Sarah Smith
DLA PiperThe competition group at DLA Piper covers the full range of services, including merger control, FDI clearance, regulatory investigations, and decision appeals. The practice is particularly strong in the pharmaceutical and sports sectors, often advising major pharmaceutical companies and high-profile sports clubs and associations. Practice head Sarah Smith continues to lead on complex and high-profile merger control matters. She is supported by the ‘commercially savvy’ Matt Evans, who is regularly engaged by multinational and UK businesses on complex UK and EU competition law matters and NSIA notifications.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Matt Evans has a real and unique talent in understanding and advising the companies' needs and situations. Very business oriented, well-balanced advice. Innovative and very reactive. Good relationship with the relevant authorities. He is a key partner.'
‘Matt Evans is an excellent, versatile, user-friendly and commercially savvy competition partner. He has a wealth of experience, is equally at home advising on merger control as on competition law investigations and compliance issues.'
- 'Martin Strom is an impressive senior associate who appears to have a bright future. I was surprised to learn how junior Juliet Ginsberg looks to be a potential star of the future.’
Key clients
- Admiral Taverns
- Audi
- Australian Technology Group
- Air New Zealand
- ASOS
- BAE Systems PLC.
- Bacardi
- Blackstone
- Blue Ibsen
- Blue Yonder, Inc
- Bexley
- CBRE
- CVS Group PLC
- Consolis Group
- Dechra Pharmaceuticals plc
- Dentsu
- Warner Bros. Discovery
- Ecolab Inc.
- Eisai
- Elliot Advisers
- Erith
- European Leagues
- Flybe
- Formula 1
- Football DataCo
- General Electric
- Goodrich
- Graphic Packaging International Inc.
- Gap
- Heineken UK
- HSBC plc
- John Menzies
- Korean Air
- Link Group
- London Stock Exchange
- Lupin
- Ministry of Defence
- Merck KGaA
- MKS Instrument, Inc
- Newell Brands
- Oxford Properties Group
- Pearl
- Pfizer
- Philip Morris International
- Premier League
- Ramsay Healthcare
- RPS Group (Tetra Tech)
- Qatar Sports Investments
- Royale Life
- Rugby Football Union
- SDE
- SDL plc
- Sonoco
- St James’ Place Plc
- Skytanking
- Suppliers Assessment Services Ltd (trading as Construction Line)
- Wirral Renewal Projects
- YouGov plc
Work highlights
- Advised Dechra Pharmaceuticals plc on its £4.5 billion public takeover by EQT and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
- Acting for WarnerBros Discovery and Liberty Global on the sale of their jointly-owned production house All3Media to Redbird IMI for GBP 1.5bn.
- Advised Erith Holdings Limited (Erith) in relation to a CMA Chapter I cartel investigation since 2019.
Lawyers
Leading partners
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Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Sarah Smith