Joanna Christoforou

Joanna represents clients in complex, high value cartel and abuse of dominance investigations, as well as in civil proceedings for damages for breach of EU and UK competition law and antitrust. She also represents clients in obtaining clearance for mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, joint ventures, and other strategic alliances.

Joanna works across a broad range of industries, including life sciences, technology, retail, grocery, ecommerce, financial services, commodities, and healthcare.

Joanna has had a leading role in significant competition litigation matters in the High Court, the CAT, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court, including representing Sainsbury’s in the leading case against Visa in the interchange fee litigation in the English Courts (appealed to the Supreme Court), and representing Concordia in its challenge to the CMA’s search warrants, in a first of its kind litigation, as well as representing clients in a number of cartel and abuse of dominance investigations by the CMA. Joanna is a member of the Morgan Lewis team which was awarded Behavioural Matter of the Year—Europe, Challenges to CMA Search Warrants by Global Competition Review (2018). She was seconded to the Competition and Cooperation Panel (now Monitor), advising on the introduction of a competition law regime to the UK’s National Health Service.

Joanna leads Morgan Lewis’s initiatives in assisting Amicus, a not for profit organization helping provide representation to individuals facing the death penalty in the US. She is also a member of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Committee.

• Acting for Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd. in its landmark victory at the Supreme Court against Visa. In June 2020, the Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeal's 2018 judgment in favour of Sainsbury’s claim that Visa’s UK multilateral interchange fee was an unlawful restriction of competition under UK and EU law. Prior to the relevant proceedings there had been no English or European ruling that Visa’s interchange fee was a restriction of competition. (Acted for Sainsbury's at the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court.)
• Acting for Concordia in connection with challenges to Search Warrants by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) under s.28 of the Competition Act 1998 (CA98) at the High Court and the Court of Appeal. This was the first challenge to a search warrant under the CA98.
• Acting for Concordia in relation to its defence against the CMA’s ongoing investigation, Statement of Objections (SO), and Supplementary Statement of Objections (SSO) regarding an alleged pay-for-delay arrangement with respect to adrenal insufficiency drug Hydrocortisone.
• Acting for Concordia in its defence against the CMA’s ongoing investigation, SO, and SSO in relation to alleged unfair and excessive pricing of thyroid drug Liothyronine.
• Acting for Focus Pharma in its defence against the CMA’s ongoing investigation and SO in relation to an alleged market exclusion arrangement in respect of anti-nausea drug Prochlorperazine.
• Acting for Advanz in its defence against the CMA’s ongoing investigation and SO in relation to an alleged market sharing arrangement in respect of antibiotic Nitrofurantoin.
• Acting for a Fortune 500 company in its internal investigation into suspected market-sharing and price-fixing, and its application for immunity or leniency to enforcement agencies.
• Advised a Statement of Objections addressee in relation to the European Commission’s investigation into Credit Default Swaps.
• Advised one of the world’s largest investment banks in relation to investigations by the European Commission, the Financial Conduct Authority, and the US regulators in relation to LIBOR and Euribor.
• Advised one of the world’s largest investments banks in relation to investigations by a number of regulatory authorities (including the European Commission and the Financial Conduct Authority) in relation to Forex.
• Advised a global tobacco manufacturer in its successful appeal to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in 2011 against the OFT’s decision and record fine in respect of alleged anti-competitive retail pricing practices. The infringement decision was annulled by the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
• Advised a leading Private Equity House in obtaining unconditional merger clearance from the European Commission in relation to the combination of two entertainment groups, creating the second largest visitor attraction business in the world.
• Advised a leading European dairy cooperative, in relation to its acquisition of a UK dairy cooperative. The merger was cleared by the European Commission subject to a divestment. 
• Seconded to the NHS Cooperation and Competition Panel (now, part of Monitor), advising on the introduction of a competition law regime to the UK National Health Service.
• Advised on merger clearances in relation to the creation of the largest global aluminium producer, and subsequently advised on multi-jurisdictional filings regarding its acquisition of an interest in a producer active on other commodities markets.
• Advised a global US Headquartered Car Rental Company in relation to the acquisition of an EMEA car rental company, involving merger clearances in a number of jurisdictions including the UK.
• Was a stagiaire at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition. 

Pro Bono

• Leading a Morgan Lewis team providing pro bono support to US counsel representing an individual on death row for Amicus, a not for profit organization helping provide representation to individuals facing the death penalty in the US. As a result of the successful representation, prosecutors dropped the death penalty.
• Leading a Morgan Lewis team providing pro bono assistance on the Missouri Project for Amicus, a large research project focused on the application of the death penalty.
• Co-led a team assisting Reprieve, a human rights not for profit organization, in relation to a pro bono study on the appeals system in a jurisdiction.