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Competition and consumer law

Cooper Grace Ward provides specialist advice and advocacy in all matters relating to competition and consumer law. Our team of experienced corporate lawyers has acted on behalf of a wide range of commercial clients in this area of the law, including multinational businesses and publicly listed companies.

We deliver clear, straightforward advice to navigate Australia’s complex competition and consumer regime and comply with its regulations.

No two matters are the same, so we provide individually tailored advice. Our aim is to protect businesses, company directors and senior management teams from the risk of severe financial and potentially criminal penalties.

At the same time, we help ensure your business’ compliance systems do not hold you back in a competitive marketplace. Our corporate lawyers help clients structure their systems to ensure compliance without hindering profitability. Ultimately, our focus is on delivering practical, commercial outcomes in the most complex situations.

Australia’s competition and consumer regulations are underpinned by the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (which replaced the Trade Practices Act 1974 in 2011) and Australian Consumer Law (ACL).

These regulations are enforced by independent statutory authority, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (the ACCC).

Contraventions of these laws attract significant fines and pecuniary penalties for non-compliant businesses, as well as company directors and officers.

Breaches include restrictive trade practices, cartels and secondary boycotts.

Competition and consumer law services offered by Cooper Grace Ward

When acting on behalf of your business, our team’s focus is on delivering practical outcomes supported by straightforward advice. Our services include:

  • assisting with the development of legal compliance systems
  • advising on competition implications of proposed projects, takeovers and media campaigns
  • general corporate advisory services in competition and consumer law issues such as cartels, third line forcing and misleading or deceptive conduct
  • providing representation to our clients in their dealings with the ACCC and ASIC
  • bringing and defending court proceedings relating to anti-competitive trade practices and breaches of consumer law among businesses and between businesses and consumers
  • providing comprehensive, individually tailored competition and consumer law training designed to protect businesses, boards and senior management teams.

If your business needs advice relating to competition and consumer law, contact our experienced corporate lawyers on (07) 3231 2444.

Key contacts

David-Grace
David Grace
Consultant
Charles-Sweeney-web
Charles Sweeney
Managing Partner
Adelaide Hayes
Adelaide Hayes
Special Counsel

Publications

ACCC releases draft guidance for businesses engaging in sustainability collaborations

The ACCC has released its draft Sustainability collaborations and Australians competition law guide as a competition law compliance tool for businesses engaging in sustainability collaborations.

Cooper Grace Ward recognised in the Mondaq Thought Leadership Awards for 2024

These awards highlight authors with the highest readership on Mondaq between October 2023 and March 2024, covering 16 countries and various topics.

David Grace a recipient of Lawyer Monthly Award!

We are delighted to share that founding partner David Grace is the recipient of Competition & Consumer Law Lawyer of the Year in the 2023 Lawyer Monthly Legal Awards for Australia.