Liana Witt

Biography

Liana is a partner in our Competition, Consumer and Market Regulation group.

She is a competition and consumer law specialist with over 15 years’ experience handling complex regulatory investigations, litigation and M&A clearances. She advises clients in a broad range of industries including healthcare, retailing, aviation, media, FMCG and industrials, among others.

Liana brings particular expertise in regulatory investigations and prosecutions, having acted in a number of high-profile matters including the second ever criminal cartel prosecution in Australia and other significant civil cartel and misuse of market power investigations and proceedings.  

Liana is well-known for assisting clients manage regulatory risk across all aspects of consumer protection laws, including unfair contract terms, misleading or deceptive conduct, advertising and marketing clearance, consumer guarantees and product safety matters. Liana regularly assists clients develop and implement compliance programs and in negotiating and complying with enforceable undertakings.

In Health & Life Sciences, Liana also brings experience across a broad range of regulatory regimes across pharmaceuticals, diagnostic imaging, home care, pharmacy, pharmaceutical wholesaling and telehealth, among others.  

Experience

Liana’s experience includes advising:

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

  • Prosegur Australia on the successful ACCC authorisation of the merger of its Australian business with Linfox Armaguard.

  • Eftpos in relation to the ACCC’s investigation and proceedings against Mastercard alleging misuse of market power in credit card services to substantially lessen competition in debit card services.

  • Target Australia in a dispute and proceedings commenced against an overseas manufacturer arising out of an ACCC investigation and subsequent product recall.

  • K-Line in the second ever criminal cartel proceedings commenced by the CDPP in Australia.

  • BlueScope Steel Limited in civil cartel proceedings commenced by the ACCC.

  • The Australian arm of a multinational company in the healthcare sector in relation to an ACCC investigation into alleged anti-competitive bundling and rebate practices.

  • Various Australian and international companies on competition and consumer law conduct matters and ACCC clearances.