Robert Neruda

Partner

Email:
robert.neruda@havelpartners.cz

Practice Areas:

Industry Sectors:

Robert Neruda is the head of the Firm’s team of lawyers and economists specialising in competition law.

He focuses on advising clients relating to cartels, abuse of dominance, assessment of mergers and acquisitions from a competition perspective, significant market power, state aid, and public procurement. He typically represents clients in proceedings related to the concentration of undertakings and advises them on related issues, represents businesses suspected of anti-competitive conduct, and advises clients on the competition aspects of their contemplated projects. He also specialises in the compensation of damage caused by anti-competitive conduct. In addition, Robert is active in the area of competition and internal investigations, advises, for example, companies operating in the energy sector, telecommunications, the automotive industry, or fast-moving consumer goods. Robert is co-responsible for managing the Brno branch of the law firm.

Before joining our law firm, Robert worked eight years at the Czech Office for the Protection of Competition, from 2000 to 2003 at the International Department, later as Director of the Analytical Department and Deputy Chief Director. He then served as an assistant to the judge at the Czech Supreme Administrative Court in 2004 and 2005. After his return to the Office for the Protection of Competition, he worked as the chairman of the appellate committee for antitrust and mergers and as a member of the appellate committee on public procurement. Beginning in 2007, he served as the head of the Competition Section; in 2008 as Vice-Chairman of the Office; and in 2009 as the Office’s acting chairman.

Robert carries out his legal practice both in the Czech Republic and Slovakia where he practices as Registered European Lawyer. He is a co-author of important commentaries to the Competition Act (2004 and 2006) and the Public Procurement Act (2005 and 2007) and author of several dozen professional articles. He lectures at Masaryk University in Brno and also at international conferences.

RECOMMENDATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATIONS

Robert is recommended as an expert in competition law by such international publications as The International Who’s Who of Competition Lawyers & Economists, ILO Client Choice, and Chambers Europe Guide. Under his management, the Firm was also successful in other prestigious legal rankings relating to competition law, in particular, Law Firm of the Year (winner of the Competition Law category in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020), Chambers, and Global Competition Review. In 2017 he was one of the six lawyers awarded in the Innovative Lawyer of the Year competition, Global Competition Review named him as Thought Leader, and Who is Who Legal as Competition Future Leader.

MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Czech Bar Association
Slovak Bar Association

Languages
Czech, English

Education

Masaryk University, Faculty of Law, Brno (2008), Ph.D.
Masaryk University, Faculty of Law, Brno (2001), JUDr. (Doctor of Laws)
Masaryk University, Faculty of Law, Brno (2000), Mgr. (Master of Laws)

advising important telecommunications operators in connection with alleged restrictive practices in the area of dominance, state aid, and merger control, representing them both at the EU and national level
representing three leading banks in the merger control proceedings at the European Commission regarding the establishment of the full function JV
advising a truck manufacturer regarding the damage claims brought by customers
advising producers and importers of motor vehicles in connection with alleged restrictive practices and related representation before the competition offices
advising an important retail chain store with respect to the concentration of undertakings, significant market power, compliance, and restrictive practice
advising an important energy company with respect to dominance, representation before the competition offices, and in relation to international arbitration
advising an important construction company in relation to proceedings before the competition offices concerning alleged restrictive practices
advising an Internet company on issues of unilateral conduct and successful claims by a competitor relating to the abuse of dominance
advising global internet platform in various competition matters, incl. representation before the Czech competition authority and before the court in private litigation case
advising a company operating in the petrochemical industry in connection with the control of concentrations, dominance, and restrictive practices
advising a food business relating to competition compliance and internal investigations

Press releases

In the Law firm of the Year competition HAVEL & PARTNERS won the main award for International Law Firm, the Best Client Service Award, and also won the Competition category
In the 10th annual Law Firm of the Year 2022 competition, the largest Czech-Slovak law firm HAV… read more »

HAVEL & PARTNERS is the largest Czech law firm and the fifth largest law firm on the Slovak market. It is the largest law firm in the field of Intellectual Property law and Competition law
In the TOP 10 largest law firms ranking, which is compiled by the daily SME and The Slovak Spec… read more »

HAVEL & PARTNERS is the exclusive contributor for the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the Distribution Law Center project
An expert team from HAVEL & PARTNERS has been involved in the Distribution Law Center (DLC) int… read more »

