Matt Evans is recognized as a leading adviser on UK and EU competition law, focusing on both merger control and behavioral matters. On transactions, he represents clients before the Competition and Markets Authority and European Commission to obtain regulatory clearance for mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures. On the behavioral side, Matt advises on investigations into anticompetitive agreements and practices, including cartels and supply arrangements, market investigations, abuses of dominant position, state aid, and EU free movement issues. He has extensive experience advising clients on e-commerce, in particular on structuring brand owners' distribution arrangements. He works with clients in a range of sectors, including financial services, energy, telecom, technology, music, betting and gaming, fast moving consumer goods, environmental, and agriculture.
Matt's recent transactional experience includes successfully representing market leading clients in merger control cases before national competition authorities and the European Commission in a number of diverse sectors, including rail transport, telecoms, hi-tech engineering, construction materials, health care, and real estate. He is also currently advising clients in ongoing EU antitrust regulatory investigations.
Matt has authored or coauthored numerous articles, most recently on the implications of Brexit for M&A deals and the rights of the UK government to review and block acquisitions of businesses trading in the United Kingdom and raising public interest concerns. He has coauthored the UK chapter on merger control for Global Legal Insights and speaks regularly at competition law seminars. He was chair of the Competition Section of the Law Society of England & Wales in 2019-2020 and a member of the editorial advisory board of Kluwer Competition Law.
Experience
Additional Publications
- May 2020
M&A Lawyer - Sabre/Farelogix: Innovation, Two-Sided Platforms, and the Risks of Multijurisdictional Merger Reviews - November/December 2019
Is UK Merger Clearance Still Voluntary?, The M&A Lawyer - June 2019
Jones Day Talks: Podcast: Oversight of Foreign Direct Investment in the UK - April 2019
Brexit And M&A: The Final Round, The M&A Lawyer - May 2016
Commentary: European Antitrust Enforcers Move on Holdings of Big Data - August 2010
OFT widens its net to catch company directors, Jones Day Bulletin - June 2010
OFT should look at anticompetitive activity, City A.M. - May 2010
New focus on the anti-competitive effects of minority interests in competitors, Jones Day Bulletin - February 2010
The European Union in 2010: What does a new Treaty and a new Commission mean for UK PLC?, Jones Day Bulletin - July 2009
The Reaction of the Competition Authorities to the Global Financial Crisis, The Bulletin - July 2009
The Reaction of the Competition Authorities to the Global Financial Crisis, Jones Day Bulletin
Speaking Engagements
- May 9, 2019
Chair, 2019 Annual Conference, Competition Section of The Law Society of England and Wales - May 2, 2019
Foreign Direct Investment Laws in the UK and the Impact of Brexit on M&A, panelist, The New M&A Paradigm: Guiding Your Company in Today's Global Environment - May 2, 2019
The New M&A Paradigm: Guiding Your Company in Today's Global Environment - International Trade Regulation - April 17, 2019
Foreign Investment Review and Public Takeovers in the UK - Key considerations for Chinese investors, Jones Day Shanghai Outbound Seminar - April 16, 2019
Key considerations for Chinese investment into the UK, Jones Day Beijing Outbound Seminar - April 15, 2019
Foreign Investment Review and Public Takeovers in the UK - Key considerations for Chinese investors, Seminar to CAPE - November 1, 2018
EU and UK Antitrust Enforcement and Merger Control: Key Practical Considerations and Does Politics Play a Role?, conference co-hosted by Ningbo Chamber of Commerce and Jones Day - November 1, 2018
Foreign Investment Review and Public Takeovers in the United Kingdom: Key Considerations for Chinese Purchasers, conference co-hosted by Ningbo Chamber of Commerce and Jones Day - September 5, 2018
Understanding full functionality in joint ventures, Law Society - July 12, 2018
The Latest in Competition Law, co-presenter - September 20, 2016
Competition law in the UK after Brexit - what can we expect and what do we want?, Jones Day client event - July 2016
Matt Evans spoke with Wolters Kluwer about geoblocking challenges facing clients operating in the EU, YouTube - June 29, 2016
Brexit: UK votes to leave the EU: What happens next? - June 8, 2016
Masterclass in Competition Law For In House Counsel, Central Law Training - October 1, 2015
Drivers and Trends in Global M&A 2015: This Year's Exposition On How to Close Deals in a Turbulent Regulatory and Increasingly Protectionist World - October 1, 2015
Jones Day Client Day 2015: Continuing To Profit In A Shifting Risk Environment - Drivers And Trends In Global M&A 2015: This Year's Exposition On How To Close Deals In A Turbulent Regulatory And Increasingly Protectionist World - October 1, 2015
Jones Day Client Day 2015: Continuing To Profit In A Shifting Risk Environment - Competition and Regulatory Enforcement: Current Trends And What To Expect - February 26, 2015
The UK concurrency regime, IBC Legal's 14th annual forum: UK Competition Law 2015 - January 14, 2011
Recent Developments in EU Competition Law, 19th MCLE Annual Fair - June 8, 2009
Preparing for the Unexpected, a Jones Day Competition Law Conference
- King's College London (Postgraduate Diploma in EC Competition Law with commendation 2002); The College of Law, Chester (Legal Practice Course with commendation 1998; Common Professional Examination with commendation 1997); Worcester College, Oxford University (M.A. in Classics and Modern Languages 1996)
- Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales
- Intern, Directorate General for the Internal Market, European Commission, Brussels (2001)
Recommended in The Legal 500 UK (2020)
Who's Who Legal: Competition — Future Leaders (2018)
Ranked as a leading individual for competition law in Chambers UK (2019)
- French