Simon Pritchard

Partner

London
simon.pritchard@lw.com
+44.20.7710.1014

PRACTICES

  • Antitrust & Competition
  • Litigation & Trial

INDUSTRIES

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Entertainment, Sports & Media
  • Healthcare & Life Sciences
  • Retail & Consumer Products
  • Technology

BAR QUALIFICATIONS

  • England and Wales (Solicitor)

EDUCATION

  • LLM, University of Heidelberg, 1997
  • LLB (Hons), University of Adelaide, 1996
  • BA (Hons), University of Adelaide, 1995

LANGUAGES SPOKEN

  • English
  • German

PROFILE

Simon Pritchard advises clients on their highest stakes UK, EU, and international competition law matters.

He draws upon more than 25 years’ experience, having served in government on the Office of Fair Trading’s Senior Executive Team and as the UK’s first Senior Director of Mergers, and in private practice in Brussels, London, and Washington, D.C.

Simon now guides market-leading companies on:

  • Complex Phase 1 and 2 merger control including parallel EU/UK, US/UK, and other multi-jurisdictional inquiries
  • Challenging agency decisions and precedent-setting merger litigation before the Competition Appeal Tribunal
  • Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) market investigations
  • UK cartel inquiries including leniency applications

A recognized thought leader, he has regularly acted as a competition expert to various UK Parliamentary and Whitehall committees, and served as nongovernmental adviser to the Office of Fair Trading and the US Federal Trade Commission. Having helped shape certain foundational aspects of modern UK merger enforcement, he also remains an active participant in periodic efforts to adapt and improve competition policy and procedure in the UK.

EXPERIENCE

Simon’s experience includes advising:

Transactions

  • Microsoft in securing CMA Phase 1 unconditional merger clearance of its high-profile hiring of former employees of Inflection.ai and entry into related agreements
  • Viasat in obtaining CMA/EU parallel Phase 2 clearance for its US$7.3 billion takeover of Inmarsat*
  • Thermo Fisher in:
    • Obtaining CMA Phase 1 and German Phase 2 unconditional clearance of its $3.1 billion acquisition of Olink
    • Obtaining parallel unconditional UK/EU clearance of its US$17.4 billion acquisition of PPD*
  • GBST in relation to the CMA Phase 2 remittal with remedies review of its hostile acquisition by FNZ*
  • Intel in securing parallel UK/EU clearance for the sale of its NAND/SSD business to SK Hynix*
  • Novartis on EU and global merger clearances in relation to its 3-way, inter-conditional asset swap with GSK concerning oncology, vaccines, and consumer health (GCR Matter of the Year and FT Innovative Lawyers Award)*
  • Seagate Technology in obtaining unconditional EU Phase 2 clearance for its US$1.4 billion acquisition of Samsung’s global hard disk drive (HDD) business during parallel market consolidation (GCR Matter of the Year)*
  • VTech in obtaining CMA Phase 2 clearance of its acquisition of Leapfrog (taking over at Phase 2)*
  • Celesio in relation to its CMA Phase 2 clearance, with modest conditions, of its acquisition of Sainsbury’s pharmacies*
  • Sainsbury’s proposed £$7 billion acquisition of Walmart’s UK grocery business, Asda*
  • GTCR in connection with its acquisition of PRNewswire, the first “fast-track Phase I remedies” case in the UK*
  • Amec Foster Wheeler in connection with Phase 1 remedies clearance of its takeover by John Wood, the first “twin track” CMA case involving parallel merits and remedies negotiations*
  • Siemens in obtaining unconditional EU clearance for its acquisition of Gamesa in the wind turbine sector*
  • Novartis in obtaining conditional EU Phase 1 clearance for its US$40 billion acquisition of Alcon*
  • DS Smith in obtaining conditional EU Phase 1 clearance for its €1.6 billion acquisition of SCA*

Investigations & Litigation

  • JD Sports Fashion, as successful leniency applicant, on two separate CMA cartel investigations in connection with replica football kit of Glasgow Rangers and Leicester City football clubs, respectively*
  • The Royal Bank of Scotland/NatWest on the CMA’s retail and small- and medium-enterprise (SME) banking market study and market investigation*
  • AXA PPP on the CMA’s private healthcare market investigation, judicial review proceedings, and remittal to the CMA*
  • Sainsbury’s on the first successful interim challenge to the CMA’s procedure in Sainsbury’s/Asda*
  • JD Sports Fashion in two rounds of merger litigation, two Phase 2 CMA reviews and satellite inquiries with respect to its completed acquisition of Footasylum plc*
  • A merging party, third party, or divestiture buyer in connection with other UK Phase 2 reviews such as Sony/AWAL, Amazon/Deliveroo, and ICE/Trayport*

*Matter handled prior to joining Latham