Monopolies, British Council Podcasts
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LearnEnglish Professionals
MONOPOLIES AUDIOSCRIPT
Listen to an interview with a lawyer involved in antitrust (monopoly) cases.
Optional exercise
Listen and fill in the interviewer’s notes (Answers below)
Interview with Annabelle Collins
Qualifications: Degree in …………..
1
Legal training & specialization in .......................
2
law
Experience: worked in both public and …………………
3
sector
Skills: good at synthesizing large amounts of ……………………….
4
has working knowledge of government ……………….
5
keeps on top of changes in .........................................
6
works to strict ……………………………
7
Interviewer
: Hello and welcome to the second in our series of programmes ‘Brief Insights’. Today I’m talking to Annabelle
Collins, a legal adviser with the Competition Commission in London. Annabelle, why the corporate sector?
Annabelle
: Hello, Simon. Well, I suppose first of all my academic background I read Economics at university means I’m
quite well equipped for this area of work. After my legal training I went into private practice specializing in commercial law
and I've always been interested in the effect of regulation on business practice…
Interviewer:
But you’re on the side of the consumer now, not the big corporations?
Annabelle:
With twenty or so years of experience in the field I’ve seen things from both perspectives but I like to think now
that I’m standing up for the public interest. Keeping the big boys in line, if you like.
Interviewer:
There’s a lot of research involved, I take it.
Annabelle:
There’s the sheer volume of evidence in the form of company data and expert testimony. You also need a firm
grasp of detailed regulations and to keep yourself up to date with government policy.
Interviewer:
It must mean a few late nights...
Annabelle:
A merger case may run to hundreds of boxes of documents and you’ve got to distil that down to the few key
themes, get it clear in your head what the issues are over the course of what can be a very complex process. It definitely
stimulates the grey matter.
Interviewer:
And the cases may be quite high profile at times…
Annabelle:
Oh, people are playing for big stakes. There are always powerful interests at work so you have to be pretty
focussed at times. On the other hand, companies don’t usually want the glare of publicity; they have their businesses to think
about.
Interviewer:
But there have been major changes in the legislation in recent times?
Annabelle:
There’s been shall we say a definite change of emphasis and as a regulatory body we have to reflect that. I think
the procedures for, say, a market investigation are far more transparent and rigorous than in the past. It’s not meant to be an
adversarial process, more a gathering and sifting of evidence with expert input and then the application of a suitable remedy.
Interviewer:
And you’re working to quite strict deadlines…
Annabelle:
Oh yes, there are statutory time limits laid down for a merger inquiry for example. The whole process has got to
come to a conclusion, contained in its final report, within six months. The business world doesn’t hang around and nor can
we.
Answers:
1. Economics, 2. commercial, 3. private, 4. information, 5. policy, 6. legislation, 7. deadlines
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