actions regime review: call for evidence, 6 August 2025
UK Competition Appeal Tribunal judgment, Kent v Apple, 23 October 2025
Hosted by:
Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods

Computational methods are increasingly used by competition law regulators worldwide. But what are these and can companies also take advantage? Todd Davies, PhD candidate in competition law at University College London, joins Matthew Hall and Anora Wang to discuss the issues raised by the use of computational antitrust. Listen to this episode to learn more about the pros and cons of adoption by regulators, new tools available to companies, possible responses by regulators and key takeaways for practitioners and companies.
With special guest:
Todd Davies, University College London

Related Links:
Todd Davies, The Dark Side of Computational Antitrust: When AI is Used to Evade the Law, Kluwer Competition Law Blog (October 28, 2025)
Thibault Schrepel, Computational Antitrust: An Introduction and Research Agenda (January 15, 2021)
Thibault Schrepel and Teodora Groza, Computational Antitrust Worldwide: Fourth Cross-Agency Report (June 18, 2025)
Hosted by:
Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods and Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter

GenAI is one of the fastest-growing consumer tools in history. But what have we learned about competitive dynamics in the industry? Economists Andrea Asoni and Matteo Foschi join Jaclyn Phillips and Lexi Michaud to discuss what early economic insights can help us understand about the risks and benefits posed by the growth of AI. Listen to this episode to learn more about how the development of AI impacts market development.
With special guests:
Andrea Asoni, Vice President, Charles River Associates and Matteo Foschi, Vice President, Charles River Associates
Related Links:
Contested ground: Early competition and market dynamics in generative AI
Hosted by:
Jaclyn Phillips, Proskauer Rose and Lexi Michaud, Fried Frank