HAVEL & PARTNERS has joined the international Distribution Law Center project
HAVEL & PARTNERS has joined the unique international project Distribution Law Center led by the… read more »

HAVEL & PARTNERS becomes the absolute winner of the Law Firm of the Year Awards again, confirming the most successful year in its history
HAVEL & PARTNERS has continued its success at the Chambers Europe Awards 2020 for the Best … read more »

HAVEL & PARTNERS leading competition law experts, including Robert Neruda, have contacted the management of the Czech competition authority with proposals for dealing with the impacts of the coronavirus crisis on businesses
Czech competition law experts Robert Neruda, Martin Nedelka and Pavel Dejl have written an open let… read more »

HAVEL & PARTNERS to receive the top competition law rating from the prestigious UK agency Global Competition Review for the third year in a row
Law firm HAVEL & PARTNERS (until 31 December 2017 bearing the name of Havel, Holásek &&nbs… read more »

Publications and newsletters

Selective distribution
What? One of the common types of distribution agreements are selective distribution agreemen… read more »

Dual Distribution: Information exchange
What? Dual distribution occurs where a supplier sells goods or services both directly and th… read more »

Dual distribution: Market share threshold
What? Dual distribution occurs where a supplier sells goods or services both directly and th… read more »

Dudal Distribution: Extension of exception to wholesalers and importers
What? Dual distribution occurs where a supplier sells goods or services both directly and th… read more »

Active sales restrictions: Rolling over Prohibition
What? Classic notions in the world of vertical agreements are those of “active sales” and “p… read more »

“Vertical” in the spotlight: Active sales restrictions – Parallel imposition requirement
What? Classic notions in the world of vertical agreements are those of “active sales” and “passi… read more »

“Vertical” in the spotlight: Active sales restrictions – Exclusivity condition
What? Classic notions in the world of vertical agreements are those of “active sales” and “passi… read more »

“Vertical” in the spotlight: Hardcore restrictions – Equivalence
What? Online sales restrictions are under close scrutiny from the European Commission and nation… read more »

“Vertical” in the spotlight: Hardcore restrictions – Dual pricing
What? When a supplier or manufacturer charges different wholesale prices for the same product de… read more »

“Vertical” in the spotlight: Hardcore restrictions – Resale price maintenance
What? Certain types of vertical restraints are particularly likely to hinder competition and h… read more »

Hardcore restrictions general
What? Vertical agreements often contain a vast number of provisions, regulating different as… read more »

“Vertical” in the spotlight: Non-compete restrictions (post term)
What? Suppliers often provide commercial know-how to their distributors which they would not wan… read more »

“Vertical” in the spotlight: Non-compete restrictions
What? Distribution agreements often contain non-compete clauses. They impose restrictions on a d… read more »

Agency ("dual role" agents)
What? Over the past few years, a trend has been noticeable toward a commercial strategy combinin… read more »

Agency (definition and temporary transfer of ownership)
What? In the previous countdown it was highlighted that EU competition law applies a particu… read more »

Agency (Legal Test)
What? The particular nature of agency agreements triggers the application of a specific comp… read more »

Overview of distribution systems
What? Before diving into the individual restrictions of competition that typically appear in… read more »

European competition rules relating to distribution, agency and supply agreements about to change
commencement of DLC COUNTDOWN NEWSLETTERS getting ready for 1 june 2022 What? No busin… read more »

Czech Republic to start FDI screening from 1 May 2021
Autoři: Robert Neruda, Roman Světnický, Martin Rott A new regulation sets up a sy… read more »

European Commission changed its preliminary view on the inspection in Slovak rail company ZSSK and closed the infringement proceedings
Authors: Robert Neruda, Juraj Steinecker, Tomáš Varšo On 25 September 2018, the European Com… read more »

Does the Directive on Unfair Trading Practices Change Anything?
Authors: Robert Neruda, Ivo Šimeček, Martin Rott The Directive on unfair trading practices in bu… read more »

Czech NCA: Fines revisited
Author: Robert Neruda In late April, the Czech NCA, the Office for the Protection of Competi… read more »

Press releases

Publications and newsletters

Articles and Interviews

Significant Matters

Robert Neruda

RECOMMENDATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATIONS

MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Press releases

Publications and newsletters

Articles and Interviews

Significant Matters

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