Mr John Houlden > Burges Salmon LLP > Bristol, England > Lawyer Profile

Burges Salmon LLP‘s competition practice is highly sought after across sectors including retail, tech, and healthcare. The firm excels in merger control, compliance, and antitrust litigation, while also being noted for its expertise in state aid and subsidy control matters. Chris Worrall heads the practice and covers the full-range of EU and UK competition law, while John Houlden focuses on subsidy control and state aid. Clients from the energy, healthcare, and tech sectors regularly turn to Shachi Nathdwarawala for merger control and foreign investment-related matters. Noel Beale left the firm in May 2023.

With a client roster including leading universities such as the University of Oxford as well as the Department for Education, Burges Salmon LLP offers a broad set of support in the education sector with experience covering inadequate Ofsted ratings, joint ventures and mergers, and employment-related work. The Bristol-based team is led by Matthew Ramus, noted for his expertise in PPP, PFI and outsourcing mandates. Luke Bowery assists with employment and HR matters, including tribunal, discrimination and whistleblowing claims, and senior associate Huw Cooke has experience in employment and immigration cases. Procurement expert John Houlden supports on bid strategies, while Tim Roberts advises on transactions.

Involved in numerous large regeneration and infrastructure projects, Burges Salmon LLP fields a strong local government practice, praised for its ‘remarkable depth of collective experience and knowledge’. Gary Soloman leads the practice and advises on planning issues, regeneration projects and highway proposals. Particularly knowledgeable on procurement matters, John Houlden acts for a range of local authority and central government clients. Matthew Ramus is regularly sought out for advice on education and children’s services restructuring programmes, while Emma Andrews focuses on energy projects and regulatory advice. Paula McGeady, Sarah Sutherland and Jen Ashwell are other key names.

Burges Salmon LLP‘s Bristol-based local government practice excels in handling energy infrastructure schemes, assisting councils on major net-zero and renewable energy investment projects, as well as regeneration projects. The team is also well-equipped to handle development work related to cultural, residential, and transport infrastructure. Additionally, it advises on both contentious and non-contentious procurement work for these projects. Practice head Gary Soloman is an expert in planning and compulsory purchase matters on major transport and energy projects. Procurement expert John Houlden advises on subsidy control and vires issues and is highly recommended, as is commercial projects specialist Matthew Ramus who is a key contact for restructuring work. Director in the projects department, Emma Andrews, is also notable.

Acting for a number of UK universities, providers of apprenticeships and work-based training, research and development organisations, as well as governing institutions, Bristol-based Burges Salmon LLP‘s education offering includes advice on university spin-offs, new campus developments and employment disputes. Additionally, the department assists the DfE regarding financially distressed education institutions. Matthew Ramus leads the department and is known for his expertise in PPP, PFI and outsourcing projects for education clients. Luke Bowery covers the full range of contentious and non-contentious employment law-related matters. Procurement expert John Houlden acts on contentious and non-contentious matters, often in connection with bid strategies for education-related contracts. Other key members of the team are corporate finance director Tim Roberts and senior associate Huw Cooke.

Burges Salmon LLP houses ‘a friendly and experienced’ public law team based in Bristol. The practice is co-headed by Gary Soloman and John Houlden. Solomon is skilled with planning statutory challenges, while Houlden specialises in procurement matters. Brian Wong is recommended for contentious matters in the transport sector. Charlotte Whitaker is a further standout lawyer, who has notable experience with public inquiries and inquests.

Highlighted for its ‘excellent knowledge and experience of competition law’, Burges Salmon LLP excels in a wide range of merger clearance mandates, investigations, state aid, subsidy control, and procurement matters. The practice supports clients across various industries, including technology, financial services, healthcare, and utilities. Dividing his time between London and Bristol, the ‘calm and confident’ Chris Worrall maintains a busy practice, advising high-profile clients – including various household corporates – on key antitrust matters. John Houlden is well-regarded for his proficiency in state aid and subsidy control, while Shachi Nathdwarawala has built notable expertise in the financial services and healthcare sectors.