Robert O’Donoghue QC

Brick Court Chambers

Robert O’Donoghue QC is not one of the new breed of barrister who doesn’t relish the courtroom. He remains fascinated by “the dark arts of trying to gain marginal advantages” in front of a judge. Fortunately, he has plenty of opportunity.

One of the star names in the world of competition law, O’Donoghue has become the go-to silk when it comes to taking on the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Last year he was in (virtual) court on multiple occasions in cases including Ping v CMA, Pfizer v CMA and FP McCann v CMA, as well as the dispute between Facebook and the CMA over the blocking of Facebook’s acquisition of GIPHY.

But this is not his only line of work: he has been in the High Court on a Covid-related pricing dispute, Preventx v Royal Mail, and is instructed by Fieldfisher for one of the claimants in the second wave of claims in the Trucks litigation. He is also acting, so far pro bono, for the fans of Newcastle United in respect of a possible action against the Premier League over the failed takeover by a consortium involving Saudi Arabia of the football club.

O’Donoghue spent 10 years working for international law firms in Brussels and Washington DC, and says the contacts he made overseas helped immensely when he returned to the Bar in 2006. He now has a practice that involves plenty of non-London work. That time within firms also helped him better understand what qualities solicitors want from counsel, chief among them being a team-player mentality. No divas here; this is an accessible superstar.