Latham & Watkins LLP

Anthemis Economou

Anthemis Economou advises clients on all aspects of EU competition law, with a particular focus on complex mergers and acquisitions and antitrust procedures. Ms. Economou combines sophisticated economic analysis and her international perspective to represent multinational companies and private equity funds before the European Commission and other competition authorities globally in: Merger control clearances Antitrust investigations Behavioral advice matters She guides clients across industries on merger and antitrust investigations around the globe, leveraging the firm’s robust platform and spearheading efforts with local counsel and economic advisors to efficiently navigate multiple regulatory filing processes for complex deals, including the new EU Regulation on Foreign Subsidies (FSR). Ms. Economou is the local leader of the Parent Lawyers Group and previously served as a member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee and as local leader of the Women’s Lawyers Group. Before joining Latham, Ms. Economou practiced at another international law firm in Brussels and trained at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition. Her experience also includes advising on Greek competition, regulatory, and corporate law.

Carles Esteva Mosso

Partner

Christos Malamataris

Christos Malamataris advises international companies on all aspects of EU competition law. Mr. Malamataris draws on more than a decade of experience helping clients navigate the full spectrum of competition law, including: Merger control Conduct cases State aid EU regulatory principles Related litigation Prior to rejoining Latham, Mr. Malamataris advised on merger control cases as a European Commission official at the Directorate General for Competition. In this role, he steered merger review in the pharmaceutical, financial services, semiconductor, and chemical industries. Mr. Malamataris also oversaw major EU merger control policy and legislative projects, including the revision of the EU Implementing Merger Regulation and the review of below-threshold transactions under Article 22 of the EU Merger Regulation. Mr. Malamataris worked as an associate at Latham and at another global firm before his tenure at the European Commission. He advised companies across a wide range of sectors, particularly in the technology, pharmaceutical, and energy industries. A recognized thought leader, Mr. Malamataris regularly speaks and writes on EU competition law topics, such as abuse of dominance, including as a visiting lecturer at Brunel University in London and the University of Athens in Greece.

David Little

David R. Little advises clients on many of their most significant and complex UK, EU, and international competition law matters, including merger control, anticompetitive agreements, abuse of dominance, and litigation. Drawing on more than a decade of experience spanning large-value transactions and sensitive disputes and investigations, Mr. Little counsels leading global clients on a variety of competition issues, working closely with regulatory authorities around the world to achieve favorable outcomes for clients. Mr. Little has advised on competition issues relating to some of the largest and highest-profile transactions in recent years. He handles a range of multi-faceted, cross-border matters, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, investigations, sector inquiries, and foreign investment control reviews. He also has experience handling standalone and follow-on litigation claims on behalf of both claimants and defendants. His practice spans industry sectors, with a particular focus on media, technology, financial services, and life sciences. Mr. Little offers clients sophisticated insight into navigating various regulatory reviews. Mr. Little has worked at the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and has appeared before many of the major global antitrust enforcement agencies. He has also appeared before the European Courts in Luxembourg, and the High Court and Court of Appeal in England & Wales. He frequently writes on a broad range of topics related to competition and commercial law, including merger control, restrictive agreements, abuse of dominance, state aid, impact investment, and sustainable finance. Mr. Little served on the firm’s global Diversity Leadership Committee from 2020 to 2022

