Commandant (retired) M M Sharma, Advocate, Delhi High Court, started and heads the Antitrust/Competition Law & Policy practice in VA since 2009 and has over 30 years’ legal and regulatory experience, both as an Advocate of Delhi High Court and as Law and Judicial officer in the Government of India (Law Officer/Judge Advocate in the rank of Commandant in the Indian Coast Guard). He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Economics of Competition Law from Kings College, London. He has worked in the Competition Commission of India (CCI) as Additional Registrar during 2006-2008 and was responsible for drafting the Implementing Regulations under the Competition Act, 2002. He has experience of working as Head-Legal /In-house Counsel for a large Corporate Group in the Steel and Power sector before joining VA in 2009.

Mr Sharma has advised and represented clients, as an independent arguing Counsel in landmark cases of cartels, abuse of dominant position and M&As before the CCI, and in appeals before the Competition Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT) (Now before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal) (NCLAT) and Delhi and other High Courts since last over 10 years, including many Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and large MNCs, Trade Associations on competition issues. He has many successes to his credit in cartel cases.

He assisted CCI and the Government of India in amending the draft Merger Regulations as a part of the “Law Firms Working Group” comprising of all leading Law firms in India by incorporating the Industry’s concerns, as a Member of ASSOCHAM’s National Competition Council during 2011. He also sent Industry’s concerns to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on the draft National Competition Policy in 2012 on behalf of the PHD Chamber of Commerce.

As a prolific writer on competition issues, his articles are published in noted journals and financial newspapers and he is frequently quoted on competition issues and also appears on TV interviews as subject expert. He also teaches “competition law’ as a visiting faculty in various Universities and Institutions such as the Indian Law Institute (ILI), New Delhi , the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India and at the National Law University (NLU) , Delhi and CUTS -Institute for Regulation and Competition (CIRC). He participates as a subject expert in various Committees of the Apex Business Chambers, such as FICCI, CII, ASSOCHAM and PHD CCI.

Mr. Sharma also represents Enterprises and Industry groups as Consultant/Advisor on part time basis before the Various Ministries and Government authorities for policy interventions on behalf of his clients as a policy activist.

Mr Sharma also runs an independent Blog, the Antitrust & Competition Law Blog and is also available on Twitter. His blog gives latest update on competition issues and can also be assessed at www.competitionlawyer.in

Mr. Sharma has been mentioned as a “Notable Practitioner” in the “Competition /Antitrust “category of Chambers & Partners Asia Pacific Ranking of Leading Lawyers for Business in India for the year 2012 and 2013. Further, recently the Firm has been chosen as Indian Law Firm for “Competition & Antitrust” for 2013 by Indian Business Law Journal and as “Competition Law Firm in India” for 2014 by Global Law Experts.

Mr Sharma edits our bi-monthly newsletter dedicated to competition law, the “Competition News Bulletin”, ,which is circulated ,inter alia, to all Judges of the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India, besides in the Government of India and in CCI and COMPAT etc. He also contributes updates on “Competition” to an International Legal Journal, the International Law Office (www.internationallawoffice.com) from India regularly.