Gabriela da Costa is a dual-qualified EU and UK competition law partner in the firm's Antitrust, Competition, and Trade Regulation practice group.
Gabi’s practice has been described as “unique” by The Legal 500, where she has been ranked as a Next Generation Partner for three consecutive years.
While Gabi maintains a broad, traditional antitrust practice, she has developed two niches in areas of strategic focus for the EU and UK competition authorities.
Vertical Strategy for Consumer Brands
Gabi advises leading consumer brands - spanning luxury, beauty, fashion, electronics, homewares, wellness, and more - on navigating the complex vertical competition rules across the EU and UK. Recognised as being "at the forefront of distribution strategy matters, particularly in the context of sophisticated issues arising in e-commerce," she supports clients (including dominant players) in designing and executing compliant and sophicated go-to-market strategies. Her work includes advising on vertical resale controls, selective and exclusive distribution systems, dual pricing, online marketplace policies, and grey market enforcement (including litigation).
She has successfully defended the distribution models and practices of major brand owners in regulatory investigations and litigation, including securing outcomes with no fines or damages. With D2C models becoming increasingly central, Gabi also advises on protocols for legally sound interactions with customers that may now also be competitors.
Gabi was nominated for the award of Luxury Law Partner of the Year at the 2024 European Luxury Law Alliance Summit.
Horizontal Sustainability Collaborations
Gabi also advises industry players, trade associations, NGOs, and sustainability consultants on the design and operation of antitrust-compliant competitor collaborations, particularly those aimed at achieving sustainability goals. She has led legal strategy on high-profile, cross-sector initiatives across sectors such as beauty, aviation, maritime, ports, metals, concrete, and EVs, including acting as lead competition counsel on the first ever collaboration (a joint purchasing arrangement) cleared by the European Commission under its new Guidelines for Horizontal Sustainability Collaborations.
Clients say:
“The way [Gabi] builds trust and relationships is second to none. She is professional, friendly and extremely engaged with any issue.”
“[Gabi is] excellent and extremely on-point: highly focused on both the material aspects of matters, but also keeping a keen eye on (cross-border) interests of clients….”
“[Gabi is] super attentive, very knowledgeable and commercial.”
Gabi qualified in early 2012. Prior to joining the firm, she trained and worked in the London office of a Magic Circle law firm and for the Civil Justice Division of the UK Ministry of Justice.
- Recognised by The Legal 500 United Kingdom in London
- Next Generation Partner for EU and competition, 2024-2025
- Recommender Lawyer for Retail and consumer and Commercial contracts, 2024-2025
- Listed as a Future Leader in Competition by Who’s Who Legal, 2024-2025
- Awarded Vice-Chancellor and Principal’s Medal for Excellent Undergraduate Academic Achievement (highest University of Pretoria academic award for student in any faculty)
- Awarded Butterworth’s Prize for final year student with best dissertation
- Awarded Law Society of the Northern Provinces of South Africa Prize for best student in Legal Practice
- Member of the Law Society of England and Wales
- Regularly speaks on optimizing go-to-market and marketplace strategy design, including at industry and e-commerce events and seminars.
- Delivers competition law compliance training to client sales teams, distributor partners, and trade association committees.
- “A Look At New Vertical Laws, Their Opportunities And Pitfalls,” Law360, 23 January 2023
- “Now screening: Europe,” Ragtrader, April 2018
- “Agency Under EU Competition Law,” A Lexis®PSL document produced in partnership with K&L Gates, June 2015
- Regularly writes on online marketplace and e-commerce developments under EU vertical distribution laws, including for publications such as Lexology, the Journal of European Competition Law & Practice, and specialist industry papers.
- Author and reviewer of numerous competition law publications for LexisNexis PSL Service, including guidance and drafting notes on:
- vertical commercial agreements between non-competitors, including supply and distribution agreements;
- vertical commercial agreements between competitors;
- horizontal commercial agreements between competitors, including joint production, commercialization, purchasing, and research and development agreements;
- competition law issues in intellectual property agreements;
- technology transfer agreements; and
- competition law issues in corporate agreements.
- Has published articles and case notes in Croner’s Europe and Thomas Reuters.
- Research assistant and editor of Cloete (ed.) 2005 Introduction to Sports Law in South Africa (Durban: Lexis Nexis Butterworths).