Elisabetta Righini

Elisabetta Righini advises leading multinational companies on European law, with a focus on EU regulation and litigation in the market’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, on State aid, and on FSR. Ms. Righini draws on more than 25 years of experience, including 15 years in high-level positions at the European Commission, and her creative approach helps clients navigate complex regulatory frameworks in Europe, particularly involving: EU technology and AI regulation State aid matters Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) compliance Regulation of network industries, such as transport and energy She regularly advises digital platforms and media services on developments in the EU Digital Single Market — including in connection with the Digital Markets Act, Digital Services Act, and AI Act — and represents them in front of EU institutions and courts in relation to compliance or investigations. Ms. Righini also guides companies, industry associations, and public authorities on State aid and FSR compliance, including in filings, complaints and investigations at the European Commission, and litigation before the European courts. While at the European Commission, Ms. Righini worked as a member of its Legal Service and then as a legal advisor to former Competition Commissioner and Vice President Joaquín Almunia. She leverages her longstanding legal practice and in-depth understanding of the European Commission’s policy and enforcement when helping clients craft their legal strategy in Europe. Over the years, she has become a trusted and strategic advisor to many of her clients on their most critical issues, including European regulatory compliance. Ms. Righini also has extensive experience as a litigator, having appeared before the European Court of Justice in over 100 cases relating to a variety of EU issues, such as State aid, external relations, anti-dumping, network industries, and fiscal matters. She has also appeared before the World Trade Organization in over 20 cases relating to sanitary and phytosanitary measures, genetically modified organisms, subsidies, tariffs and non-tariffs, barriers, and telecoms. A recognized leader within the firm, Ms. Righini is the local chair of Latham’s Women Enriching Business (WEB) Committee and Pro Bono Committee as well as a member of the Diversity Leadership Committee. She is a visiting professor at the Centre of European Law of Kings College’s Dickson Poon School of Law in London and a member of its advisory board.

Giuditta Caldini

Giuditta Caldini, Deputy Office Managing Partner of the Brussels office, represents clients in many of their most significant and complex competition law matters. Ms. Caldini leverages extensive cross-border antitrust experience to provide creative and pragmatic solutions to leading multinational companies. Her expertise spans across: Merger control Antitrust investigations and litigation Antitrust policy and related regulations, including the Digital Markets Act Interface of competition law and intellectual property issues, including standard essential patents Ms. Caldini collaborates across Latham’s robust platform to advise clients in a broad range of industries, with particular experience in the technology, media, healthcare, telecoms, automotive, and consumer goods sectors. Ms. Caldini frequently speaks on a broad range of topics related to competition law including merger control and antitrust investigations and litigation, including as a guest lecturer for King’s College London. A recognized leader at the firm, she has served on Latham’s global Associates Committee.

Héctor Armengod

Héctor Armengod is a partner in the Brussels office of Latham & Watkins and Vice Chair of the firm's Global Antitrust & Competition Practice. He advises clients on EU and Spanish competition law. In particular, Mr. Armengod represents clients in merger control proceedings before the European Commission and the Spanish Competition Authority. He also represents clients in major European Commission cartel and Art. 102 TFEU investigations. Mr. Armengod has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors, having counseled clients on the compatibility with competition law of complex licensing, joint venture, distribution, co-promotion, co-marketing, and co-operation agreements. He also advises clients on compliance with EU and Spanish regulations in the field of medicinal products and medical devices, including promotion and marketing of products, interactions with healthcare professionals, and obligations related to authorization and placing on the market. Prior to joining Latham, Mr. Armengod worked as competition lawyer at an international law firm in Brussels and in the Brussels and Madrid office of a Spanish law firm. He gained insight into the workings of the European Commission during an internship with the Competition Directorate General of the European Commission. Mr. Armengod regularly writes on EU and Spanish competition law, and on EU life sciences regulatory topics.

Jacques-Philippe Gunther

Javier Ruiz Calzado

Javier Ruiz Calzado is a partner in Latham & Watkins’ Brussels office. Practicing EU and Spanish competition law, Mr. Ruiz Calzado handles a broad range of competition law matters, including merger control proceedings, global cartel investigations, abuse of dominance investigations and state aid cases. He represents clients in such matters before the European Commission and the European Courts in Luxembourg as well as before the Spanish competition authority and the Spanish courts. While Mr. Ruiz Calzado represents clients active in a variety of sectors, he is particularly active in the aerospace and energy sectors. He advises on a regular basis a major international energy group on general competition and EU regulatory issues. Prior to joining Latham, Mr. Ruiz Calzado served for six years as référendaire (clerk) to Judge García-Valdecasas at the Court of First Instance of the European Communities (CFI), now renamed as General Court of the European Union. He played an active role in the CFI’s judgments in leading competition cases, such as Airtours/First Choice (one of the first annulments of a Commission merger decision ever) and Bayer-Adalat (a landmark case interpreting the notion of agreement under Article 101 TFEU and the legality of parallel trade restrictions under EU competition rules). Mr. Ruiz Calzado served in various leadership functions at Latham, most recently as Vice Chair of the Litigation & Trial Department. He frequently speaks and writes on developments in EU and Spanish competition law.

