Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has hired competition lawyer and former Freshfields co-managing partner Rafique Bachour to bolster its antitrust team in Brussels.
Bachour joins as a partner, bringing more than 25 years of experience advising global companies, investors and institutions on M&A and other deal-related antitrust and regulatory matters. He specialises in merger control and regulatory strategies, compliance and coordinating multijurisdictional defences in international investigations and related litigation, including complex reviews under the European Foreign Subsidies Regulation.
Jeremy London, Skadden’s executive partner, said: “Rafique is a prominent and high-calibre antitrust and competition attorney with an exceptional blend of cross-border regulatory experience and strategic, business-oriented thinking. We have continued to grow in Brussels over the last few years, and his joining will further support our plans for the office and the wider global antitrust/competition group.”
Bachour arrives after 26 years at Freshfields, which he joined as a trainee back in 1999, becoming a partner in 2011 and co-managing partner in 2021.
Ryan Junck, global head of Skadden’s litigation and controversy practices, said: “As regulators across jurisdictions increase scrutiny of M&A and foreign investment, Rafique’s experience will boost our ability to continue to deliver the most sophisticated and integrated advice to our clients. With his track record of working on the most complex and large-scale global transactions and multijurisdictional investigations, Rafique is a natural fit for Skadden.”
Standout deals Bachour has advised on include the regulatory aspects of Teck Resources’ $53bn merger with Anglo American, the global regulatory strategy for UBS’s $3.25bn acquisition of Credit Suisse and the global antitrust and foreign investment strategy for AstraZeneca’s $39bn acquisition of Alexion Pharmaceuticals.
He said: “Skadden’s global reach and standing in the market create an exceptional platform to help clients navigate issues across sectors and jurisdictions. I look forward to working with the firm’s outstanding lawyers worldwide as we support clients facing increasingly intricate regulatory, investigative and geopolitical challenges.”
Bachour’s exit from Freshfields follows an announcement back in July that he would be stepping down from a three-lawyer co-managing partner role after Georgia Dawson was elected for a second term as senior partner. Bachour’s fellow co-managing partners – Alan Mason and Rick van Aerssen – remained in their roles.
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