What can I do for you
Simon is a competition and commercial lawyer with over 20 years' experience. He advises businesses, universities, public bodies and other organisations on transactions, collaborations, commercial agreements and regulatory compliance on:
Subsidy control, including subsidy issues arising from, and commercial terms for, university collaborations, research projects and commercial partnerships, and structuring public funding arrangements
UK and EU competition law, including anti-competitive agreements, information exchange and competition compliance
UK merger control, including whether transactions meet the CMA's jurisdictional thresholds and managing CMA engagement
Foreign investment screening, particularly notifications and assessments under the National Security and Investment Act 2021.
Supporting your ambitions
Simon's advice and drafting helps his clients achieve the business deal they want while minimising the risks associated with it. He does this by using his experience and commercial approach to give clients advice that they can use in their negotiations and decision making. As a competition law expert, Simon enables clients to structure their activities so that they are compliant with the rules but still deliver as many benefits to the client as are allowed. All of this enables clients to avoid lengthy and expensive contractual disputes and regulatory investigations.
What else should you know
Simon is a late comer to the legal profession. He is a scientist by training and ran R&D projects at British Sugar before training to become a solicitor. This "real world" experience gives him a great understanding of what clients actually need from their lawyer. Simon is a rugby referee in his spare time, so used to making decisions rapidly!