Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

The Firm

Sheppard Mullin is a full-service international law firm with a robust presence across Europe, the United States and Asia. Our Brussels office plays a key role in the firm's international trade and EU competition practices, serving clients globally with comprehensive legal solutions tailored to complex business and regulatory challenges.

Our Brussels team offers sophisticated legal advice on global competition, EU litigation, regulatory issues, cross-border trade and other international matters. We offer deep knowledge of EU competition law, including merger control, antitrust and State aid. We also represent clients before the Court of Justice and General Court of the European Union, as well as national courts in Member States and the UK. We act as EU legal experts in international arbitration and advise on EU regulatory issues, defending clients' interests in legislative procedures.

Our international trade practice counsels multinational clients in the automotive, aerospace, electronics and other industries in major matters involving export controls, CFIUS reviews, economic sanctions and WTO issues.

Key Capabilities

Sheppard Mullin's Brussels team is distinguished by:

• 35 years of experience in State aid matters
• Long track record of EU litigation experience
• Deep industry expertise in energy, transportation, retail/e-commerce, IT, semiconductor and telecom
• Assist European, U.S. and global clients in diverse trade matters, including intricate sanctions, export and import issues.
• An integrated international team offering a multidisciplinary approach

Areas of Focus

EU Competition and Regulatory

Our EU competition and regulatory team in Brussels represents private companies, associations, regulatory agencies and EU institutions, maintaining strong relationships with authorities and enforcement agencies in Europe and across the globe to ensure easy and speedy access to regulators. Our multinational and multilingual team of EU competition and regulatory specialists provides clients with an in-depth understanding of national and EU policies that shape their business environment, offering decades of experience in:

• Competition law, including cartel investigations, merger control and State aid matters
• EU litigation in both European and national courts
• Regulatory compliance across sectors, including GDPR and EU internal market issues.
• Public advocacy and advising on proposed EU legislation

State Aid

Our Brussels office navigates regulations that govern economic advantages granted by EU Member States and address foreign subsidies from non-EU countries affecting the EU market. We handle complex State aid cases before the European Commission and represent clients in EU and national courts, serving Member States, beneficiaries, competitors and investors.

• Large projects involving State aid notifications to the European Commission and litigation
• Broad experience across more than 16 Member States, sectors and case types
• Policy advisors shaping the legal environment through EU studies and evaluations
• Sole law firm in a consortium for DG COMP framework contract for State aid evaluation
• Supporting clients in matters involving R&D, energy market reforms, European Social Funds, COVID-19 aid schemes, freight railways, arbitration and tax rulings

International Trade

Our international trade team in Brussels is known for our depth of experience handling intricate sanctions, export and import issues. We assist European, U.S. and global clients in diverse trade matters, including:

• Navigating European investment through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)
• Defending against U.S. civil and criminal investigations concerning sanctions and export controls
• Structuring multinational operations in compliance with EU and U.S. regulations
• Securing licenses and clearances for military and civilian exports
• Advising on tariffs, sourcing restrictions, tax incentives and trade regulatory requirements
• Responding to changes in EU and U.S. sanctions affecting various regions
• Planning cross-border manufacturing and distribution for Free Trade Agreements benefits
• Representing clients in trade remedy proceedings and customs investigations

Contact us to learn more about our Brussels team.