Dr. Carsten Grave

Carsten specialises in European and German competition law, advising clients on the competition antitrust law aspects of merger and acquisitions and distribution systems, as well as on antitrust-related litigation. He also advises on state aid cases and cartel proceedings.

Carsten has particular experience in the energy, logistics/postal and financial services sectors.

Carsten was seconded for six months to the firm’s London office in 2002 and for six months to the LECG economic consultancy in Boston in 2005.

Work highlights

Carsten has led on or been a key adviser in many major transactions. Those of significance where substantial involvement can be disclosed include advising:

• Deutsche Börse’s attempted merger with London Stock Exchange (2016/17), and Deutsche Börse’s attempted merger with NYSE Euronext (2011/12), two of the largest exchange mergers ever and both prohibition decisions after very complex Phase II investigations by the European Commission
• Compania Sudamericana dos Vapores (CSAV) on the merger of its container shipping business with Hapag-Lloyd, cleared subject to remedies by the European Commission, and also notified in numerous countries around the world
• Glencore on its merger with mining company Xstrata, forming one of the largest natural resources companies globally, cleared subject to remedies by the European Commission
• on the merger of publicly owned hospital Klinikum Nürnberg with three smaller competitors in adjacent regions, the first Phase II clearance issued by the Bundeskartellamt (the national competition authority) in the hospital sector
• various merger projects for the German Red Cross’s blood donation services

Carsten frequently writes in legal journals and compendiums. His recent articles include:

“Marktbeherrschung bei mehrseitigen Märkten und Netzwerken” (dominant positions in multi-sided markets and network industries ), in Kersting/Podszun (Hrsg.), Die 9. GWB-Novelle, 2017

“Die Rolle von Big Data bei der Anwendung des Kartellrechts” (The role of big data in competition law), WuW 2017, 363, with Jenny Nyberg

“Kommentierung zu Art. 101 Abs. 1 AEUV” (commentary on Article 101(1) TFEU), in: Loewenheim/Meessen/Riesenkampf/Kersting/Meyer-Lindemann (Hrsg.), Kartellrecht - Europäisches und Deutsches Kartellrecht, Kommentar, 2016, with Jenny Nyberg

“Kommentierung zu § 20 GWB (Verbotenes Verhalten von Unternehmen mit relativer oder überlegener Marktmacht)“ (commentary on Section 20 of the German Act against Restraints of Competition – enterprises with relative or superior market power), in: Jaeger/Kokott/Pohlmann/Schroeder, Frankfurter Kommentar zum Kartellrecht, 2015

Carsten studied law and economics at the University of Bonn, the University of Geneva, the University of Freiburg/Breisgau and the Open University of Hagen before passing a diploma in economics and completing a doctorate in law at the University of Bonn.

Carsten speaks German and English.