Latham & Watkins is pleased to announce that Simon Pritchard will join the London office as a partner in the Antitrust & Competition Practice. Highly regarded in his field, Pritchard has more than 20 years’ experience advising companies, financial institutions, and global investors on a variety of complex merger control matters, market investigations, conduct inquiries and counselling, and cases before the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
“We are delighted to welcome Simon to the firm,” said Stephen Kensell, London Office Managing Partner at Latham & Watkins. “He brings substantial industry knowledge, and many years of experience across a wide range of complex transactional, regulatory and enforcement matters. He will add tremendous senior expertise to our strong and growing team in London and Europe.”
Widely respected as one of the leading merger control practitioners in the UK and Europe, Pritchard previously served as the UK’s first Senior Director, Mergers under the modern UK regime at the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), a predecessor of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). He has particular expertise in the healthcare and life sciences, media and entertainment, technology, financial services, consumer goods, retail, transport, and chemicals industries, and regularly counsels clients in their engagement with the CMA, the European Commission, and other prominent international enforcement agencies and regulatory authorities.
“Simon’s unique experience, technical skill, and global connections are highly complementary to our practice in London and around the world,” said Héctor Armengod, a Brussels-based partner and Global Vice Chair of the firm’s Antitrust & Competition Practice. “He has sharp commercial instincts and a keen eye for detail, both of which are critical in an increasingly complex business environment.”
“At a time when the CMA, the European Commission, and other international regulators are taking an active stance in relation to merger control and enforcement matters, Simon’s impressive track record and hard-to-match experience will be of great value to clients across the firm,” said Mandy Reeves, Global Chair of Latham’s Antitrust & Competition Practice. “His arrival represents another important milestone as we continue to build the world’s premier practice for cross-border deals, trials, and high-stakes enforcement matters.”
Pritchard joins Latham from Linklaters. He received a BA and LLB from the University of Adelaide, Australia, before completing an LLM at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. He began his legal career in private practice before spending five years at the OFT, where he held a variety of senior roles, including Deputy Director, Mergers, Director of Mergers, and Senior Director of Mergers. He re-joined private practice in 2009.
