Competition: EU and global

Latham & Watkins LLP

‘A strong partner in navigating the EU competition landscape’, the Latham & Watkins LLP antitrust and competition team regularly supports large, complex deals through the merger clearance process, also providing advice on abuse of dominance and cartel investigations with sector expertise ranging from technology to energy. Carles Esteva Mosso co-heads the team, with longstanding regulatory expertise, while co-head Giuditta Caldini was promoted to the partnership in January 2024 and is a go-to for clients in highly regulated industries. Héctor Armengod is vice chair of the firm’s global antitrust practice, regularly handling multi-jurisdictional merger clearance matters. Sven Völcker is recommended for high complexity merger investigations, and Lars Kjølbye is sought after for some of the firm's highest profile matters. ’Exceptional partner’ Christos Malamataris ‘quickly gets to the core of complex issues and provides sharp, business-oriented advice’.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘L&W's EU Competition team stands out for its expertise, responsiveness, and ability to handle complex matters efficiently. They offer practical, business-focused advice and work closely with in-house teams to provide clear and actionable solutions.'
'Their collaborative approach and use of innovative technology make them a strong partner in navigating the EU competition landscape. Compared to other firms, they consistently deliver quality.’
‘Christos Malamataris is an exceptional partner. He quickly gets to the core of complex issues and provides sharp, business-oriented advice. His understanding of our needs and ability to offer practical solutions make him a standout. Christos brings clarity and efficiency, making him a trusted and reliable advisor.’
‘The Latham team is thoughtful, innovative and able to coordinate large workstreams across our organization. The team works very well together in a united fashion, including associates and partners. They deliver high-quality input and strategic advice at tremendous speed.’
‘Christos Malamataris is a star. He is thoroughly integrated in our organization, a highly-valued individual by both business and lawyers. He is sharp, well-versed and has a deep understanding of the tech sector.'
‘A true "one team" made up of very high caliber partners and associates with high quality, practical and business oriented advice. We truly appreciate their hands on approach, their in depth knowledge of the market and the regulatory landscape and their collaborative spirit, which makes us consider them an extended part of our inhouse team.'
‘Luca Crocco is a great team leader, very humane, approachable, with a wealth of knowledge and expertise on our business and the industry.'
'Christos Malamataris is an excellent partner and a true gem in Lathams Brussels. An excellent expert, with great business acumen and a genuinely collaborative approach towards our business and in house legal team. Always very responsive and extremely competent.'

Key clients

Bunge Limited
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Grail
CVC
Farfetch
Tapestry
Hyundai Heavy Industries
Lufthansa
Microsoft
Orange
Singapore Airlines
The Carlyle Group
One Rock Capital
Viasat
American Airlines
Coca Cola Hellenic Bottling Company

Work highlights

Advising Grail on its USD8bn acquisition by Illumina.
Assisted Orange with obtaining conditional EU Phase II merger clearance for its joint venture with MásMóvil to form Spain’s largest mobile operator by customer numbers, valued at €18.6bn.
Represented a client in successfully closing two cartel investigations by the European Commission into no-poach agreements.

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