Simon Barnes

Simon leads the firm's competition law practice. He has extensive experience advising on competition law compliance, merger control, competition investigations and litigation.

Simon represents clients in investigations before the Competition and Markets Authority and the European Commission. He has advised in relation to cases before the Competition Appeal Tribunal and the General Court of the European Union in Luxembourg and on competition investigations in a number of other jurisdictions, in Europe and elsewhere.

Recent experience includes:

• advising a pharmacy under investigation by CMA in relation to alleged excessive pricing of hand sanitiser products;

• extensive support to businesses in the automotive sector, including structuring dealer networks through selective distribution and agency models;

• advising Micronclean Limited, a main party in the CMA's infringement investigation into cleanroom laundries;

• acting for a party in the CMA's infringement investigation into the use of most-favoured-nations clauses by Compare The Market;

• advising a funeral care provider relating to the CMA's market investigation into funerals;

• acting for Hoyer Group on the CMA merger control clearance of its acquisition of the UK fuel delivery business of DHL.

Simon joined Shoosmiths from Hogan Lovells in 2012. He previously spent four years working in Brussels.