Jean Paul Poitras

Jean Paul Poitras is a partner in Latham & Watkins' Brussels office. His practice focuses on EU competition law, with an emphasis on cartel defense, merger review, cooperation agreements, and abuse of dominance. Over the years, he has also handled matters involving other areas of EU law including aviation law, environmental law, product safety, and trade. Mr Poitras has practiced in Brussels for more than 25 years and served as the Managing Partner of Latham's Brussels office from March 2012 to March 2018. In the area of cartels, Mr. Poitras coordinated a global team that assisted one of the airlines involved in the air cargo investigations. The matter spanned ten jurisdictions and covered both regulatory/criminal and civil damage proceedings. He also coordinated a global team that assisted one of the liner shipping companies in the European Commission’s liner shipping investigation and has experience in cartel investigations involving financial services. Mr. Poitras has been involved in many second phase EU merger cases, in which he acted for one of the merging parties or for a complainant. His merger work has covered a broad range of industries including aviation, beverages, computer manufacturing, elevators/escalators, forestry equipment, heavy trucks, internet services, software, and steel. Notable case highlights include leading the team for US Airways that secured EU clearance for the US Airways/American Airlines merger, and leading the team for Neptune Orient Lines that secured EU and global clearances for the NOL/CMACGM merger. Mr. Poitras has also advised on non-merger cooperation and information exchange issues, including in the context of alliances and joint ventures, trade associations, joint sales agreements, and joint purchasing agreements. Mr. Poitras has particular expertise and experience with cooperation in the aviation and liner shipping industry. His work on abuse of dominance issues has focused on marketing practices and pricing.

John Wileur

John Wileur guides companies through complex EU antitrust proceedings and merger control matters. Drawing on his experience in high-profile European competition matters, Mr. Wileur delivers creative and pragmatic solutions to clients. He represents multinational and European companies involved in a range of industries, from technology and live events to pharmaceuticals, transportation, and energy. Mr. Wileur brings particular experience navigating prominent merger control and abuse of dominance matters. His work includes some of the largest and most complicated matters at the EU and national levels, including proceedings brought before the EU Courts in Luxembourg. Mr. Wileur also counsels clients on complex competition issues involving cartel investigations, distribution agreements, and State aid. Mr. Wileur regularly speaks and writes on EU law topics, including as a lecturer at the University of Liège law school in Belgium. He has written on abuse of dominance and other competition law topics in a number of leading legal publications. Mr. Wileur maintains an active pro bono practice. His work includes advising nonprofit organizations on EU and Belgian law issues. He is also a member of the firm’s Pro Bono and Recruiting Committees.

Lars Kjølbye

Lars Kjølbye is the Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins’  Brussels office. His practice focuses on complex cases in all areas of EU competition law, including abuse of dominance, restrictive practices, merger control, State aid, and energy regulation. He has advised clients on a number of landmark matters in recent years. Mr. Kjølbye has extensive experience in a wide range of industries, including electronics and software, energy, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, transport, and consumer products. Prior to private practice, Mr. Kjølbye spent ten years at the European Commission’ s (EC) Competition Directorate General where he held several prominent positions. As head of the Energy and Environment Unit he led the completion of the energy sector inquiry, prosecuted several major abuse of dominance cases, and contributed extensively to the EC proposals for the third gas and electricity liberalization package. He was also involved in drafting Regulation 1/2003, which established a new procedural framework for applying Articles 101 and 102 TFEU, and the accompanying guidelines and notices. Mr. Kjølbye also served as a référendaire at the European Court of Justice. Mr. Kjølbye is widely recognized as a leading antitrust practitioner in Europe. Chambers, GCR’s Who’ s Who Legal, and Best Lawyers in Belgium frequently list him as one of the leading lawyers in his field.

