BRG Launches European Competition Practice in Brussels and Paris

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New practice adds to BRG’s growing global Antitrust & Competition Policy group with European experts in mergers, antitrust, state aid and litigation

BRG announced today that it has launched a European antitrust and competition practice based in Brussels and Paris. The practice—which will be led by Managing Directors Dr. Adina Claici, Konstantin Ebinger, Laurent Eymard and Dr. Kai-Uwe Kühn and supported by a team of professionals in both locations—is the latest addition to the firm’s rapidly expanding global Antitrust and Competition Policy group.

The operations in Brussels and Paris, along with the firm’s significant London presence and the appointment of a Director based in Dusseldorf to help serve the high-priority German market, will enable BRG to assist clients with complex and high-profile matters before the European Commission and national competition authorities and courts. The firm’s strength in crucial areas such as valuation and damages, economic regulation, energy and the digital economy will reinforce these efforts. It is expected that further key hires in other European locations will be announced in coming months.

“Our expansion in Brussels and Paris marks a significant milestone for BRG and our clients,” said BRG Principal Executive Officer and President Tri MacDonald. “By drawing on the decades of policy expertise this distinguished group of professionals brings to the table, we’ll better serve our clients across national jurisdictions in Europe and those working with the European Commission”.

Claici, Ebinger, Eymard and Kühn have represented defendants and claimants in prominent competition matters in Europe, including and proceedings under new regulatory instruments in the technology industry, such as the Digital Markets Act (DMA). In addition to extensive experience with the European Commission, the group has routinely handled cross-border matters, with particular expertise across Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, and possesses deep knowledge of the market nuances unique to each country.

Eymard said on behalf of the group: “With BRG’s significant scale, extensive coverage and acclaimed team of global experts, we’ll be able to counsel clients on larger and more prominent merger cases in Europe. BRG’s commitment to its global Antitrust and Competition Policy group—and its substantial experience in the technology sector—will remain crucial. We’re excited to lead the firm’s growth in Europe with the initial Brussels and Paris openings and look forward to further expansion into additional European markets”.

Eymard’s practice focuses on competition work and commercial litigation. A French national, Eymard works primarily with French and Belgian clients across merger, antitrust, collusion and state aid cases. He specialises in regulated industries including telecommunications, electricity and transportation. He has worked for both defendants and claimants in high-profile litigation matters.

Ebinger is a competition economist and concentrates on advising clients and providing expert testimony on merger, antitrust and collusion cases. He has particular experience in cartels and collusive conduct, covering sectors such as transportation, telecoms and pharmaceuticals. Originally from Germany, Ebinger’s practice includes matters in front of the German authorities.

Claici’s experience spans competition consulting work, academia and nearly a decade at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition, where she was a senior member of the Chief Economist’s team. Her practice is focused on merger, antitrust and state aid cases. She is also a visiting professor of competition economics at the College of Europe in Bruges and at Barcelona Graduate School of Economics.

Kühn brings almost 30 years of competition consulting experience to the firm. He is a professor of economics and deputy director of the Centre for Competition Policy at the University of East Anglia. He served as chief economist of Directorate-General for Competition at the European Commission from May 2011 to August 2013. Kühn has advised on the whole range of competition cases, from mergers to antitrust and state aid cases, as well as new regulatory rules for the tech industries, such as the DMA and Art. 19a of the German Competition Act. He also has broad experience in litigation, especially in cartel damages cases before the German courts.

BRG’s European expansion has been spearheaded by Vice Chairman Dr. David Sunding, who joined the firm in 2022 with an initial focus on growing its global competition and antitrust practice. It follows the recent launch of BRG’s Digital Economy and Platform Markets practice led by Dr. David Evans, a top testifying expert, and composed of some of the world’s foremost economists and scholars, including Dr. Rosa (Romy) Abrantes-Metz and Dr. Richard Schmalensee.

Commenting on the significance of the practice’s launch, Daniel Ryan, leader of BRG’s London office, said, “Between the firm’s newly launched Brussels and Paris practice and its longstanding presence in London, our clients are set to benefit from our continued emphasis on cross-border collaboration and regional expertise. This marks the start of the next chapter of our expansion into European markets, and we’re excited for what the future has in store”.