Sharon is a partner in our Antitrust, Competition and Trade group in London. Having also spent time working in Brussels, Sharon has experience in advising clients on all aspects of EU and UK competition law, including global transactions, antitrust investigations, sector-wide market inquiries and competition litigation, before the UK Competition and Markets Authority, the European Commission and the English and European courts.
Sharon sits on the firm's global Tech and Data SteerCo, and has particular experience in advising tech, life sciences and financial services infrastructure clients, including on the intersection of competition law with data privacy, consumer protection and intellectual property laws, and proposed new regulation for digital platforms in the EU and UK.
Sharon has served as a visiting lecturer at Kings College London and as a Non-Executive Director and Trustee of Rosa – the UK Fund for Women and Girls. She is a founding member and former co-chair of the Freshfields Women's Network.
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Sharon's experience includes acting for:
- Ericsson on its defence and resolution of litigation involving the transfer and licensing of standard essential patents before the English High Court and the Court of Appeal in Unwired Planet v Huawei.
- A global pharma company on successfully obtaining merger control approval from the UK Competition and Markets Authority for its $5bn acquisition of a gene therapy platform.
- Hellman & Friedman on successfully obtaining merger control approval from the European Commission for its $5.3bn acquisition of payments platform Nets.
- Hellman & Friedman on successfully obtaining merger control approval from the European Commission, and German foreign investment approval, for its $6bn acquisition of payments platform Concardis.
- London Stock Exchange Group on the European Commission’s Phase II investigation into its proposed £21bn global merger with Deutsche Börse.
- London Stock Exchange Group on successfully obtaining merger control approval for its acquisition of a majority stake in global clearing house LCH.Clearnet.
- Meta on its defence and co-ordination of antitrust investigations before the UK Competition and Markets Authority, the European Commission and other antitrust authorities globally.
- Meta in relation to proceedings before the European General Court concerning the scope of compulsory investigation demands from the European Commission, including obtaining certain rarely granted “interim relief”.
- Meta in relation to the UK Competition and Markets Authority's Online Platforms and Digital Advertising market study.
- Visa on successfully defending a Statement of Objections issued by the European Commission in relation to Visa’s international interchange fees. The investigation was closed without any finding of infringement against Visa following the successful negotiation of Commitments with the European Commission.
- Visa on successfully dismissing an urgent application for interim measures made to the UK Competition and Markets Authority – the first such application made under revised UK legislation for interim measures.
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University education
- University of Bristol, Law (LL.B)
Professional qualifications
- BPP Law School, Legal Practice Course (Distinction)
- Solicitor (England and Wales)
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