EU: Dechert Snags Cadwalader’s Antitrust Team in Brussels

Dechert has hired a four-lawyer team from Cadwalader’s Brussels office as it moves to boost its European competition practice, leaving Cadwalader with six lawyers in the city.

The team, which joined Dechert today (10 January), is led by office head Alec Burnside (pictured), who joined Cadwalader from Linklaters in 2011 to launch the Brussels base for the US firm.

He is moving to Dechert alongside special counsel Anne MacGregor, who joins Dechert as a national partner, and associates Marjolein De Backer and Adam Kidane.

The hires significantly boost Dechert’s European competition practice, which also counts lawyers in Paris and Germany.

Dechert competition co-leader Michael Weiner said: “Alec is on everyone’s shortlist of outstanding competition law practitioners in Brussels. It’s a significant addition to the number of people in Brussels, but we will operate as a European team. We’re not finished expanding yet as there’s a growing need for European advice. The idea is that we need to have at least five first-rate partners in Europe as a minimum.”

Burnside is well known in competition circles for work including representing Aer Lingus on the defence of Ryanair’s repeated hostile bids and associated appeals. He is currently advising complainants including Getty Images in abuse of dominance proceedings against Google and previously worked on the mergers that created GlaxoSmithKline and BAE Systems.

Full Content: American Lawyer

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