International Trade and Competition Team Joins McGuireWoods
2nd August 2013
13.06.2013
McGuireWoods LLP today announced that it is expanding its international trade, competition and EU regulatory law practice with the addition of a four-member team in the firm’s Brussels office. The team will significantly enhance the firm’s abilities in Europe and throughout the United States to represent clients with complex international trade, competition and regulatory matters.
Members of the team, who are joining the firm from Squire Sanders in Brussels, include:
- Vassilis Akritidis, Partner
- Yves Melin, Partner
- Alessandro Nucara, Senior Counsel
- Yongqing Bao, Associate
The team, which is led by Akritidis, has focused its work on representing companies, both inside and outside the EU, on all aspects of international trade and World Trade Organization (WTO) practice, including trade defense investigations, WTO dispute settlement, customs law and litigation, trade compliance training, trade risk assessment, export controls and duty recovery; a broad array of competition law matters including State Aid and EU internal market, as well as EU regulatory compliance (data protection, biocides, telecom, energy, life sciences). The team has extensive experience in advising clients on how to best protect their interests throughout the EU legislative process. They bring experience in handling matters around the world. Akritidis and members of his team have been ranked in several international legal publications, including Chambers & Partners and Legal 500.
“This is a great day for our international practice” said Hubert André-Dumont, managing partner of the firm’s Brussels office. “This team has a number of combined decades of experience of providing comprehensive solutions in international trade and competition matters, and we are looking forward to putting that experience to use for our clients within our Brussels and London offices and within our U.S. based offices as well.”
“As more companies are now conducting business on a global basis, the complexities involved in international trade have only become more challenging for our clients,” said Howard Feller, chair of the firm’s antitrust practice. “The arrival of this team comes at a perfect time and we are looking forward to them helping us expand our international trade and competition platform.”
“We are delighted to join McGuireWoods and become part of an exceptionally solid firm, led by inspiring people”, said Akritidis, head of the firm’s European trade practice. “Our international trade law and EU competition skills will add to the firm’s vast array of practice areas, aiming at expanding geographical coverage and providing turnkey solutions to the firm’s clients on both sides of the Atlantic.”
