Jens-Olrik Murach is a partner in the Brussels and Frankfurt offices of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is admitted in Germany and is a member of the Brussels Bar. He is a member of the firm’s Antitrust and Competition as well as the Litigation practice groups, with more than 15 years of experience practicing antitrust law in Brussels and Germany. Mr. Murach is also a member of the Gibson Dunn’s Pro Bono Committee.

Mr. Murach’s practice covers the complete range of EU and German antitrust issues, including merger control, restrictive practices, market dominance, cartel investigations, sectoral investigations, compliance and antitrust litigation. He also advises on EU State aid and public procurement matters.

He has advised on many complex merger control matters in his career, both before the European Commission and the German Federal Cartel Office, e.g., most recently on Telefónica Deutschland/E-Plus, Vodafone/Certain Liberty Global Assets, Tata Steel/ThyssenKrupp/JV (representing a third-parties, respectively), Marriott/Starwood, TIL/PSA/PSA DGD or PepsiCo/SodaStream. Mr. Murach also has strong experience in managing global merger control investigations in virtually every part of the world.

Mr. Murach regularly represents companies in cartel and abuse of dominance investigations before both the European Commission and the German Federal Cartel Office including leniency applications, settlement negotiations, and appeals against fines before courts. He also has strong experience in advising on vertical distribution matters, such as setting-up selective distribution systems, and represents clients in commercial and administrative antitrust litigation before German courts and the Courts of the EU in Luxemburg.

Chambers Europe and Chambers Global 2020 rank him in the category Competition: EU – Belgium and cite interviewees who praise his “deep technical expertise and strong client relationship skills.” A client reports impressed: “He takes our concerns seriously and is pragmatic.” The JUVE Handbook 2020/2021 “frequently recommends” Mr. Murach . Competitors described him as “excellent lawyer, very pleasant to work with“ (JUVE Handbook 2019/2020). The Legal 500 EMEA 2020 rates him a “key lawyer“ for Competition: EU and Global in Belgium and quotes among testimonials: „Jens-Olrik Murach is always accessible and responsive, and his advice is thorough, helpful, pragmatic and prompt. He is excellent to work with.“ The Legal 500 Deutschland 2020 and The Legal 500 EMEA 2020 recommend him for antitrust law in Germany and cite clients who describe him as a “a very good lawyer who works pragmatically and constructively.” He was selected among the leading German EU Antitrust specialists in Brussels by the JUVE Handbook 2017/2018. The edition 2016/2017 includes quotes recognizing him as “super antitrust lawyer.” He is recommended in Who’s Who Legal: Competition (Brussels), and has been selected among The Best Lawyers™ in Germany 2021 for both Competition/Antitrust Law and Litigation.

He is a frequent author and speaker on antitrust issues. He has authored a handbook on German Merger Control (Deutsche Fusionskontrolle, Erich Schmidt) and co-authors a leading German commentary on EU antitrust law (Frankfurter Kommentar zum Kartellrecht, Otto Schmidt). Mr. Murach is a member of the academic advisory board of the renowned German antitrust law journal Wirtschaft und Wettbewerb (WuW) and was shortlisted for the Best Business Cross-Border Issues Articles Award at the 2018 Antitrust Writing Awards.

Mr. Murach regularly lectures at the Academy of European Law (ERA).

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Mr. Murach headed the EU and competition practice in a renowned German law firm. Before that, he practiced with a leading international law firm in the Düsseldorf, Brussels and New York offices.

He speaks German and English.

Selected Publications and Speaking Engagements

• ERA Summer Course on European Competition Law, July 2018 and July 2019, lecturing on “Cartels, information exchange, tacit collusion and oligopoly issues” and on “The impact of vertical agreements on competition”.
• Co-author of “The EU Court of Justice rules in favour of restrictions on the use of platforms in a selective distribution system (Coty)”, 6 December 2017, e-Competitions Bulletin March 2018 – II, Art. N° 86552.
• Co-author of “The Düsseldorf Court of Appeals confirms a decision of the Bundeskartellamt against all prohibitions or restrictions imposed in relation to online sales made by traditional distributors (ASICS)”, 6 April 2017, e-Competitions Bulletin April 2017, Art. N° 86551.
• ERA Summer Course on European Competition Law, July 2016 and 2017, Lecturing on “EU policy towards horizontal agreements: guidelines on horizontal cooperation and block exemption regulations” and on “EU policy towards vertical agreements: the block exemption regulation and its explanatory guidelines”.
• Global Competition Review Know How –  Immunity, Sanctions & Settlements – Germany.
• Author of article “Aktuelle Entwicklungen im Kartellbußgeldrecht” (Recent Developments in the law on antitrust fines), GWR 2013, 353.
• Panelist, ABA webinar, “Navigating the Globe: Cartel Enforcement Around the World – Chapter 13: Germany”, ABA Section of Antitrust Law, Cartel and Criminal Practice Committee and International Committee, 18 July 2013 at 11 am EST/5pm CET.
• Author, “Deutsche Fusionskontrolle” (Handbook on German Merger Control), published by Erich Schmidt Verlag, 2011.
• Commentator, Articles 11 – 14 of Council Regulation (EC), “Frankfurter Kommentar zum Kartellrecht” (Frankfurt Commentary on Competition Law), published by Dr. Otto Schmidt, No 1/2003.