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Sam Hare
Senior Associate
Sam Hare is a competition law specialist based in our London office, with broad transactional and advisory experience across both contentious and non-contentious matters. Sam advises clients on all aspects of EU and UK competition law, including merger control, foreign investment, cartel defence and antitrust investigations, competition litigation, public procurement and UK subsidy control. His work often includes a complex, cross-border element. Sam sits on the Squire Patton Boggs Pro Bono Committee and acts as the “Pro Bono Champion” for the firm’s London office.
Sam has been described as someone who “keeps his cool in stressful situations”, is “very good with clients” and “fantastic to work alongside”. He frequently works with clients in a variety of sectors to develop tailored compliance programmes, advise on internal compliance audits and support their internal regulatory training needs.
With experience in litigation (including both claimant and defendant cartel damages litigation in the UK courts), Sam regularly acts for either suppliers or contracting authorities in public procurement challenges before the UK courts. He has also represented clients in relation to global cartel investigations before the European Commission and litigation before the European courts.
Sam regularly advises on the competition aspects of various types of commercial agreement such as vertical supply and distribution agreements, and horizontal collaborations such as joint buying and joint selling arrangements. He also attends joint venture board meetings and trade association council meetings to ensure competition compliance.
Sam previously spent several years working in the firm’s Brussels office and in the Legal Service of the European Parliament. He is fluent in French.
Merger Control
- Advising a major global provider of market research services in relation to the competition aspects of its proposed multibillion-dollar acquisition of a competing business across multiple jurisdictions.
- Securing multiple merger clearances in relation to a full-function JV between a Saudi Arabian investment company and a global energy technology business.
- Advising several separate banking consortia on merger control aspects of the establishment of various fintech platforms.
- Advising a manufacturer of electric engines and powertrain systems on the competition analysis relating to several funding rounds.
- Advising a UK retail logistics company in relation to a JV with a major US contract logistics provider.
- Advising a provider of homecare services in relation to various acquisitions.
- Advising Vp plc on the CMA’s merger control review of its completed acquisition of Brandon Hire (securing unconditional clearance).
- Advising Ashtead Group plc on the CMA’s merger control review of its acquisition of Lion Trackhire Limited (securing unconditional clearance).
- Advising Peninsula Business Services on the CMA’s merger control review of its completed acquisition of Croner Group (securing unconditional clearance).
- Frequent running of Clean Team logistics, and regular advice in relation to transaction implementation and gun-jumping.
FDI/National Security and Investment Act (NSIA)
- Advising on and securing NSIA clearances in relation to numerous transactions (mandatory and voluntary notifications, on both buy side and sell side), navigating specific national security complexities across a range of sectors including pharma, professional services and telecoms.
- Conducting multijurisdictional FDI filing assessments.
Litigation (UK and EU)
- Represented BritNed Development Limited in its UK High Court claim for follow-on damages against ABB in the UK High Court (the first case of its kind to go to judgment in the UK), and subsequent appeal to the Court of Appeal, in which it was awarded €15 million in damages. The claim in the High Court followed on from the European Commission Decision in the Power Cables cartel.
- Represented LAN Cargo and LATAM Airlines in its defence of a contribution claim in the UK High Court following the European Commission Decision in the Airfreight cartel.
- Represented SRCL Limited in its appeal to the Court of Appeal against the July 2018 judgment of Mr. Justice Fraser in SRCL Limited v NHS England. (The firm did not advise SRCL in relation to its High Court action.)
- Successfully represented Marston Holdings Limited in multiple procurement challenges, including against the Ministry of Justice, following a procurement process for the delivery of approved enforcement agency services.
- Represented a company in relation to defending a damages claim against it in the UK following the European Commission Decision in the Refrigeration Compressors cartel.
- Representing LAN Cargo and LATAM Airlines in their appeal to the EU General Court following the 2010 European Commission Decision in the Airfreight case.
Cartels and Investigations
- Successfully obtained a comfort letter from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) permitting stock management coordination between competitors in the pharmaceutical sector.
- Defended a company under investigation in relation to the CMA’s Groundworks cartel investigation.
- Successfully defended a branded bathroom fittings company on the CMA’s probe into suspected anticompetitive practices in the bathroom fittings sector.
- Advised a Premier League football club in relation to the investigation by Ofcom into the sale of live UK audio-visual media rights to Premier League matches.
Advisory Work
- Advised a group of UK newspaper owners in relation to their joint purchasing of collection and recycling services and joint selling of recycled paper.
- Regular advice to clients in relation to a variety of supply and distribution agreements.
- Advised several banking consortia (fintech) and trade associations on competition law compliance, including attendance at board and/or council meetings.
Education
- Oxford Institute of Legal Practice, L.P.C., 2009
- Oxford Brookes University, Graduate Diploma in Law, 2008
- The University of Edinburgh, M.A., 2007
Admissions
- England and Wales, 2014
Languages
- English
- French
- Recommended in The Legal 500 UK 2022.
- Sam is described in The Legal 500 UK as an “experienced litigator who keeps his cool in stressful situations. He is very good with clients and is fantastic to work alongside”.
- Ranked as a Rising Star in Competition and Antitrust by the Euromoney Expert Guides 2020 and 2022.
- Ranked as Rising Star EMEA in Antitrust & Competition by the International Tax Review in 2022.
- Co-author, “A Bridge too far: English Bridge Union loses VAT appeal to European Court of Justice”, Lexology, 11 December 2017
- Author, “Beginners’ luck? Not so much for some online gamblers”, Lexology, 4 November 2016
- Co-author, “Sports Immigration: Brexit’s Latest Political Football”, Lexology, 16 June 2016