Two international law firms have appointed new partners in Brussels as they look to expand in the city and increase their EU law capabilities, the latest to do so following a string of moves in the Belgian city.
Francesco Maria Salerno has joined Italian firm Bonelli Erede as a local partner, while Dutch-qualified Michael Frese becomes partner at Hogan Lovells Cadwalader (HLC).
Salerno was most recently managing partner of the Brussels office of Gianni & Origoni, where he served for nine years, following a seven-year stint as a senior lawyer at Cleary Gottlieb.
He brings extensive experience in EU law and institutions and various aspects of competition law, including state aid. He also adds additional knowledge of market regulation, with a focus largely on sectors impacted by European legislation, including digital, energy, transport, banking and finance. Additionally, Salerno has experience in FDI screening and international trade, an area in which Mayer Brown hired Pablo Bentes from Baker McKenzie last week as it looked to bolster its own practice.
In a joint statement, BonelliErede’s managing partner, Eliana Catalano, and chairman, Massimiliano Danusso, said the move was part of the continued development of the firm’s Brussels office and corresponding practices. “His experience and in-depth knowledge of the European context will further enhance our ability to support clients in an increasingly complex and constantly evolving regulatory landscape,” they added.
Frese, meanwhile, joins HLC after spending his entire thirteen-year career at Skadden Arps, where he was a counsel.
He brings more than a decade of experience advising companies on all aspects of EU competition law and various areas of EU and national market regulation, including the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act. He boasts a broad-based sectoral practice spanning a wide range of industries.
Frese has worked on numerous high-profile, multi-jurisdictional merger filings and represents companies on investigations governed by authorities in the EU and outside of the bloc, as well as in proceedings before the European courts. A Dutch national admitted in Brussels, Frese also represents clients before the European Commission and the Belgian and Dutch competition authorities.
Janice Hogan, who leads the firm’s regulatory practice, said that strengthening the firm’s merger control capability was “a clear strategic priority”, in a statement. “Michael brings exactly the depth of large-scale, multi-jurisdictional merger control experience our clients are asking for,” she added, citing his life sciences practice as an additional bonus.
On joining HLC, Frese said: “I have been impressed by the ambition for the Brussels office and by the strength of the firm’s regulatory, life sciences and trade practices, and I am looking forward to working with colleagues here and across the network to help clients navigate an increasingly complex competition landscape.”
The move is set to fill a gap at HLC following the exit of antitrust partner May Lyn Yuen, who was hired by Vinson & Elkins to spearhead the firm’s first continental European office in March.
The city has become a hotspot for US firms, with Paul Hastings hiring competition lawyer Salomé Cisnal de Ugarte from King & Spalding to relaunch its office, also in March.
And in May, European competition law heavyweight Cleary lost three antitrust partners from its Brussels office to Kirkland & Ellis, including Robbert Snelders, co-head of its EMEA competition practice.
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