Economic expertise for every stage of a competition case
For law firms
Rob's experience inside three national competition authorities is what makes him exceptionally valuable to law firm clients. Having assessed hundreds of merger filings, leniency applications and potential competition law infringements, he knows precisely how regulators read submissions - and how to improve these.
Sparring partner
Rob acts as a sounding board for case teams, helping to stress-test theories of harm, refine economic narratives, and anticipate authority pushback before a submission is filed. His experience on the regulator side means he can spot weaknesses that a purely private-practice economist might miss.
Economic analysis for single and multi-jurisdiction merger notifications
Market definition, identification of competitive effects, establishing the appropriate counterfactual, and remedies design. Rob supports law firm teams through every stage of a merger notification, from pre-filing strategy to preparing responses to requests for information. He has direct experience with both single and multi-jurisdictional filings - including notifications to the European Commission and various Member States' NCAs.
Economic analysis for clients accused of infringing the prohibitions on anti-competitive agreements or the abuse of a dominant position
Dominance assessment, abuse analysis, and the economic effects of alleged infringements. Rob can provide full economic analysis or review and strengthen analysis already prepared, always with an eye on how the authority will read it.
Economic partner for your compliance engagements
Rob works with law firms to embed competition economics into client compliance programmes - from distribution and pricing reviews to market conduct audits. He translates complex economic concepts into practical guidance that lawyers and clients can act on.
Data analysis and data cleaning
Rob cleans, and analyses datasets used in competition proceedings - including financial data and bidding data. He ensures the data analysis provides a coherent story and can withstand regulatory and judicial scrutiny.
Quantification of damages resulting from competition law infringements
Advising on the quantification of harm for competition damages litigation, including providing expert economic input for court proceedings and settlement discussions.
Providing economic analysis to support the decision on whether to file for leniency or to settle
Rob advises on the economic dimensions of leniency and settlement decisions - assessing the strength of available evidence, estimating likely fine exposure, and helping clients weigh the strategic trade-offs of coming forward or negotiating a settlement.
For companies
Rob works inside your company legal and compliance teams, either alongside external counsel or independently. His seven years as an in-house competition expert at a Fortune Global 500 company means he understands how to translate complex economic analysis into practical, commercial advice.
Ad interim placement
A temporary integration of Rob in your legal or compliance team provides an efficient means to effect structural changes in your teams, optimizing the transfer of experience and knowledge in comparison to external training and advice.
Other services
In theory, most of the services provided to and through lawyers - listed above - can also be contracted directly by your company. However, for various reasons – not the least of which is legal privilege – it is generally recommended that OmniCLES is contracted through a lawyer, either a lawyer specialised in competition law or your longstanding and trusted legal advisor. Please refer your lawyers to OmniCLES.
For competition authorities
Rob has spent more time inside national competition authorities than most independent economist in Europe. Let alone, in three different NCAs. His procedural experience - developing investigation procedures, leading large projects, and advising at executive level - is available to authorities on an interim or project basis.
Interim project placement
Rob is available for fixed-term placement at a competition authority to support a specific investigation, market study, or institutional development project. Or simple to add temporary capacity, for example to cover during maturnity leave.
Training and workshops
Workshops on competition economics for authority staff, lawyers, and regulated businesses. Topics include market definition, the assessment of dominance, economic evidence in investigations, and merger control economics. Delivered in English. Prior engagements have included law firms, universities, and international networks.
Procedural development
Advising on the development of investigation procedures and economic frameworks - drawing on experience from the Dutch ACM, Jersey's JCRA, and the Saudi GAC.
Red team
Rob can act as a peer-reviewer of draft decisions. In particular in NCAs without a chief economists, it could be beneficial for a trusted and experienced external party to review draft decisions from both an economic and legal perspective. Without the cost of a permanent position within your organisation.
Academia
Rob combines deep practitioner experience with an academic background in law and economics. He is available to universities and business schools that want to bring real-world competition authority and consulting experience into their teaching and research programmes.
Lecturing
Rob is available to design and teach in-person courses in competition law at bachelor and master level. He can deliver standalone lectures, guest modules, or short intensive courses - flexible, without long-term commitments (tenure).
Research
Rob can lead research projects and supervise student theses, assisting the university to reach its scientific output and climb relevant rankings. His practical experience informs academically rigorous work that is grounded in how competition law and economics actually are applied by national competition authorities.
How engagements work
Directly with Rob
Every engagement is handled personally by Rob. There is no team behind him - you get his full attention and expertise, not a junior doing the work under his name. Where clients have internal resources - economists, analysts, or legal staff - Rob can also direct and supervise those resources as part of the engagement.
Flexible scope
Engagements range from a single document review (typically a fixed fee) to full support throughout an investigation. Rob will scope the engagement to what you actually need - no more and no less. As there is no team, there is no need to create billable hours for the team.
Competitive rates
Rob charges an hourly rate comparable to a partner at a medium-sized law firm. Generally, time spend on international is not billed. For peer review and defined-scope engagements, fixed fees are available on request.
Discuss your case
Whether you need support for a single document review or throughout an entire investigation, the best place to start is a short conversation. Send an email - no commitment, no agenda, just a chance to see if there's a fit.