Sharon is a partner in our global Antitrust, Competition and Trade group and a member of the firm’s global Tech and Data SteerCo. Sharon is experienced in acting for clients before the EU and UK regulators and courts, and has advised clients on several high-profile antitrust investigations and market inquiries, new digital regulation such as the EU Digital Markets Act, merger control and foreign investment inquiries, and antitrust litigation.
Sharon advises clients on all aspects of EU and UK competition law. She has significant experience of assisting clients with strategically complex antitrust and regulatory investigations, particularly in the technology, financial services and life sciences sectors. Her investigations and litigation work also mean that she is experienced in advising on matters involving the intersection of competition, privacy and consumer protection laws, and on complex competition/FRAND patent law disputes.
In 2024, Sharon was named in Global Competition Review's prestigious ‘40 Under 40’ list of the world's leading competition law practitioners. She is also named in Who’s Who Legal’s list of ‘Competition Law Future Leaders – Partners’ (2024 and 2023), was a shortlisted finalist for Global Competition Review’s ’Lawyer of the Year – Under 40’ award (2023), and the winner of a ‘Private Practice Shining Star’ award from Women@Competition (2023). Sharon has also previously been recognised as a ‘Global Top 50 Future Female Leader’ by the Financial Times and HERoes.
Sharon sits on the Advisory Board of the European Competition and Regulatory Circle, and on the Executive Committee of Women@Competition UK. She is a former Competition and Patent Law guest lecturer at Kings College London and a former Non-Executive Director and Trustee of Rosa – the UK Fund for Women and Girls.
Sharon's experience includes advising:
- Carta on its acquisition of global digital equity management fintech Capdesk.
- Carta on its acquisition of global capital-raising fintech Vauban.
- Ericsson on its defence and settlement of its involvement in Unwired Planet v Huawei, a landmark FRAND standard essential patent case before the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal.
- A Global Pharma Company on successfully obtaining unconditional Phase 1 clearance from the UK Competition and Markets Authority for its $4.8 billion acquisition of a global gene therapy platform.
- A Global West Coast Technology Company on the competition law and foreign investment aspects of various acquisitions, including its acquisition of a UK fintech player before the UK Competition and Markets Authority.
- Hellman & Friedman on the European Commission’s approval of its $5.3bn acquisition of payments platform Nets and its subsequent $6bn merger with payments platform Concardis.
- London Stock Exchange Group on the European Commission’s Phase II investigation into its £21bn proposed global merger with Deutsche Börse.
- Meta on the successful closure of the UK Competition and Markets Authority’s abuse of dominance investigation into Facebook Marketplace with novel data use commitments. The matter won the 'Competition Matter of the Year Award' at the 2024 Legal Business Awards.
- Meta on its ongoing defence against the European Commission's abuse of dominance investigation into Facebook Marketplace.
- Meta on its ongoing compliance with the EU's landmark new Digital Markets Act, including Meta’s launch of its new 'Subscription for No Ads' option for EU Facebook and Instagram users - an investigation involving the complex intersection of DMA, privacy and competition laws.
- Meta on its ongoing appeal before the European General Court against the designation of Facebook's Messenger and Marketplace features as “core platform services” under the EU Digital Markets Act.
- Meta on its ongoing appeal before the European Court of Justice, and previously the European General Court, against the European Commission's failure to include safeguards to protect the production of sensitive and irrelevant personal documents. Meta has been awarded interim relief from the President of the European General Court.
- Meta on its response to the UK Competition and Markets Authority’s Online Platforms and Digital Advertising market study.
- Razor on its acquisition of leading Amazon e-aggregator Perch.
- Visa on its acquisition of global payment technology fintech Form3.
- Visa on its ongoing response to the UK Payment Systems Regulator’s market reviews into cross-border interchange fees and scheme and processing fees under the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act.
- Visa on the successful closure of the the European Commission’s investigation into its international interchange fees following the first-ever acceptance of standalone commitments for Visa ‘card not present’ digital transactions.
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