Elizabeth Avery

Biography

Elizabeth is the head of our market-leading Competition, Consumer and Market Regulation group.

Combining legal analytics, innovative problem-solving and a practical approach, Elizabeth has a global reputation for achieving her clients' objectives. She advises on competition law risk in complex matters across many high-stakes situations, including merger clearances, corporate strategy, enforcement litigation and investigations.

Drawing on a wealth of experience as an antitrust lawyer at a global firm in New York for many years, Elizabeth also advises on matters with multijurisdictional dimensions and brings a depth of comparative insights. She is regularly invited to speak internationally on Australian competition law.

Elizabeth obtained a Master of Laws from New York University, where she won the antitrust prize. She also holds a BA and LLB (Honours) from the University of Sydney. She is admitted to the bar of New York and also as a solicitor in the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the High Court of Australia.

Listen to Elizabeth on The Competitive Edge podcast. 

Experience

Elizabeth’s experience includes advising:

  • Anheuser-Busch InBev in successfully obtaining unconditional Australian merger clearance for the US$108 billion global merger with SABMiller. This was the largest beer merger in history and one of the largest corporate takeovers.

  • Broadcom on its unconditional ACCC clearance to acquire VMware for US$68 billion (Global Competition Review’s ‘2024 Merger Control Matter of the Year’).

  • Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha in a landmark criminal cartel prosecution.

  • Microsoft on the Australian competition aspects of its US$68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard (Global Competition Review’s '2024 Matter of the Year'), its US$20 billion acquisition of Nuance Communications and in relation to the ACCC’s Digital Platforms Inquiry.

  • Mylan Inc on the Australian aspects of its US$12 billion merger with Pfizer’s off-patent drug business (Upjohn) to become Viatris and prior transactions, obtaining conditional clearance with divestitures.

  • NSW Ports (owner of privatised leases of Ports Botany and Kembla) in ACCC proceedings alleging terms of privatisation were anticompetitive, winning at trial and on appeal.

  • OTR Group on the successful ACCC clearance for its $1.15 billion acquisition of its fuel business by Viva Energy.

  • Prosegur Australia in successfully obtaining conditional merger authorisation to combine its national cash-in-transit and ATM businesses with Linfox Armaguard.

  • Sigma Healthcare on the competition and regulatory aspects of its ground-breaking merger with Chemist Warehouse Group to create a leading ASX-listed wholesaler, distributor and retail pharmacy franchisor.

  • Westpac Banking Corporation in achieving unconditional clearance for the acquisition of Lloyds’ businesses in Australia and on a range of financial services matters and inquiries.

Awards and Recognition

  • Best Lawyers 2025

    Recognised for Competition Law and Regulatory Practice

  • Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024

    Ranked as a leading practitioner for Competition/Antitrust category

  • The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2024

    Ranked in the 'Hall of Fame' for Competition and Trade

  • Who’s Who Legal 2024

    Recognised as a 'Global Elite Thought Leader' in Competition

  • Best Lawyers 2022

    Partner of the Year - Competition, Trade and Regulation

  • Global Competition Review 2021

    Recognised in the sixth edition of Women in Antitrust