Caroline Coops practices in the Competition and Regulatory team and guides clients through complex merger clearance matters, abuse of dominance, regulatory investigations and pricing and distribution strategies. She is described as "professional, work[ing] well under pressure" and "very commercial in her approach". She is Deputy Chair of the Competition and Consumer Committee of the Law Council of Australia (Business Law Section).
She is also one of the firm's Managing Partners, with specific responsibilities for the Corporate Advisory teams (Competition & Regulatory, Employee Relations & Safety and TMET/IP), TMET Sector (Telecommunications, Media, Entertainment and Technology) and People & Talent, including the firm's diversity and talent strategies, rewards and recognition, learning and recruitment.
Caroline’ expertise is particularly evidenced by her work on the following matters:
• Acting for AXA Asia Pacific Holdings (AXA APH) in relation to both of the $16 billion bids by National Australia Bank Limited and AMP Limited to acquire AXA APH's Australian and New Zealand businesses, and obtaining clearance from the ACCC.
• Acting for General Electric Company in its proposed acquisition of Industrea limited by scheme of arrangement, valued at $470 million.
• Acting for six of Australia's largest financial institutions (ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, Citigroup, GE Capital, National Australia Bank, and Westpac) to successfully obtain ACCC clearance for their joint venture arrangements with Experian Group in order to create a new entrant into the Australian credit reporting industry.
• Acting for Medibank Private Limited with respect to its acquisition of McKesson AP, a large health management services company.
• Acting for Wesfarmers' Coles business in relation to competition and regulatory matters.
• Acting for CK Life Sciences Int'l. (Holdings) Inc (a member of the Cheung Kong Group) in obtaining ACCC clearance for its acquisition of the Peaty Trading Group.
Caroline's market reputation is also evidenced by her nomination in the Best Lawyer in Competition/Anti-Trust Award category at the Euromoney Legal Media Group Asia Women in Business Law Awards (2011), her listing as a “leading lawyer” by the International Financial Law Review's Guide to Competition and Antitrust Lawyers (2011, 2012) and in Chambers’ Asia Pacific Guide (2012 and 2013) and her recognition as a leading individual in the Australian Financial Review's “Best Lawyers” publication, as voted by peers (Competition 2012 and Telecommunications 2011, 2012). Caroline has also been named the Best Lawyers' 2013 Melbourne Competition "Lawyer of the Year".