Sharon is a partner in our Antitrust, Competition and Trade group and a member of the firm's Global Tech & Data SteerCo. Having spent time working in London, Brussels and Milan, she has a vibrant practice that spans all aspects of EU and UK competition law including global M&A, antitrust investigations and competition litigation. With a particular specialism in fast-evolving digital markets, Sharon regularly advises clients on the intersection of competition law with privacy, consumer and IP laws, and on new digital regulation such as the EU Digital Markets Act.
Sharon is a passionate advocate for gender diversity. She was a founding member and co-chair of the Freshfields Women's Network, and a former Non-Executive Director and Trustee of Rosa – the UK Fund for Women and Girls. She currently sits on the Executive Committee of W@CompetitionUK. Her work in promoting gender diversity has received various accolades including from the Financial Times who recognised Sharon as a Global Top 50 Future Female Leader.
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Sharon's experience includes advising:
- Carta on its acquisition of digital equity management fintech Capdesk, and on its acquisition of online capital-raising fintech Vauban.
- Ericsson on its defence and resolution of the landmark Unwired Planet v Huawei FRAND standard essential patent litigation before the English High Court and Court of Appeal.
- Hellman & Friedman on its $5.3bn acquisition of payments platform Nets, and on its $6bn acquisition of payments platform Concardis, before the European Commission.
- A global pharma company on its $5bn acquisition of a global gene therapy platform before the UK CMA.
- A global tech company on its acquisition of a credit analytics fintech company, and previously on other acquisitions in the high-tech and media sectors.
- London Stock Exchange Group on its £21bn proposed global merger with Deutsche Börse before the European Commission, and previously on its acquisition of global clearing house LCH Clearnet before the UK, Portuguese and Spanish competition authorities.
- Meta on its defence against the European Commission's and UK CMA's parallel antitrust investigations into Facebook Marketplace, and previously on its response to the UK CMA's Online Platforms and Digital Advertising Market Study.
- Meta on its landmark challenge against the European Commission before the EU General Court, with Meta already having obtained rarely granted interim relief from the Court.
- Visa on its defence and resolution of the European Commission's antitrust investigation into its international interchange fees with commitments, and previously on dismissing an urgent application for interim measures before the UK CMA (the first application made under revised UK legislation).
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Education
- University of Bristol, Law (LL.B)
- BPP Law School, Legal Practice Course (Distinction)
Professional roles
- Executive Committee Member of W@CompetitionUK
- Former Non-Executive Director and Trustee of Rosa - the UK Fund for Women and Girls
- Former Guest Lecturer at Kings College London (LL.M Competition Law and Patent Law)
- Founding Member and Former Co-Chair of the Freshfields Women's Network
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