Luca Crocco

Luca Crocco is a partner in the Brussels office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the firm’s global Antitrust & Competition Practice. His practice focuses on EU and Italian competition law. Prior to joining Latham, he practiced competition law and corporate law for four years at other leading international law firms in Milan. Mr. Crocco represents international companies, in particular companies in the manufacturing, consumer goods, chemicals, and electronics sectors, before the European Commission and the Italian competition authority in cartel and abuse of dominance proceedings. In addition, he regularly represents clients in merger control proceedings before the European Commission and the Italian authority, and coordinates multijurisdictional merger filings for global transactions. Mr. Crocco also has a strong expertise in EU State aid law and has represented clients, in particular, companies in the energy and aerospace industry in State aid proceedings before the European Commission. Mr. Crocco regularly writes on EU and Italian competition law. In particular, he is co-author of the chapter “State aid law claims in merger control” in the volume The Reform of EC Competition Law – New Challenges, edited by Lianos/Kokkoris and published by Wolters Kluwer, 2010. Mr. Crocco is a founder of antitrustitalia, a networking group for Brussels-based Italian antitrust professionals, including enforcement officers, lawyers, economists, corporate counsel, and scholars. Visit www.antitrustitalia.it for more information.

Michael Esser

Partner

Philipp Studt

Philipp Studt is a counsel in the Brussels office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the firm’s Global Antitrust & Competition Practice. His practice focuses on regulatory aspects of transactions, including foreign direct investment (FDI) control and merger control. Mr. Studt assists clients in navigating the increasingly complex regulatory landscape comprised of FDI, merger control and foreign subsidies rules in the EU and globally. He regularly advises clients in sectors seen as sensitive and critical, ranging from technology to energy to healthcare, on the risks and strategy at the outset of a transaction and assists them in obtaining the necessary FDI and merger control approvals. Mr. Studt has navigated some of the world’s most active regulatory regimes, including the EU, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, and Australia. Furthermore, Mr. Studt’s experience includes advising clients on complex questions around horizontal and vertical agreements and in State aid matters. Prior to joining Latham, Mr. Studt worked as a senior associate at other international law firms in Brussels and as a consultant at the World Bank (IFC) in Washington, D.C.

Sven Völcker

Mr. Sven B. Völcker is a partner in Latham & Watkins’ Brussels office and member of the Global Antitrust & Competition Practice. His practice covers the full range of EU and German competition law, including merger control, cartel and other behavioral cases, and EU State aid. With more than 25 years' experience in competition law, Mr. Völcker guides clients through complex antitrust procedures. He has obtained merger clearances on behalf of his clients in a number of major cross-border transactions and has advised on some of the largest multi-jurisdictional cartel and abuse of dominance cases of recent years. With a track record of more than 25 cases before the EU courts, he is also an experienced litigator and able to effectively defend his clients’ business interest beyond the authority level, if needed. Mr. Völcker has particularly deep experience in a range of industry sectors, including aviation, high technology, software, financial services, and sports. Mr. Völcker frequently writes and speaks on competition law issues, and teaches EU and German competition law at Göttingen University and Brussels School of Competition. He is a non-governmental advisor to the European Commission in the International Competition Network (ICN).

Wesley Lepla

Wes Lepla is a counsel in the Brussels office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the firm’s Global Antitrust & Competition Practice. He advises clients on merger control, in particular on multijurisdictional merger control notifications and proceedings. Mr. Lepla advises clients on all aspects of Belgian and European competition law, including merger control, cartels, anticompetitive agreements, and abuse of a dominant position. He assists them in navigating the increasingly complex merger control proceedings in the EU and globally. He regularly advises clients in various industry sectors including life sciences, media, technology, defense, and consumer goods. Prior to joining Latham, Mr. Lepla worked as special counsel at another international law firm in Brussels. He was also a teaching and research assistant in International and European Law at the Free University of Brussels (VUB) for five years.