Intellectual Property
United Kingdom
10 September 2025
From cartel investigations and regulatory interventions to high-value deals and bespoke compliance training, Shoosmiths LLP works with a host of clients on both day-to-day and high-stakes competition scenarios. Co-chair Simon Barnes operates out of the firm’s Thames Valley office and is well known for his handling of CMA investigations and multi-jurisdictional merger control instructions.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Simon Barnes is readily available; he has a cautious, well-thought-through approach aimed at avoiding mistakes.'
'The Shoosmiths EU and competition team worked closely with me for over a year on a highly complex international M&A transactions. They were excellent, displaying a deep knowledge of the law and a pragmatic approach to difficult problems.'
'Simon Barnes has a wealth of experience and is always willing to go the extra mile.'
'Excellent client service, practical, and easy to work with.'
Key clients
- Mercedes-Benz
- Honda
- Scania
- Stellantis
- Ageas
- Asahi
- Haier
- Five Arrows Principal Investments
- Experian
Work highlights
Represented the main parties in the CMA’s ongoing cartel investigations into End-of-Life vehicles.
Acted for Fosroc on the merger control and FDI aspects of its USD 1.25 billion sale to Saint-Gobain.
Supported a leading automotive OEM in the provision of competition law e-learning to over 2,000 staff internationally.
Practice head
Simon Barnes; Kiran Desai