Sarah Houghton > Mishcon de Reya LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Mishcon de Reya LLP Offices
AFRICA HOUSE
70 KINGSWAY
LONDON
WC2B 6AH
England
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Sarah Houghton
Work Department
Dispute Resolution - Competition Law
Position
Sarah is a partner in the firm’s dispute resolution department, specialising in UK & EU competition law.
She is experienced in acting for both claimants and defendants in complex, high-profile cases involving competition law based claims or defences. She advises on both strategic and legal issues associated with litigation, such as choice of forum and reputational issues.
Sarah represented Microsoft in its cartel damages claims against Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Sanyo and LG Chem. Sarah also represented Sainsbury’s in its successful claim against MasterCard, the highest damages recovered in a European competition damages claim.
Sarah has also been advising two former directors of companies involved in separate investigations by the Competition and Markets in the construction and pharmaceuticals sector, for breach of competition warranties and aspects of individual liability. She assists businesses that find themselves under investigation by Competition Regulators, and those concerned about the way their affairs may have been conducted, e.g. attending dawn raids, advising on defence strategies and assessing potential civil liabilities.
Sarah regularly undertakes competition law audits and provides training and compliance materials to businesses. She also advises on the competition law aspects of transactions and commercial agreements, including ways to structure agreements and alter commercial behaviour to minimise competition law risks.
Career
Partner, Mishcon de Reya LLP; Managing Associate, Mishcon de Reya LLP; Associate, DLA Piper UK LLP; Solicitor, Bell Gully
Education
Kings College London (MA, EC Competition Law; University of Auckland, New Zealand (LLB (Hons), B.Com (Economics))
Lawyer Rankings
London > Dispute resolution > Competition litigation
Acting primarily on the claimant side, Mishcon de Reya LLP has carved out a significant reputation based on its extensive experience bringing high-profile competition damages claims. An area of recent uptick for the competition litigation department is defending clients against allegations of abuse of a dominant position. The group has a successful track record handling precedent-setting cases; for example representing Sainsbury’s Supermarkets in a claim against MasterCard in the Competition Appeal Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, with a further set of proceedings scheduled for a hearing at the Supreme Court in 2020. Practice head Rob Murray, Sarah Houghton and managing associate Natasha Pearman are recommended. The team is growing, with March 2019 seeing Neil Baylis join from K&L Gates LLP.
London > Corporate and commercial > EU and competition
Mishcon de Reya LLP handles areas of competition law compliance including merger control, competition and regulatory investigations. The team is active in sectors such as retail, media, technology, sports and, increasingly, the financial services sector. Traditionally standing out for its strength in competition-related dispute resolution matters (a space in which practice head Rob Murray and Sarah Houghton are key figures), the firm has extended its non-contentious offering through the appointment of Neil Baylis, former competition practice head at K&L Gates LLP, who joined in March 2019. Andrij Jurkiw departed to join Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP in April 2018.
Lawyer Rankings
- Competition litigation - London > Dispute resolution
- EU and competition - London > Corporate and commercial
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Private client > Art and cultural property
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Brand management
- Real estate > Commercial property: retail
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Human resources > Employment: employers
- Human resources > Employment: senior executives
- Private client > Family
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Gaming and betting
- Insurance > Insurance and reinsurance litigation
- Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate
- Real estate > Property litigation
- Real estate > Residential property
Firm Rankings
- Real estate > Commercial property: development
- Real estate > Commercial property: investment
- Dispute resolution > Competition litigation
- Corporate and commercial > Financial services: contentious
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: white-collar crime
- Risk advisory > Reputation management
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport
- Human resources > Employee share schemes
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Franchising
- Insurance > Insurance litigation: for policyholders
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: lower mid-market deals, £50m-£500m
- Corporate and commercial > Partnership
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > PATMA: Trade mark attorneys
- Corporate and commercial > Private equity: transactions – mid-tier – up to £250m
- Risk advisory > Regulatory investigations and corporate crime
- Dispute resolution > Tax litigation and investigations
- Dispute resolution > Banking litigation: investment and retail
- Risk advisory > Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology
- Real estate > Planning
- Real estate > Property finance
- Corporate and commercial > Commercial contracts
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation
- Real estate > Construction: contentious
- Real estate > Contruction: non-contentious
- Corporate and commercial > Corporate tax
- Investment fund formation and management > Private funds
- Corporate and commercial > EU and competition
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- Human resources > Immigration
- Transport > Travel