EU: Latham & Watkins Recruit Antitrust Duo

Jacques-Philippe Gunther and Adrien Giraud are moving from Willkie Farr & Gallagher in Paris and Brussels to Latham & Watkins. Both are highly regarded practitioners, with vast experience advising leading French and international companies on a variety of complex, cross-border merger control and contentious antitrust matters.

“The arrival of Jacques-Philippe and his team represents a major milestone for the Paris office,” said Xavier Farde, Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins in Paris. “Jacques-Philippe has established a first-class reputation advising major companies on their most significant competition issues. The team will further enhance our ability to advise domestic and international clients on their most challenging strategic transactions, investigations, and regulatory matters.” Gunther and his team have represented French and multinational companies on some of the most significant competition matters in France in recent years.

Gunther has more than 30 years’ experience advising clients on complex disputes before the European and French competition authorities, the European Court of Justice, and French courts on a broad range of anticompetitive practices, with a particular focus on damages claims. He also has deep expertise in complex phase 1 and phase 2 European and national merger filings and state aid. Gunther has particular experience in the telecom, transport, energy, media, defense, sports, and financial services sectors.

Giraud has 15 years’ experience practicing in Paris, New York and Brussels. He advises on the full spectrum of competition law matters, including complex merger filings, anticompetitive practices, abuse of dominance, and state aid. He has extensive experience in damages claims and a proven track record handling major litigation matters in both the EU and France. His expertise covers a broad range of industries, including telecommunications, shipping, energy, media, retail and financial services.

“We have successfully built one of the world’s preeminent antitrust practices, equipped to handle the most complex cross-border matters for publicly listed companies,” added Sven Völcker, Global Co-Chair of Latham & Watkins’ Antitrust & Competition Practice. “Jacques-Philippe and Adrien bolster our French and EU competition law credentials, at a time when the French enforcement regime is among the most active in Europe. Gunther’s stature at the European competition bar is exemplary, conferred on him by many years of experience advising C-Suite executives and boards on a variety of bet-the-company transactions and disputes.”

Full Content: Latham & Watkins

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