About me

Address: London: Eighth Floor, Ten Bishops Square, London E1 6EG

Areas of Focus: Antitrust Policy & Regulation; Antitrust Litigation; Securities Enforcement & Litigation; Mergers & Acquisitions; Hedge Funds; Cybersecurity, Privacy & Data Protection; Antitrust & International Competition; Antitrust Mergers & Acquisitions; EU/UK Competition; Sustainability; Sovereign & Government Investors; Global Investment Review; National Security; Litigation Finance; Telecom, Media & Technology Policy; Energy Antitrust; Disputes & Investigations; National Security & Global Investigations; Capital Solutions

Biography:
Davina is recognized by The Legal 500 for her “encyclopedic understanding of competition and merger control laws” and her “in-depth understanding of the regulatory landscape in markets.” Davina is also recognized as a Leading Foreign Investment lawyer for her representations in complex national security investigations in the UK and EU, including the first retroactive call-in under the UK National Security & Investment Act (NSIA), the first NSIA Judicial Review and high-profile FDI mitigation cases in various jurisdictions, including the UK, Germany, France and Italy.
With more than 27 years’ experience, in addition to conducting multijurisdictional merger control analyses, navigating and obtaining antitrust and regulatory approvals for complex transactions within and outside of the EU, and negotiating remedies packages, Davina advises multinationals, corporates, technology platforms and trade associations on mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances and restructurings, as well as representing leading sovereign wealth funds, private equity (PE) firms, global institutional asset managers and banks in the context of their strategic and financial investments (transactional and contentious).
Davina also advises on:
- Abuse of dominance investigations by the European Commission (EC), Competition & Markets Authority (CMA), Office of Communications (Ofcom), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Office of Gas & Electricity Markets (Ofgem) (Art. 102/C.II CA98).
- Investigations under the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) and UK Digital Markets, Competition & Consumers Act (DMCCA).
- Cartel, information-exchange and other behavioral investigations by the EC, CMA, Ofcom, FCA and Ofgem (Art.101/Ch.I CA98).
- Other investigations by government agencies and regulators, including under the UK National Security & Investment Act 2021 and other national security/foreign investment (FDI) regimes, and under the public interest provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002, and EC State aid and UK subsidies rules.
- Competition/regulatory appeals/judicial review, private damages claims and class actions before the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT)/courts.
During her secondment to a global financial institution, Davina led on antitrust and regulatory investigations. She has worked in Washington, D.C., where she represented technology, defence, shipping and pharmaceutical/life sciences companies on significant strategic transactions, produced an econometric study in the context of parallel United States/EU antitrust litigation and participated in International Competition Network merger control projects. She has also worked in Brussels and has been seconded to the UK communications regulator, where she worked on merger investigations and wrote the government’s study into digital TV and analogue switch-over.
Chambers UK commends Ms. Garrod for expressing “complex analysis in a commercial manner” for being “very knowledgeable and efficient” and “good at coordinating large amounts of data.” She is highlighted as an “excellent choice for clients.” Chambers Europe 2025 notes that “ Davina Garrod is very client-focused, a thought leader and very keyed into emerging competition trends. ”

Representative Work:
- Represented LetterOne in the $11.2 billion reverse takeover of Harbour Energy PLC.
- Represented TGS ASA in the $2 billion takeover of listed peer PGS ASA.
- Represented Kingston Technology in its $18 billion acquisition of Toshiba Memory Corporation, alongside consortium members Bain Capital, SK Hynix, Hoya, Apple and Seagate Technology.
- Represented the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) in its $ 14 billion acquisition of McAfee Corp. as part of a consortium including Advent International, Permira, Crosspoint, GIC and Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board.
- Represented Olin Corp. in its strategic Blue Water Alliance joint venture with Mitsui & Co.
- Represented SLB (Schlumberger) in multiple cross-border transactions requiring merger control and foreign investment approvals around the world.
- Represented Macquarie and Siemens in the creation of Calibrant JV, which originates, operates and finances Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) projects.
- Advised a major global airline on a complex joint venture requiring multiple merger clearances.
- Advised a leading energy company owned by a Chinese state-owned enterprise (SOE) in multiple merger investigations into an acquisition of a global energy company.

