A litany of blue-chip corporate clients turn to the competition group at Shoosmiths LLP for its ability to provide assistance on day-to-day and strategic competition law issues. Standing out for its expertise in the automotive sector, the team is routinely engaged by household names, including major automative manufacturers. The team is led by the ‘very responsive’ Simon Barnes, who has a considerable presence as an adviser to the automotive sector.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'I'm always confident of being passed to one of their team who are positioned to support our needs.'

  • ‘Simon Barnes and Rachel Rossdale are the two main contacts I interact with the most. Both are commercially minded, whilst sharing their views on any risks with the decisions we need to make.'

  • 'Simon Barnes is very responsive.'

Key clients

  • Mercedes-Benz
  • Honda
  • Scania
  • Stellantis
  • Ageas
  • Asahi
  • Haier (Hoover)
  • Five Arrows Principal Investments (part of Rothschild & Co)
  • Experian
  • Mahindra & Mahindra

Work highlights

  • Advised Mercedes-Benz on the implementation of its new agency model for the sale of new cars in the UK.
  • Advised the administrators of Wilko on the merger control aspects of the liquidation divestment process.
  • Secured EU merger regulation approval for the joint acquisition by Five Arrows and TA Associates of Agilio Software, a provider of innovative software solutions in the healthcare sector.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Simon Barnes

Other key lawyers

Kiran Desai