Doug Thompson
Clayton Utz
Doug specialises in competition and consumer law, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, restrictive trade practices (including cartel conduct), and consumer protection. He is known for his collaborative approach, ability to distil complex information, and dedication to achieving practical outcomes for his clients.
Doug also provides strategic commercial advice on business relationships, procurement, and transactions. His expertise spans the wagering, communications, and technology sectors, where he has a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities these industries face.
Doug has played a key role in delivering successful outcomes for clients across a range of high-profile matters, including:
Saputo: Secured ACCC merger clearance for Saputo's $1.3 billion acquisition of Murray Goulburn and advised on the ACCC's dairy inquiry.
Tatts Group Limited: Played a key role in securing merger authorisation from the Australian Competition Tribunal for Tabcorp Limited’s $11 billion acquisition of Tatts Group Limited.
Newcastle Permanent Building Society: Advised on competition aspects of its merger with Greater Bank Limited, which created the new merged entity Newcastle Greater Mutual Group Ltd with $20 billion in assets.
Brickworks Limited: Represented Brickworks Limited in private antitrust litigation against BGC Australia in a case regarding allegations of unlawful acquisition and predatory pricing practices.
Flutter Entertainment: Successfully obtained ACCC informal merger clearance for Flutter Entertainment (Sportsbet) in relation to its acquisition of BetEasy in Australia.
Woolworths Limited: Assisted Woolworths in obtaining ACCC informal merger clearance for two significant transactions: the $1.7 billion sale of its petrol business to EG Group and its strategic acquisition of a 65% interest in PFD Food Services Pty Limited.
Optus: Advised on multiple regulatory investigations into misleading and deceptive conduct, and provided guidance on advertising and website content to mitigate Australian Consumer Law (ACL) risks.
AMD ZT Systems: Acted as local competition counsel for AMD's acquisition of ZT Systems, which enhanced AMD's AI and compute infrastructure capabilities.
Slack Technologies: Acted as local competition counsel for Slack's US$27.9 billion merger with Salesforce.