Described by one client as a ‘top outfit for international commercial litigation’, Latham & Watkins is frequently handling ’bet the company’ disputes regarding ownership and viability of several companies. The practice notably represents Meta in a number of complex, cross-jurisdictional investigations, related to data protection, competition, and consumer laws, showcasing the strength of the team in data privacy and cybersecurity issues. Head of the team Martin Davies is ‘not only one of the very best competition litigators in the market, but also one of the very nicest’. At associate level, ’great to work with’ Hayley Pizzey is noted.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘A top outfit for international commercial litigation especially with conflicts of laws.’
‘Martin Davies has a rare balance of sharpness and legal knowledge on the one hand, and being easy to work with and fun on the other. Helen Perks is a great partner with good management of difficult clients.’
‘The team are rapidly gaining a major profile in major competition litigation in the UK.'
‘Martin Davies has the distinction of being not only one of the very best competition litigators in the market, but also of being one of the very nicest. He is super smart and an absolute delight to work with.'
'Hayley Pizzey is an up-and-coming star, great to work with and bound for the top.’
‘The great strength of this team is their ability and willingness to draw on expertise from other departments of this very large firm. As a result it is pretty much a one stop shop for any kind of commercial dispute. However many aspects it may have, there will be someone there who can deal with it. The team are able to synergise all this help very well, which results in a comprehensive and yet cost efficient result for the client.’
‘Oliver Middleton is very good at the day to day conduct of litigation, tirelessly fighting for his client at every turn, but resourceful at calling in the knowledge of others when he needs it. I have seen him do this a lot, with great results.’

Key clients

Meta
New Look
Sinovac Biotech
Servis-Terimnal
Aerium Finance Limited
Societe Nationale de Raffinage, S.A.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME)
Renesas Electronics Corporation
Apollo Management International Ltd
Total Energies
Allergan

Work highlights

Representing Aerium Finance Limited as one of over 30 defendants in a claim with more than £700m on offer, and an endless cast list containing prominent individuals, asset managers and international financial institutions, this large-scale claim will be one of the largest disputes ever heard in the Commercial Court.
Representing Meta in relation to a number of highly complex and multijurisdictional regulatory investigations and inquiries regarding alleged data breaches and compliance with data protection laws generally, and any related litigation.
Representing Renesas Group in its defence to a follow-on damages claim for £400m in connection with the European Commission’s Smart Card Chips cartel decision. This is a matter that recently made headlines for a rare successful limitation defence application.