Latham & Watkins, a prominent U.S. law firm, has appointed Simon Pritchard, an experienced antitrust partner, to its London office. Pritchard joins Latham & Watkins from Linklaters, where he worked as a partner for a decade. His expertise includes healthcare, media and entertainment, consumer goods, retail, transport, and chemicals industries. During his career, he has worked on several high-profile cases, including assisting Novartis in its three-way, inter-conditional asset swap with GSK in 2015 and helping Seagate Technology obtain E.U. approval for its acquisition of Samsung’s global hard disk drive business in 2011.
Mandy Reeves, global chair of Latham’s antitrust and competition practice, expressed excitement about Pritchard’s addition to the team, highlighting his experience and potential to help clients navigate the active enforcement and merger control efforts by regulators such as the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the European Commission, and other international regulatory bodies.
Pritchard is also no stranger to public service. He served as the U.K.’s first senior director for mergers at the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) for five years from 2003, before the OFT’s merger with the CMA. This experience has given him a unique perspective on the regulatory process and the potential impact of antitrust and competition law on businesses and markets.
Latham & Watkins has made the appointment as part of its ongoing efforts to expand and strengthen its antitrust and competition practice in the U.K. and Europe. The firm is one of the world’s largest law firms and is well known for its expertise in complex transactions, litigation, and regulatory matters.
Latham & Watkins’ antitrust and competition practice is well positioned to help clients navigate the complex legal landscape of antitrust and competition law. The practice has a strong track record of advising on high-stakes transactions, regulatory matters, and litigation. With Pritchard’s addition, the firm is well-positioned to continue to provide its clients with top-notch legal expertise and guidance in the U.K. and Europe.