Competition/European Law: Lawyers Based Abroad (Expertise Based Abroad) | Global

A member of both the Düsseldorf and Brussels bars, Andreas von Bonin is a popular choice with German clients for his skilful handling of major state aid litigation on behalf of beneficiary companies. He is held out as a high-profile figure in the state aid space, advising prominent European clients on state aid issues, with standout experience in the energy markets sector.

Anne Federle often acts for clients on competition investigations, representing complainants and defendants in cartel and abuse of dominance cases, before both the European Commission and the German Federal Cartel Office. She is also often involved in mandates concerning competition compliance and distribution issues.

Axel Gutermuth is German law qualified who is based in Brussels and assists with merger filings to the Bundeskartellamt, as well as antitrust investigations. He is particularly active in the technology and pharmaceutical sectors.

Bernd Meyring heads the firm's global antitrust and foreign investment group and is admitted to practice in Germany and in Belgium. He is known for his work on abuse of dominance cases. He also assists with merger and FDI filings, particularly for clients in the pharmaceutical and technology sectors.

Christian Filippitsch is admitted to practice in Germany and assists with national merger filings before the German authorities. Additionally he has notable experience acting on the defendant side of abuse of dominance investigations and on cartel proceedings.

Christian von Köckritz is based in the firm's Brussels office and has notable experience advising clients on FCO investigations into allegations of price fixing and abuse of dominance. In addition, he defends clients in follow-on damages claims.

Clemens York von Wartenburg enters the rankings this year following glowing market support. Dual qualified in Germany and Brussels, he has a well-established practice spanning across behavioural and transactional mandates, including investigations before the European Commission and German Federal Cartel Office. He additionally regularly oversees FDI screening processes.

Entering the rankings this year is Falk Schöning. He has extensive experience handling complex global merger and FDI filings before the European Commission and, due to his dual-qualification, the German Federal Cartel Office. He is also adept at assisting complainants in abuse of dominance proceedings.

The German-law qualified Frank Montag has a well-established reputation as a top Brussels-based competition lawyer. He is a sought-after adviser to well-known German companies and is best known for his merger control work, having handled notable phase II investigations on behalf of manufacturers. He offers additional experience in defending clients in cartel investigations.

Jens Peter Schmidt co-heads the Noerr Brussels office and is also admitted to practice in Germany. He advises on mergers that trigger filings to the EC or the German regulators, including those that require supporting FDI notifications. He has further experience in cartel investigations.

Markus Röhrig is admitted to practice in Germany and in Brussels, and he has standout experience in merger filings before the EC and the Bundeskartellamt. He also assists clients with appeals against cartel decisions and defends them in follow-on damages litigation.

German-qualified Michael Bauer is based in the Brussels office of CMS and represents clients in merger and FDI filings before the German authorities, as well as advising on state aid matters involving Germany.

Michael Rosenthal heads Sullivan & Cromwell's competition team and leads sophisticated merger control and behavioural matters. Splitting his time between the firm's offices in Belgium and Germany, he has notable experience assisting clients with notifying mergers before the German authorities.

Brussels-based Philipp Werner is also German-qualified and has proven experience in the defence of investigations carried out by the German Bundeskartellamt.

Stephanie Birmanns leads the Brussels office of SZA Schilling, Zutt & Anschütz and has a strong focus on assisting clients with FDI reviews before the German authorities. She also advises clients on merger clearance reviews and competition compliance issues.

Admitted to the German Bar, Sven Völcker is often identified as a high-profile individual in Brussels handling top-end merger clearance cases that necessitate significant interaction with the EC, including appeals against prohibited mergers. He has further experience handling merger notifications to the German FCO and challenges to FCO decisions. He also defends clients in sensitive cartel and abuse of dominance investigations.

Thomas Wessely is based in Brussels and is also qualified to practise in Germany. He attracts particular praise for his activity in significant cross-border transactions in the telecoms sector.

Ulrich Soltész is a top lawyer in the state aid field, and as a German-qualified lawyer he regularly represents German companies and public bodies in connection to EC state aid investigations. In addition to his contentious state aid work, Ulrich Soltész leads a wider range of competition matters, including filing abuse of dominance complaints against competitors.