Global disputes-only law firm, Hausfeld, is pleased to announce that partners Joanna Christoforou will join its London office from Morgan Lewis and René Galle will join its Hamburg office from A&O Shearman. Both have strong backgrounds in antitrust law and antitrust litigation.

With a background in big-ticket litigation, Joanna has a track record of successfully handling high-stakes and complex UK and EU competition litigation in the English and European courts which earned her recognition from Legal 500 UK in the Competition Litigation as well as EU and Competition categories. They describe her as “extremely skilled, responsive and bringing a real depth of experience in this complex and challenging area.” Her inclusion is a testament to her standing within the legal community. She will join Hausfeld on 11 June.

Following years of high-profile work René has built a market reputation as a 'rising star' (Legal 500), 'future leader' (WWL and Expert Guides) and a 'leading competition lawyer' (Best Lawyers/Handelsblatt). René possesses a long track record with many successes in high-profile competition litigation cases. He serves as a regional co-head of the prestigious Association of German Antitrust Lawyers. Clients and peers consider him 'exceptionally sound in every area of competition law' and value 'his special understanding of and access to economic contexts' (WWL). René will join Hausfeld on 1 September.

This brings Hausfeld European competition disputes resolution team to 14 partners and 44 qualified lawyers, further supported by a team of paralegals. We believe that we have the largest dedicated claimant private enforcement team in Europe and that our expertise and experience in this field remains unparalleled, with our senior team considered to be authorities in the private enforcement of competition actions on behalf of single claimants as well as groups, both for individuals as well as businesses.

Commenting on the announcement, Anthony Maton, Global Co-Chair:

“Welcoming our two new senior antitrust lawyers to our European team marks another milestone in our commitment to delivering unparalleled expertise and strategic insight to our clients. Their formidable experience will undoubtedly further elevate our capabilities with strong teams in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, as we continue to navigate a fast evolving and expanding legal landscapes and advocate for fair competition in the marketplace."

Joanna Christoforou says:

“Hausfeld has established itself as a preeminent firm in bringing cartel damages actions, abuse of dominance claims and collective claims. The big legal developments are really being driven by the claimant side - with Hausfeld playing a big role - which is why joining the firm is so exciting.  My focus remains on contentious work and litigation and a specialist disputes practice of Hausfeld’s caliber and reputation seems to be a perfect fit.”

René Galle added:

“Competition litigation is my passion and at Hausfeld, it sits at the heart of the firm which makes it the right place to be. I am really excited to further boost its leading competition practice. Hausfeld achieved tremendous growth over the last years and ranks today among the top players in the German competition litigation field. Since antitrust law and related regulation, such as the Digital Market Acts, continue to be on rise, so is client demand. I look forward to assisting clients on complex high-profile litigation matters as a partner at Hausfeld.”