Brussels
O’Melveny & Myers LLP offers seamless antitrust and competition representation in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Members of our practice group routinely represent clients before antitrust and competition agencies around the world. Our 70-plus antitrust and competition lawyers include former high-ranking regulators who maintain close contact with the enforcement agencies, providing clients with invaluable insights into governmental decision-making processes and agendas.
Operating at the European Union’s political and legislative center, the Brussels office focuses on EU and national competition law, as well as trade and sector regulation. Our lawyers are qualified in key Member States, have in-depth experience and knowledge of national laws and procedures, speak local languages, know the national authorities, and are accustomed to coordinating complex cross-border projects in the EU and beyond.
Since its establishment in 2004, the Brussels office has been involved in a series of high-profile cases covering all main areas of EU competition law (Article 102, mergers, and cartel cases), achieving headline-grabbing results for our clients. We recently secured a historic victory for client Advanced Micro Devices in its global antitrust battle with Intel. The decision of the European Commission in May 2009, which came after six years of work by O'Melveny in Brussels, concluded that Intel violated European antitrust laws by abusing its dominant position in the x86 microprocessor market. The Commission ordered Intel to discontinue its illegal practices and imposed a fine of €1.06 billion (US$1.44 billion), which is the largest ever fine set by an antitrust regulator. In the area of merger control our team recently achieved Phase I EC clearances for the Norwegian energy group Norsk Hydro ASA in its US$30 billion (€22.5 billion) merger with Statoil ASA; for TUI AG in its acquisition of First Choice; and for Northwest Airlines in its merger with Delta Air Lines. Due to their complexity and scope, early clearance was not the expected outcome in any of those cases. In the area of cartel investigations, our work includes a full acquittal for client Firma Léon van Parys, the European importer of "Bonita" bananas, which had faced charges of involvement in an illegal price-fixing and information sharing arrangement in the Northern European banana market among the EU’s five main banana importers.
Combining its US, European and Asian antitrust knowledge, O’Melveny is well situated to advise on the transnational implications of deals. This is a critical aspect of international business as globalization continues and as antitrust authorities around the world conduct parallel merger inquiries, as well as monopoly and cartel investigations. Few firms can match our consistent strength across these three major economic areas.
What Others Say About Us
- O'Melveny won "Competition Team of the Year" at The Lawyer Awards (2010). The Brussels team won the prestigious award on the basis of its tremendously successful work for Advanced Micro Devices in the Intel case. In awarding O'Melveny, The Lawyer wrote, "Working on one of the biggest competition cases of the year was always going to be a feather in the cap for O'Melveny & Myers, but winning it against the odds and securing a record-breaking fine in the process shows what a remarkable job the team pulled off." One judge said the case "has the feel of a David taking on not one but two Goliaths - Intel and the European Commission." In addition to winning the team award, Partner Riccardo Celli was a finalist for the "Partner of the Year" award for his leadership during the case.
- ACQ Finance Magazine awarded our Brussels team the title of “Competition Law Firm of the Year” in both 2008 and 2009.
- Legal 500 EMEA (2010) states that O’Melveny’s Brussels team provides “an ability to deliver on-the-spot advice and an understanding of the commercial context.” European Antitrust practice chair Riccardo Celli’s practice “gets top marks across the board,” and partner Christian Riis-Madsen is recommended for delivering “excellent guidance, clearly explaining all risks associated with various courses of action while providing acceptable, fair competition suggestions that enable the business to move forward.”
- Chambers Europe (2011) quotes sources that state that our Brussels practice is “serious-minded, offers a practical approach, and instinctively knows how the Commission thinks, which makes its advice cost-efficient and precise.”
- Chambers Global (2011) continues to commend our global practice in the areas of Competition/European Law and US Competition Law, stating that our team “has a high-profile Washington, DC practice and further impresses through its strength in Asia and presence in Brussels and London.”
- International Financial Law Review 1000 (2010) recommends our European Antitrust and Competition Practice, quoting one client who makes reference to the "very bright people" at O'Melveny and commenting, "Their service is excellent and they are very knowledgeable. Nothing but praise for their competition practice." Partner Riccardo Celli is recognized by IFLR as a "leading lawyer" and partner Christian Riis-Madsen is commended by peers as "a rising star in the antitrust community."
- At the European Legal Business Awards (2008), we received “Competition Team of the Year” honors for our representation of TUI AG in its acquisition of First Choice Holidays PLC, forming the leading travel group worldwide. In addition, O’Melveny was shortlisted for “Competition Team of the Year” at the Legal Business Awards 2010 on the basis of its tremendously successful work for Advanced Micro Devices in the Intel case. In selecting O’Melveny, the Legal Business judges commented: “When O’Melveny took over AMD’s longstanding complaint of abuse of a dominant position against Intel, the case looked dead in the water. The input of Celli’s team led to a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the client, and ultimately finished with the European Commission levying fines worth more than €1bn against Intel.”
- Global Competition Review (GCR) lists O’Melveny among Brussels’ "recommended" antitrust firms in its annual, "Brussels Competition Bar Survey" (August/September 2009). In GCR’s 2009 edition of “Global 100”―its guide to the world’s leading competition practices―O’Melveny was listed in the “Global Elite” section―GCR’s list of the top 20 antitrust firms worldwide. In addition, GCR’s “Who’s Who Legal 70” (2008) notes that our competition practice is “among the largest and most respected anywhere.”
- Competition Law360 named O'Melveny as one of six elite "Competition Firms of the Year" in 2009.
Key Facts
- Global reach – offices and antitrust lawyers in China, Japan, Europe and the United States give us global coverage of the major economies
- Renowned leadership – our practice leaders have established global reputations
- Resources – with more than 70 antitrust lawyers worldwide we can handle efficiently major, complex, cross-border cases and antitrust litigation, however demanding
- Range of skills – we offer effective representation whatever the challenge: criminal proceedings; treble damages and class actions; appearances before regulatory bodies including EC oral hearings; and judicial review in the EU Courts
- Record of success – the results we achieve for clients speak for themselves – see the "European Antitrust and Competition” practice page for some notable recent victories
- Environmentally friendly practices – In recognition of our environmentally friendly practices, the Brussels office was recently recognized as an “Ecodynamique Company” and was awarded one star by IBGE (Institut Bruxellois de la Gestion de l’Environnement)
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