David Lowe > Gowling WLG > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Dispensing ‘industry advice that is second to none’, Gowling WLG works with a litany of corporates and PE firms on multi-jurisdictional corporate and commercial matters – particularly in the automotive manufacturing, transport, and consumer goods sectors. The sizeable team is jointly chaired by corporate head Chris Towle and commercial lead David Lowe, who divides his time between London and Birmingham. With more than three decades of experience in the market, corporate partner David Vaughan is a key contact for a diverse range of public and private sector entities, while on the commercial side, Sarah Riding is a highly active practitioner who handles all manner of arrangements for clients in automotive, sport, and retail. Stuart Young and Anurag (Ragi) Singh are similarly noted for their automotive sector expertise; Young chairs the firm’s wider automotive group, while Singh is recommended for his expertise in manufacturing and electric vehicles. Other key figures include Jeremy Millington, a key port of call for the firm’s entrepreneurial clients, and Micky Yang, a real estate-focused corporate partner who joined the team from Herbert Smith Freehills LLP in April 2022.

Known for its commercial awareness and deep understanding of business-risk, Gowling WLG is trusted by clients for the full range of business-critical contractual work, including a litany of outsourcing agreements, distribution and logistic arrangements, and joint ventures. Veterans in the retail, food and drink and automotive sectors, the team has an expanding breadth of work with big-ticket mandates regarding the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, where the team is still engaged with a number of legacy issues, and a number of transport, construction and real estate work. Leading the department is David Lowe, whose diverse commercial focus ensures he is sought-out for legal advice, particularly regarding supply chain concerns and the procurement of goods. Birmingham-based Sarah Riding has acted for Toyota in its procurement of innovative technological services, as well as in a wide range of commercial work for Weetabix as part of its purchase of Lacka Food. Jocelyn Paulley has supported a number of the department’s key mandates.

The trade and competition team at Gowling WLG has a strong track record across the full range of contentious and non-contentious matters, spanning UK and EU sanctions law, export controls, customs compliance, FTA utilisation, and anti-dumping. Practice head Bernadine Adkins is a respected authority on the impact of Brexit on UK trade law and policy, as well as EU-third country trade deals. David Lowe is highly regarded for national and international supply chain matters, with a recent uptick in the number of cross-border outsourcing mandates, while James Stunt provides expertise in customs compliance and FTA utilisation.