Extensive experience advising on all aspects of UK, EU and international competition law including mergers, agreements, abuse of dominance, subsidy control/ state aid and public procurement.
Particular experience in cases involving regulated sectors, IP rights and capital intensive industries.

Suzanne handles the range of education law cases advising students, academic staff, schools and governing bodies, universities, colleges, examining bodies and local authorities.

She has expertise in complementary areas of law including public law/judicial review, data protection, equality law, professional discipline, human rights and EU/State aid.

Her work includes representations in complaints against school and examination procedures and results. She also advises on contractual disputes raising negligence and damages claims.

Suzanne has also acted as a mediator, arbitrator and tribunal chair in education law matters, often raising sensitive questions of academic and other misconduct.

Particular expertise advising in complex cases involving civil fraud which overlap with cartel practices and related areas of regulation including financial crime, market manipulation and anti-corruption.

Prior to her call to the Bar, Suzanne worked as a director in the strategy (economics and forensics) practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she was involved in cases involving asset tracing and damages assessment. Her high level of financial literacy is particularly valued by clients seeking counsel who can handle financial experts with ease.

Her representative experience includes advising on major cartel and bid rigging investigations, appeals and follow-on damages actions, including advising:

Air Canada on the European Commission’s investigation under Article 101 TFEU in relation to air freight and subsequent appeals and litigation;
Dunlop Oil & Marine in relation to antitrust and criminal investigations into cartel activity in marine hoses in the UK, EU, US, Brazil, Japan and Korea.

Wide experience of EU and UK information rights and data protection law, advising public and private organisations. Examples of representative engagements include:

Advising and supporting the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) on the legal and regulatory issues arising from its implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Law Enforcement Directive (LED). This includes a secondment providing advice and assistance in the following areas: data audit, data protection impact assessments, drafting of policies, procedures, privacy notices and guidance, advice to Data Protection Officer, development of data sharing protocols, contracts with third party processors, employee contracts and development and delivery of training to staff;
Supporting a range of financial services regulatory bodies in their representations to DCMS on the Data Protection Bill and Data Protection Regulations including liaising with Parliamentary Counsel and drafting amendments to the Bill;
Participation in and advising a cross-regulatory working group on implementation of the LED in the UK, through Part 3 of the Data Protection Act 2018;
Advising the Homes and Communities Agency on its GDPR remediation strategy and policies;
Advising various law enforcement agencies including the Derbyshire Constabulary on its remediation strategy and policies in the implementation

Wide experience of EU and international human rights law. Particular experience on human rights issues in regulatory investigations and enforcement by public authorities. Representative experience includes:

advising on human rights issues in relation to Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights in the context of judicial review of administrative action and court proceedings in the UK and other Member States;
appearing as counsel in judicial review of decisions of the UK competition authorities, including decisions of the Competition and Markets Authority;
advising the Payment Systems Regulator on the public law and human rights aspects of its dispute resolution and settlement procedures and its Policies and Procedures Guide, public consultations and policy statements on dispute resolution and investigatory procedures.

Expert in cross-border disputes, particularly raising issues of jurisdiction, choice of law, anti-suit injunctions, exclusive jurisdiction clauses, and recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments, both under EU legislation and at common law.

Economic regulation

Advises on economic and financial regulation in all the regulated sectors, including sector-specific licensing, and price control matters in the following sectors: communications, energy (electricity and gas), financial services, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, transportation (including rail and road, shipping), and water.

Financial services conduct regulation

Wide experience of advising on supervision, investigations and enforcement under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

Legal professional services regulation

Advises on professional services regulation with particular expertise in the regulation of solicitors and barristers.

Disciplinary

Representative engagements include:

advising on the competition law and restraint of trade issues arising from potential sanctions imposed following breach of the SRA Code of Conduct;
conducting an internal inquiry for a sports governing body into allegations of maladministration.