Philip is a partner in the firm’s Hong Kong office and Head of O’Melveny’s Asia Antitrust & Competition practice. Philip joined the firm in 2017.
With more than 15 years’ experience in the practice of competition law, Philip advises multinational clients on competition issues arising under antitrust laws globally but with a particular focus on EU competition laws and the competition laws of China and Asia generally.
Philip’s extensive private practice experience covers the full range of competition law matters including distribution, cartels and leniency, abuse of dominance cases, and merger control. He has advised parties in proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union and in investigations conducted by the EU Commission, the OFT, the NMa, the French Autorité de la concurrence, KFTC, JFTC, the Taiwan FTC, China State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), the US Department of Justice, the Competition Bureau (Canada), the ACCC and the Competition Commission of South Africa. Philip is a noted expert on China merger control having advised parties on the intricacies of the regime since its introduction in 2008.
From 2014 to 2017, Philip served as the first Executive Director (General Counsel) of the Hong Kong Competition Commission (HKCC). In that capacity, Philip was a member of the HKCC's Executive management team with responsibility for the HKCC Legal Division.
Philip is an English (England and Wales), Irish and Hong Kong-qualified lawyer.
Behavioral Competition Law
- Advice to an Asian airline in worldwide cartel investigations and follow-on class actions for damages, including assisting the client in proceedings before the OFT, NMa (Dutch competition authority), the Autorité de la concurrence (France), the EU Commission, KFTC (Korea), JFTC (Japan), the US Department of Justice, the ACCC (Australia), the Competition Bureau (Canada), and in South Africa
Merger Control and Transactional Competition Law
- Advice to Unilever on multi-jurisdictional merger control aspects of the sale of its global manufacturing and distribution business of Skippy brand products to Hormel Foods
EU State Aid
- Advice to one of the world’s largest ferry operators regarding state aid granted to a competitor affecting transport markets between the UK and Ireland
Admissions
- Solicitor, Hong Kong
- Solicitor, England and Wales
- Solicitor, Ireland
Education
- King’s College London, Postgraduate Diploma in EU Competition Law (2004-2005)
- College of Law, London, Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice (2000-2001)
- Queen Mary, University of London, LL.B. (1998-2000)
Honors & Awards
- Recognized by The Legal 500 as a Leading Individual for Antitrust and Competition (Hong Kong) (2023-2024)
- Recognized by Chambers Global for Competition/Antitrust (International Firms) (China) (2022-2025)
- Chambers Greater China Region / Chambers Asia Pacific for Competition/Antitrust (International Firms) (2022-2024 and 2021)
Professional Activities
Selected Presentations, Seminars, and Training Workshops
- “Hong Kong Competition Ordinance: law and practice,” Lexis-Nexis CPD Course, Hong Kong (2019)
Selected Publications
- “China’s Recent Competition Developments: 2019 in Review,” Philip Monaghan, Scott Schaeffer, ABA Antitrust Section’s The Antitrust Source (April 2020)
Memberships
- Law Society of England and Wales
Corporate & Government Experience
- Executive Director (General Counsel), Competition Commission (Hong Kong) (2014-2017)