/Home/Europe/Competition: EU in Belgium/Herbert Smith Freehills
View profile of Herbert Smith Freehills
Department profile
Herbert Smith Freehills
Department profile | Herbert Smith Freehills
Competition: EU

About

Provided by Herbert Smith Freehills

Based in the heart of Europe for over 30 years, HSF Brussels provides global clients with commercially-focused, legal and strategic advice across the full spectrum of competition, regulation and trade law issues.

Our competition law team has a distinguished track record of delivering results for clients in the most challenging cases, navigating EU and national competition laws across Europe and globally. We advise across the full spectrum of competition law matters, including in relation to merger control, foreign direct investment (FDI), cartels and investigations, unilateral conduct, competition litigation, competition compliance, and State aid / subsidy control.

Our EU law experts have unparalleled expertise in proceedings before the European Commission and EU courts across various fields of EU law, having led in numerous high-profile cases. Our team has an excellent understanding of the workings of the EU, drawing on the experience of former secondees, officials and judges at the European Commission and EU courts.

The Brussels office is also the hub of our global international trade and WTO law practice, acting on disputes under the WTO dispute settlement mechanism and advising on market access strategies, sanctions, export controls and trade remedy matters.

We pride ourselves on providing excellence in client service and being easy to work with. Central to our ethos is a commitment to act robustly to defend and promote our clients' interests.

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Competition: EU - Belgium

3
Band 3

What the Team is Known For

Herbert Smith Freehills' Brussels competition practice leverages its expertise to work on corporate transactions that often draw scrutiny both from the EC and from various other competition regulators worldwide. It advises on EU merger control issues arising from high-profile strategic acquisitions that test the scope for further consolidation of sectors including energy, consumer goods and TMT. Key lawyers offer notable strength in state aid mandates, advising beneficiary companies on state aid investigations and compliance matters, as well as advising on FSR. The firm also has experience in antitrust investigations, including appeals to the CJEU seeking to overturn findings of abuse of dominance.

Work Highlights

Provided by Herbert Smith Freehills

  • Herbert Smith Freehills acted for Coca-Cola in a consumer complaint involving recycling claims.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

The Herbert Smith Freehills team is our go-to adviser for across-the-piste EU antitrust matters.

Competition: EU respondent
Europe

The team has a good understanding of business needs and market conditions.

Competition: EU respondent
Europe

The lawyers at Herbert Smith Freehills have excellent legal expertise, experience and commercial understanding.

Competition: EU respondent
Europe

We appreciate the firm's careful approach, utilising extensive regional expertise and local networks.

Competition: EU respondent
Europe

Herbert Smith Freehills possesses deep understanding of the European regulatory environment, and is able to navigate the clients through this.

Competition: EU respondent
Europe

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

Kyriakos Fountoukakos
2
Kyriakos Fountoukakos
2
Band 2

Herbert Smith Freehill's managing partner of global competition, regulation and trade, Kyriakos Fountoukakos, moves up in the rankings this year following impressive market feedback. He has notable experience in merger control filings made in support of a wide variety of cross-border M&A and JV transactions, notifying prominent deals before the EC as well as coordinating filings across jurisdictions. He additionally represents clients in antitrust investigations and appeals against European Commission decisions. He also manages the firm's cross-border Japanese competition practice.

Kyriakos Fountoukakos is good at connecting the dots, very alert and astute at bringing us relevant details. He is the number one lawyer for us.

Kyriakos is a practical and strategically-minded lawyer.

Kyriakos is a star player in the team, our go-to person and a top competition lawyer.

Kyriakos Fountoukakos sees the big picture, and can help guide matters very effectively, through his excellent knowledge of the European competition sector.

View Profile
Lode Van Den Hende
3
Lode Van Den Hende
3
Band 3

Lode Van Den Hende has notable experience in state aid enforcement, EU regulatory issues and contentious mandates, with a particular focus on representing clients from the energy and hospitality sectors.

Lode is an experienced and sophisticated practitioner, with a deep knowledge of European law.

Lode Van Den Hende is an expert and performs very well in leading his team.

View Profile

Ranked Lawyers at
Herbert Smith Freehills

Provided by Chambers
Filter by
Band

Belgium

Competition/European Law: State Aid
Lode Van Den Hende
3
Lode Van Den Hende
3
Band 3
View Profile
Competition: EU
Kyriakos Fountoukakos
2
Kyriakos Fountoukakos
2
Band 2
View Profile

Members

Provided by Herbert Smith Freehills

Camille Puech-Baron

Kyriakos Fountoukakos

Kyriakos Fountoukakos

Head of Department

Morris Schonberg

Peter Rowland

Clients

Provided by Herbert Smith Freehills

AbbVie

British American Tobacco

Eni

Google

Marubeni Corporation

Mitsubishi Corporation

Sky/Comcast

Sumitomo Corporation

Synthomer

The Coca-Cola Company

Uber

VTTI

Industries

Provided by Herbert Smith Freehills

Consumer

Energy

Financial Services

Pharma

TMT / Digital