Simon Airey focuses his practice on global, cross-border and internal investigations, financial and regulatory crime, bribery and corruption, money laundering, tax and fraud inquiries, data breaches, dawn raids, asset tracing, international enforcement and corporate compliance issues. Simon serves as co-head of McDermott Will & Schulte’s global investigations and compliance practice.

He has conducted a wide range of investigations and corporate defence assignments in different sectors, including construction, defence, financial services, gambling, oil and gas, logistics, pharmaceuticals and telecommunications. Simon represents both companies and individuals in criminal and regulatory proceedings and in associated litigation.

Simon advises a large number of multinational groups on their global compliance programs and assists clients with corporate risk assessments and pre- and post- M&A due diligence. He conducts tailored training for boards and senior management and has lectured around the world on a range of topics including the UK Bribery Act and the UK Criminal Finances Act. He advises a number of organisations on the corporate criminal offence of failing to prevent the facilitation of tax evasion and served on the UK Law Society committee which devised related guidance for the legal profession.

In addition to leading various major tax, fraud and bribery investigations, Simon has recently defended multi-party litigation in relation to a significant data breach in the UK, dealt with an FCA investigation relating to a global payment services provider and represented a high-profile individual in relation to a multi-million pound D&O insurance dispute in the context of a US DoJ prosecution. He has also advised a foreign government in relation to various tax and transparency issues and represented over 50 financial institutions served with data production orders by HM Revenue & Customs in the UK.

Stéphane Dionnet is co-head of McDermott’s Antitrust Mergers Focus Group and has over 20 years of experience practicing international competition law, and has experience liaising with competition authorities in the European Union, United States and Asia. Stéphane has advised global corporations on how to navigate complex multijurisdictional merger control matters. He has represented clients in numerous cartel investigations and has also successfully assisted companies in obtaining conditional immunity from the European Commission and other competition law agencies in and outside the European Union.

Stéphane has experience across a wide range of sectors including consumer products, energy, entertainment, financial services, technology, pharmaceuticals, retail, e-commerce and telecommunications.

Stéphane is recognized by Lexology Index as a Recommended Lawyer in Competition (2025) and is listed in Global Competition Review’s GCR 100 (2025). He is also recommended by The Legal 500 EMEA for Competition for 2023–2024. Clients describe Stéphane as “an excellent competition lawyer with a great strategic sensibility” and praise him as being “great to work with,” noting his “fantastic work product.”

Earlier in his career, Stéphane worked for three years within the “Merger Network” of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition. He was case-handler in high-profile transactions, including phases 1 and 2 with remedies.

William (Bill) Gaede is known as one of the foremost intellectual property litigators for the life sciences and medical device industries. He serves as lead counsel for a wide range of companies and research institutes and has extensive experience in litigating life science technologies such as antibodies, proteins, small molecules, and diagnostics.

In addition to his substantial jury trial experience, Bill has argued before the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He further provides risk management guidance on freedom to operate issues.

Before entering the private sector, Bill served as the temporary deputy district attorney for the City and County of San Francisco.

Frédéric Pradelles focuses his practice on French and European competition law. He regularly advises international clients in abuse of dominance cases, cartel investigations and on distribution matters, notably in the context of litigation before the French and European competition authorities and courts.

Frédéric also advises clients in global, European and national merger control cases, including Phase II cases. He has extensive experience in the notification of strategic alliances and joint ventures as well as negotiating innovative remedies to secure antitrust approval for the deals on which he advises.

On the litigation side, Frédéric represents clients before the French competition authority, the French Government antitrust agency (DGCCRF) and the European Commission. He also regularly appears as a litigator before the courts in France and the European Courts in Luxembourg. Frédéric has extensive experience in summary proceedings in the field of antitrust, and in interim measures and commitments proceedings before the French Competition Authority.

Frédéric advises clients active in various industries, particularly in the retail, services, transportation, media, hospitality, information technology and banking/finance sectors.

Defends clients across industry sectors in privacy-related litigation and regulatory investigations including involving data breaches, website tracking, ambient recording and biometric data 

Counsels clients on data privacy, cybersecurity, and compliance matters across the full data lifecycle, providing a litigator’s perspective on compliance and incident response 

Assists clients with privacy and cybersecurity due diligence in corporate transactions and private equity investments 

Counsels clients on privacy risks raised by artificial intelligence (AI) tools and ambient recording technologies and defends them in related litigations

Handles complex, global criminal and civil matters, including internal investigations, and investigations conducted by the Department of Justice

Focuses on healthcare enforcement and compliance, including False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback Statute, and Stark Law matters

Represents clients in antitrust criminal investigations and related class actions, and advises on global compliance programs

Has extensive experience with Japanese clients, including in global investigations and implementation and updating of global compliance programs

Brings extensive appellate experience, having served as lead appellate counsel in more than 100 cases in nearly all of the US courts of appeals and before the US Supreme Court

Handles pro bono litigation projects in a wide array of substantive areas, including civil rights, LGBTQ+ rights, children’s rights, disabilities’ rights, and immigration as the firm’s pro bono litigation partner

Ryan Tisch is the global head of McDermott’s Antitrust Group. He provides strategic antitrust counsel for boards of directors, chief executive officers, and key business stakeholders as they maneuver government regulations around the world.

Ryan is known for securing approvals for significant mergers facing review in multiple jurisdictions, including some of the largest mergers in the communications, manufacturing, technology, and food and beverage industries. As the digital economy exposes traditional businesses to new competition, clients also turn to Ryan to advise on their evolving business platforms and go-to-market strategies.

Throughout his global practice, Ryan handles matters extensively before the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission and manages substantive merger review matters before the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority, the Competition Tribunal of South Africa, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, among other international authorities. Ryan has a proven track record of leading merger matters from the auction process to a successful resolution, including through trial.

In addition to his deal work, Ryan helps clients mitigate risk on a day-to-day basis. He advises on complex operational issues such as joint venture agreements, trade association activities, standard setting and data exchange. Ryan has particular experience navigating clients’ vertical relationships and distribution systems, and managing antitrust issues associated with resale price maintenance, price discrimination and loyalty incentives.

Dr. Boris Uphoff has 24 years of experience representing companies in both court and arbitration proceedings. His practice focuses on intellectual property disputes (patents, trademarks, unfair competition), product liability law, insurance law and D&O disputes.

Many of the disputes he handles are cross-jurisdictional and involve other European countries, the US or Japan. He represents national and international companies, particularly within the automotive, electronics, food and insurance sectors.

To read Boris’ full biography in Japanese please click here.

He also regularly acts as an arbitrator in international arbitration proceedings.

Boris is admitted as a lawyer (Rechtsanwalt) in Germany and as a solicitor in England and Wales. He is a certified specialist in intellectual property law (Fachanwalt für gewerblichen Rechtsschutz) and acts as an honorary judge at the Lawyers’ Disciplinary Court (Anwaltsgericht) for the District of the Munich Bar.