Credentials:
Education: L.P.C., The College of Law, London, 1996; M.A., Trinity Hall, Cambridge, 1995 (with honors); B.A., Trinity Hall, Cambridge, 1995 (with honors)
Bar Admissions: Ireland; Solicitor, England and Wales, 1999

Recognitions:
- Chambers UK, Competition Law, 2013-2026.
- Chambers Global , Competition Law, UK, 2013-2026.
- Chambers Europe , Competition Law, UK, 2013-2025.
- The Legal 500 UK, Leading Partner: EU and Competition, 2013-2026.
- Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal) , World Leading Practitioner in Foreign Investment Control, 2024-2025.
- Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal), Thought Leader in Foreign Investment Control, 2024 - 2025.
- Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal) , GCR World’s Leading Competition Lawyers, 2015-2025.
- Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal), Thought Leader in Competition, 2024 - 2025.
- Regulatory Investigations Lawyer of the Year in the United Kingdom , 2023.
- Euromoney, World Leading Expert on Antitrust & Competition, 2016-2022.
- Euromoney, Expert Guide: Women in Business Law, Leading Practitioner: Competition & Antitrust, UK, 2016-2022.
- Women in Law Awards, 2014, 2022.
- Super Lawyers , 2013-2016.
- The International Who’s Who of Competition Lawyers & Economists , 2013-2014.

Affiliations:
- Law Society Competition Section Advisory Committee chairperson (2012, 2013)/member (2010-2023).
- Council Member for EU Matters, Law Society of England & Wales, 2012 to 2017.
- 100 Women in Finance.
- Women’s Competition Network.
- IBA Public Law Committee (2010-2014) Chairperson (2011).
- ABA Antitrust Section (2003-2023).
- Law Society Brexit Taskforce.

Insights:
- EU AI Act Amendments Defer and Clarify Obligations (July 28, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/EU-AI-act-amendments-defer-and-clarify-obligations
- Akin Advises Coller Capital as Sole Lead Investor on £500 Million Pharmacy2U Continuation Fund (10 July, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/press-releases/akin-advises-coller-capital-as-sole-lead-investor-on-pound500-million-pharmacy2u-continuation-fund
- Q3 2026 – UK Merger Control and National Security/Investment Screening Update (July 2, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/q3-2026-uk-merger-control-and-national-securityinvestment-screening-update
- Akin Advises EEP and Stonepeak on Acquisition of Anwim from Enterprise Investors (June 11, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/press-releases/akin-advises-eep-and-stonepeak-on-acquisition-of-anwim-from-enterprise-investors
- Draft Revised Merger Guidelines: Key Changes and Early Takeaways (May 1, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/draft-revised-merger-guidelines-key-changes-and-early-takeaways
- Akin Advises Pantheon as Lead Investor on €250 Million Sustainability Focused Continuation Vehicle Managed by Alder (April 21, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/press-releases/akin-advises-pantheon-as-lead-investor-on-euro250-million-sustainability-focused-continuation-vehicle-managed-by-alder
- Q2 2026 – UK Merger Control and National Security/Investment Screening Update (April 7, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/q2-2026-uk-merger-control-and-national-security-investment-screening-update
- 2026 Perspectives in Private Equity: Antitrust, Competition & Cross-Border Investment  (March 31, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/articles/2026-perspectives-in-private-equity-antitrust-competition-and-cross-border-investment
- Chambers Europe 2026 Recognizes Akin Lawyers and Practices (March 19, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/chambers-europe-2026-recognizes-akin-lawyers-and-practices
- Akin Attorneys Author Law360 Article on EU Cybersecurity and Connectivity Proposals (March 18, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/media-mentions/akin-attorneys-author-law360-article-on-eu-cybersecurity-and-connectivity-proposals
- UK Expands NSIA Mandatory Regime to Cover Water Sector & Clarifies Scope of Semiconductors, Critical Minerals and AI Schedules (March 17, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/uk-expands-nsia-mandatory-regime-to-cover-water-sector-and-clarifies-scope-of-semiconductors-critical-minerals-and-ai-schedules
- When Bots Set Prices: CMA Highlights Real World Risks of Algorithmic Pricing (March 16, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/when-bots-set-prices-cma-highlights-real-world-risks-of-algorithmic-pricing