Profile details
About Alexandra Holroyd
Alex is a senior associate in our commercial dispute resolution group, with a particular focus on competition litigation.
Alex advises on complex commercial and competition law disputes and investigations, and has particular expertise in antitrust collective proceedings and group litigation, having acted on some of the largest and most high-profile proceedings in recent years, including the Merricks v Mastercard collective claim.
Alex's litigation experience extends across the High Court, Competition Appeal Tribunal, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and, at a European level, the General Court and Court of Justice.
Alex is a lead member of the team representing Mastercard in the Merricks v Mastercard collective proceedings, having worked on the case for over six years, including in relation to appeals before the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
Alex is also leading at senior associate-level on a number of other collective proceedings before the Competition Appeal Tribunal and appellate courts.
During her time at Freshfields, Alex has spent time on secondment in the firm's international arbitration team in Paris and antitrust litigation team in Washington DC.
Recent work
- Advising Mastercard since 2018 in the Merricks v Mastercard proceedings, which was the first major consumer claim under the UK collective proceedings regime and one of the largest damages claims in the UK Court (with a claim value currently estimated at around £10 billion). Alex is currently representing Mastercard in a series of preliminary issues trials and appeals, on matters including Causation, Limitation and Exemption.
- Advising Mastercard in the proposed collective proceedings brought by two special purpose vehicles (brought on an opt-in and opt-out basis) in relation to Commercial Card interchange.
- Advising BT in the proposed collective proceedings brought by Justin Gutmann against the UK's largest mobile network companies.
- Advising Volvo/Renault Trucks on the defence of follow-on litigation following the imposition of record cartel fines by the European Commission in the English courts, as well as the co-ordination of Volvo/Renault Trucks' Europe-wide defence.
- Acting for a financial services client in respect of a multi-jurisdictional cartel and conduct-related investigation, including an appeal to the European General Court and intervention in an appeal before the European Court of Justice.
Qualifications
- Kings College London - Postgraduate diploma in European Competition Law (Highest mark in year)
- University of St Andrews (History, First Class Honours)
- Qualified solicitor (England & Wales)