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Simmons & Simmons has hired the head of DLA Piper’s UK competition team to lead its UK competition and antitrust (CAT) practice.
Sarah Smith has joined the firm after more than 21 years at DLA Piper, where she made partner in 2016. At Simmons she succeeds former CAT head Satyen Dhana, who left to join Kirkland & Ellis last October.
Smith’s practice covers the full spread of competition work, including behavioural advice, investigations, transactional work and litigation. She often acts for clients on CMA merger clearance investigations, according to her Chambers and Partners profile, and has additional experience in appeals against regulatory decisions, frequently on behalf of clients in the pharmaceutical and TMT sectors.
Patrick Boylan, head of Simmons’ UK dispute resolution group, commented: “Securing a partner of Sarah’s calibre and experience as our new competition head is a significant boost for the firm. With her wide expertise and strong leadership skills, she will be an integral partner in our wider practice.”
Simmons’ Band 5-ranked UK competition practice represents clients in damages claims, class actions and complaints of anti-competitive behaviour, according to Chambers, regularly assisting clients with the notification of mergers to the CMA, including advising on phase II reviews.
Highlights for the team include successfully defending BT in an opt-out class action related to excessive pricing and acting for Lebedev Holdings on UK merger control aspects of its acquisition of a majority shareholding in The London Evening Standard newspaper.
Simmons, which grew profit per equity partner 7% to just over £1m and revenue 10% to £574m in the year ending 30 April 2024, also significantly boosted its digital business group in London last summer with the hire of a quartet of technology lawyers from Deloitte Legal and Goodwin Procter.
DLA Piper's UK group head of litigation and regulatory, Neil Bowker, said of Smith's move: "Sarah has been with DLA Piper since joining us as a trainee. Since then she has made an invaluable contribution to the firm, progressing to partner and then on to leading our competition practice. We are grateful for all her efforts over the years and she goes with our very best wishes."
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