Neil Mackenzie co-heads Fasken’s South African Competition Law practice. He has extensive experience advising local and international companies on all aspects of competition law strategy and compliance, including:
- representing firms in conduct investigations by the Competition Commission and litigated cartel and abuse of dominance (monopolisation) cases before the Competition Tribunal and the Competition Appeal Court. Neil has advised clients in prohibited practice cases in the pharmaceuticals, steel, liquid fuels, cement, freight forwarding, construction, banking and technology industries.
- advising clients in market inquiries by the Competition Commission, including inquiries into private healthcare, liquid petroleum gas, grocery retail and online intermediation platforms.
- guiding firms through complex merger approval processes in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa, often working with instructing counsel in in Europe and the USA. He has worked on transactions in numerous markets from technology, transport, mining, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, liquor and crop protection, to insurance, chemicals, advertising, timber, steel, industrial gas, and infant milk formula,
- advising on competition law and regulatory compliance issues, such as whether transactions require merger control approval, and the legality of business strategies that involve rebates, differential pricing policies, refusals to supply, exclusive dealing and distribution, and cooperation between competing firms.
Clients state that Neil is "a fantastic technical lawyer", "an absolute pleasure to work within the merger control space", as well as "practically minded" and "very smart and responsive". He is considered by clients as "commercially astute and really in tune with his client's needs". Neil is acclaimed by clients as "an exceptional and brilliant lawyer", "extremely user-friendly and provides comprehensive, detailed advice" as well as having "the ability to explain complex matters to clients in an engaging fashion".
Chambers and Partners highlight’s Neil’s team for its "service delivery, accuracy of advice, attention to detail, responsiveness and fees" - “he has a diverse practice, with notable expertise representing clients during prohibited practices investigations and concerning merger control.”
