My specialties
UK and international mergers and investments
Our UK corporate law offering includes extensive experience in handling transactions in the UK and overseas across a wide range of industries and spans the full lifecycle from formation to exit. If you are looking to acquire or invest in another business, or are considering an exit, it is important to get the details right from the outset to ensure a smooth transaction, keep costs down and extract as much value as possible from your business. With over 25 years’ experience in the UK and internationally in mergers and acquisitions and an enviable track record of completing transactions of all sizes across a range of industries, we are a solid first port of call for your legal needs.
The latest highlights include:
- Advising a family office on a series of strategic minority investments in UK and EU companies in the food and beverage industry
- Representing a medium-sized Swiss pharmaceutical company in the acquisition of various trademark rights for the German and Austrian markets from a large British pharmaceutical group
- • Advising a large US conglomerate on a strategic acquisition in Germany in the food packaging industry
English business law
Commercial contracts are our bread and butter offering. We deal with a wide variety of contracts on a daily basis and are experts in advising on all types of commercial contracts governed by English law, including:
- Production and supply agreements
- License and distribution agreements for intellectual property
- • Development and partnership agreements
- Standard terms and conditions
- IT contracts, including software development and licensing
- Modalities of data processing
We also deal with contractual and commercial disputes and seek effective legal and negotiated solutions to resolve them. Should litigation be necessary, we work with experienced lawyers and other UK litigation experts to resolve ongoing disputes for you in a cost-effective manner.
We also provide comprehensive support in the award of US business contracts and have negotiated several service contracts with major US companies. When specific US legal advice is required, we have a large network of US lawyers who can assist us as needed.
Having worked in the industry for ten years, we combine sophisticated advice with the commercial acumen we have developed over the years in this sector. We provide you with tailor-made and “to the point” advice so that you can expand your business in a cost-efficient and timely manner.
Pharmaceutical law
In addition to our expertise in commercial contracts (see English Commercial Law), we have extensive experience in the UK pharmaceutical sector. For further details, please see our Pharmaceutical Law page.
UK labor law
We have extensive expertise in developing employment solutions for your workforce. UK employment law is complex and changes frequently. It is therefore important to get the details right and take appropriate legal advice as early as possible.
We can support you in the following ways:
- Advice on the status of employees and independent contractors
- Negotiation of employment and consultancy contracts
- Employment policies, procedures and staff handbooks
- Stock option plans (actual or virtual)
- Processing day-to-day HR inquiries
- Corporate restructuring and redundancies
- Management of redundancies and negotiation of settlement agreements
- Immigration law, sponsor licenses and visa routes
- All other queries relating to human resources and employment law
Foreign investment in Germany
We advise you on all matters relating to your foreign investments in Germany and offer an effective interface to local lawyers and tax specialists.
More about me
As a corporate and commercial lawyer with over 20 years’ experience advising law firms and companies in both the UK and Germany, as well as extensive experience in providing legal support for investments and transactions in emerging markets, particularly in the Middle East, I am quick to identify and meet the commercial needs of my clients. In doing so, I always keep in mind to fully exploit the growth potential of the companies and the products offered, both nationally and internationally. By implementing tailor-made, coherent and efficient structures and contracts and with a high level of expertise in project implementation, I support my clients on their path to success.
Career
I am Julien Sweeting and I grew up in France and the UK. I studied law at University College London (UCL), where I also completed my practical legal training in London. In the first half of my professional career, I worked in major US law firms in London.
After several years advising biotech companies in Cambridge, UK, I moved to Germany. Here I worked for eight years as Legal Director for a large pharmaceutical company headquartered in Germany. In this role, I was responsible for business in Germany, the UK, the USA, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.
My professional expertise also includes three years working in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia, where I specialized in investments and transactions. Over the last five years, I have advised extensively on global M&A transactions with a total value of over EUR 2 billion. I also focus on advising companies investing and partnering in emerging markets (MENA/APAC). I also assist companies with the internationalization of their business activities, including in the US and UK, as well as risk and liability management.
Fluent in English and French, I enjoy continuously improving my German language skills.
Education
- University College London (LLB, LLM)
- Université de Paris (Assas-Pantheon)
