Competition and regulatory litigation boutique Geradin Partners has made a twin partner hire in Brussels and senior appointments in London and Paris, while officially opening new offices in Berlin and Cologne, as it continues to build out its presence in the EU and the UK.
The duo joining in Brussels are Daniel Baker and Jérémie Jourdan. Baker will bolster the firm’s merger control practice, while Jourdan will focus on tech regulatory and competition matters, including litigation before the EU courts.
Meanwhile in London, the firm hired Damian Collins OBE, a former junior Minister for Digital Economy in the previous Conservative administration. Collins will head the firm’s public policy team. Also in London it hired counsel Kieran Anderson, while in Paris it added public policy expert Marie Sellier.
Founding partner Damien Geradin stated: “These hires underscore the firm’s ability to attract top-tier talent and solidify its position at the forefront of European competition law, regulation and litigation.”
Baker joins in Brussels from Latham & Watkins after five years, where he was a senior associate. He also had a short stint at Sidley Austin, having trained and qualified at Freshfields, relocating to Brussels upon qualification.
He said: “I am excited to be joining such a dynamic, growing team, and I look forward to working with Damien Geradin and colleagues across offices to grow the firm’s transactional practice.”
Jourdan joins from his previous role as director of competition law and public policy at Vend, formerly Schibsted Marketplaces, where he spent 18 months. He was previously a partner at White & Case in Brussels, where he spent two periods, one of 10 years and another of five years, interspersed with a two-year placement at the European Commission as a hearing officer.
He said he would split his time between Brussels, Paris and Oslo, where his family lives, saying: “I love the idea of joining a specialised boutique that is focused, agile and counts among its ranks seasoned litigators, ex-enforcers and former EU court référendaires.”
The duo’s arrival follows that of Trevor Soames in February, bringing the total number of partners in Brussels to five. The firm recently also hired associate Eirini Marnera from Covington in August.
Geradin added: “Daniel’s extensive experience in merger control will strengthen our transactional practice, which is one of our key objectives for the coming years. Jérémie’s outstanding litigation record, strategic insight on tech regulation and deep understanding of EU institutions will be invaluable assets to our clients as we continue to develop our Brussels and Paris practices.”
Meanwhile in London, the arrival of Collins will add expertise on digital regulation and experience with the Digital Markets Act and Online Safety Act, as well as other policy initiatives on data, online copyright and AI to assist the firm’s clients.
Writing on LinkedIn, Collins, who left parliament at the last general election, said: “Sophisticated companies need guidance on the political and regulatory environment in these areas, which can change quickly and in complex ways. Geradin Partners is perfectly placed to provide that guidance.”
He is accompanied in London by experienced competition litigator Anderson. He will contribute to its portfolio of high-profile cases before the Competition Appeal Tribunal and joins from Humphries Kerstetter, where he spent two years, having also worked at Macfarlanes and White & Case.
In Paris, Sellier, formerly the public affairs director at Vivendi, joins to support the firm’s growing public policy practice with Collins at the helm. The appointments complement earlier additions in Helsinki, including Jan Vapaavuori, former Minister of Economic Affairs, and Tuomas Pöysti, former Chancellor of Justice.
Meanwhile, the firm has officially opened new offices in Berlin and Cologne, which it announced back in June following the appointment of Thomas Funke and Thomas Höppner, both prominent figures in antitrust litigation and digital regulation. Their team now includes counsels Catharina Schulte-Wintrop, Ghazale Mandegarian-Fricke, Philip Westerhoff and Johannes Wick, as well as senior associates and associates.
The office openings mark a significant step in Geradin Partners’ strategy to deepen its presence in Germany. Germany is increasingly central to competition enforcement and digital market regulation, both at the national and EU levels.
Email your news and story ideas to: [email protected]
