Well-regarded for being at ‘the cutting edge of new developments’, the competition group at Mishcon de Reya LLP is well-versed in cross-jurisdictional merger control filings and investigations, with a specific focus on the online markets and emerging technologies sectors. Practice head Sarah Houghton is lauded for her ’great judgment and strategic vision.’ She is supported by ‘seasoned pro’ Ben Lasserson, and of counsel Gwen Ballin-Reeler, who has extensive competition litigation experience.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Ben Lasserson is a seasoned pro who has a real knack for discovering claims for established and new clients alike. Sarah Houghton is a great manager of her team, with great judgment and strategic vision.'

  • ‘They are very well regarded in the market and at the cutting edge of new developments.'

  • ‘Very good people and very collaborative in terms of working with the client and liaising and instructing Counsel.’

  • ‘Sarah Houghton is a very experienced litigator with experience in more than one jurisdiction and an incredibly sensible head on her shoulders used to dealing with major complex large-scale cases.'

  • 'Chanelle Cattin is a good litigator and is also very adept on the transactional side able to give very clear advice on merger control issues arising in the UK and in parallel in overseas jurisdictions.'
  • ‘The team is highly motivated and hardworking. It possesses strength from partner to junior associate and paralegal levels. It is responsive to clients and counsel and provides helpful judgment at the more senior levels.’

  • ‘Sarah Houghton is a very strong competition lawyer who approaches issues with flexibility and firmness. She is a safe pair of hands and works well in interfacing with counsel teams.'

  • 'Gwen Ballin-Reeler works across all aspects of large cases and maintains effective knowledge of the interaction between the various aspects of the case. She is hardworking and dedicated.'

Key clients

  • International Flavours and Fragrances
  • Foxglove Legal Interest Community Company
  • inMusic Brands, Inc
  • Instant Group
  • International Lithium Association
  • Zircon Industry Association

Work highlights

  • Advised International Flavours and Fragrances with a dawn raid of their premises by the CMA, as part of a co-ordinated approach by the US, Swiss, UK and EU authorities.
  • Acted for Foxglove, the UK-based community interest company, to urge (successfully) the CMA to investigate Amazon's proposed acquisition of the founder of the "Roomba" vacuum, iRobot, for USD$1.7 billion.
  • Advising global DJ hardware company inMusic Brands, Inc in relation to its complaint to the CMA about the proposed acquisition of Serato Audio Research Limited by AlphaTheta Corporation.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Sarah Houghton

Other key lawyers

Ben Lasserson, Gwen Ballin-Reeler, Zachery O’Brien, Chanelle Cattin