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 USD108 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 USD68 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 USD68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard (Global Competition Review’s '2024 Matter of the Year'), its USD20 billion acquisition of Nuance Communications and in relation to the ACCC’s Digital Platforms Inquiry.

  • Mylan Inc on the Australian aspects of its USD12 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

  • The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2025

    Ranked in the Hall of Fame for Competition and Trade

  • Chambers Asia-Pacific 2025

    Ranked as a leading practitioner for Competition/Antitrust category

  • The Best Lawyers in Australia 2026

    Recognised for Competition Law and Regulatory Practice

  • Who’s Who Legal 2024

    Recognised as a 'Global Elite Thought Leader' in Competition

  • The Best Lawyers in Australia 2022

    Partner of the Year - Competition, Trade and Regulation

  • Global Competition Review 2021

    Recognised in the sixth edition of Women in Antitrust