Overview
Frédéric Pradelles focuses his practice on French and European competition law. He regularly advises international clients in abuse of dominance cases, cartel investigations and on distribution matters, notably in the context of litigation before the French and European competition authorities and courts.
Frédéric also advises clients in global, European and national merger control cases, including Phase II cases. He has extensive experience in the notification of strategic alliances and joint ventures as well as negotiating innovative remedies to secure antitrust approval for the deals on which he advises.
On the litigation side, Frédéric represents clients before the French competition authority, the French Government antitrust agency (DGCCRF) and the European Commission. He also regularly appears as a litigator before the courts in France and the European Courts in Luxembourg. Frédéric has extensive experience in summary proceedings in the field of antitrust, and in interim measures and commitments proceedings before the French Competition Authority.
Frédéric advises clients active in various industries, particularly in the banking/finance, services, transportation, media, hospitality, and information technology sectors.
Results
- Assisting an international company in the context of the unannounced dawn raids in the production and marketing of food and non-food product sectors launched by the French Competition Authority in October 2023 (FCA)
- Representing a company in ongoing cartel investigation before the FCA in the small electrical appliances sector
- Representing a company acting as a third party before the European Commission in the context of two ongoing antitrust investigations in the payment system market (dominance cases)
- Representing a company in ongoing cartel investigation before the French Competition Authority (FCA) in the concrete sector
- Assisted Gefco in the context of the merger with CMA CGM before the European Commission (case M. 10733)
- Successfully represented an international company active in the food retail sector in the context of negotiations with major food retail chains and litigation before the French courts
- Represented a company during investigations led by the DGCCRF regarding the French regulation on payment terms in the IT services market, and appeals of the fine decision before the French Minister of Economy
- Assisted a company acting before the Danish competition authority in the context of the complaint filed against its competitor for abuse of dominance
- Represented a company acting as a third party before the FCA in the context of the sector enquiry launched in the FinTech payment services market (Opinion 21-A-05)*
- Represented a leading company in cartel proceedings before the FCA (Decision No. 19-D-25) and assisted the client before the Paris Court of Appeals following the FCA fine in the meal vouchers sector*
- Successfully represented a major airline before the French courts (Tribunal de commerce de Paris, Paris Courts of Appeals and French Supreme Court (Cour de cassation)) in the context of an alleged abusive termination of an agency agreement by a French online travel agent*
*Matter handled prior to joining McDermott
Recognitions
- The Best Lawyers in France, 2016-2025
- Chambers Europe, France: Competition/European Law, 2022-2024
- The Legal 500 EMEA, Recommended, 2022-2024
- MergerLinks, Top 10 Antitrust Lawyer, EMEA, 2019
- Thomson Reuters, Stand-out Lawyer – independently rated lawyers, 2023
Community
- APDC (Association des avocats Pratiquant le Droit de la Concurrence), Member
- AFEC (Association Française d’Etude de la Concurrence), Member
Credentials
Education
University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas), Postgraduate Degree European Business Law (DESS), 1996
University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas), Postgraduate Degree Business and Tax Law (Magistère de Juriste d’Affaires – DJCE), 1995
Admissions
Paris
Languages
English
French
