Competition Law
UK Guide 2025 : London (Firms)
Band 3
Contact number
(020) 7710 1000Chambers Review
Latham & Watkins is particularly known for advising on the competition law aspects of corporate transactions, assisting clients with foreign direct investment notifications and with phase II investigations before the CMA. The London office often collaborates with the law firm's highly regarded offices in other jurisdictions to assist with the competition law clearance of multi-jurisdictional mergers. In addition the team has experience in behavioural investigations before the CMA and subsequent disputes.
Work Highlights
- Latham & Watkins advised Farfetch on the merger control aspects of its acquisition of a 47.5% stake in YOOX Net-a-Porter from Compagnie Financière Richemont, involving clearances in ten jurisdictions.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"The UK team is available to discuss issues at short notice with exceptional patience, which creates a huge level of comfort."
"I am totally confident in Latham & Watkins' ability to handle the most complex antitrust and competition matters."
"The Latham & Watkins team is an extremely bright and user-friendly group. It excels at both strategic and tactical thinking."
"The team has a superb grasp and understanding of all aspects of a transaction and a way to break down complexities thereby making the difficult simple."
"Latham & Watkins is highly commercial, responsive and pragmatic, with the ability to explain complicated concepts in terms that the majority of internal stakeholders can understand."
"The UK team is available to discuss issues at short notice with exceptional patience, which creates a huge level of comfort."
"I am totally confident in Latham & Watkins' ability to handle the most complex antitrust and competition matters."
"The Latham & Watkins team is an extremely bright and user-friendly group. It excels at both strategic and tactical thinking."
"The team has a superb grasp and understanding of all aspects of a transaction and a way to break down complexities thereby making the difficult simple."
"Latham & Watkins is highly commercial, responsive and pragmatic, with the ability to explain complicated concepts in terms that the majority of internal stakeholders can understand."
Notable Practitioners
Simon Pritchard stands out for his experience advising clients on CMA merger clearance reviews and investigations into possible anti-competitive behaviour.
"Simon Pritchard did an outstanding job on our project. He provided excellent client service, advice and problem-solving skills."
"Simon Pritchard is a top-flight competition lawyer whose expertise, excellent judgement and advocacy make him one of the best picks in the UK for competition law matters."
"Simon Pritchard is simply excellent. He brings fantastic strategic insights and a deep understanding of competition law, and he communicates his ideas clearly. He is also very pleasant to work with."
"Simon Pritchard is delightfully human, super knowledgeable on mergers, very sensible and extremely hard-working."
"It is hard to think of anyone better than him in terms of merger analysis."
Jonathan Parker is particularly active in merger clearance mandates, including representing clients in phase II investigations before the CMA. In addition to his strength in merger notification reviews, he also advises clients on CMA investigations into possible breaches of competition law.
"Jonathan Parker has a sharp, calm mind with a unique understanding of the CMA."
"Jonathan Parker is an excellent lawyer and a great sparring partner for brainstorming. He has in-depth knowledge of UK competition law and is extremely pragmatic and fast."
"I like that he is a calm and confident presence on calls and has the knowledge and charisma to put the minds of some of the more sophisticated clients in the world at ease."
"Jonathan Parker is extremely skilled and very pleasant to work with."
"He has complete encyclopedic knowledge of merger law, is extremely level-headed and has a very quick intellect."
David Little is reputed for his knowledge of merger clearance proceedings, including those that advance to phase II investigations. He offers additional experience advising on CMA investigations and market reviews.
"He provides fast, high-quality and commercial advice."
"David Little had an outstanding way of explaining things clearly and calmly to clients."
"David Little is a joy to work with. He is calm, pragmatic, highly commercial and puts the customer first. For what can be a highly complex area of law, he distils concepts to be easily understood."
"He takes the time to understand the business and industry expertly, which pays dividends for his clients. He is extremely intelligent and always available."
"David Little is calm, thoughtful and knowledgeable about mergers."
Ranked Lawyers at
Latham & Watkins LLP
London (Firms)