Crowell & Moring Adds Dr. Salomé Cisnal de Ugarte as Antitrust, International Trade, and Regulatory Partner in Brussels

Brussels, Belgium – May 19, 2014: Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Salomé Cisnal de Ugarte as a partner in its Antitrust and International Trade groups, as well as the firm's European (EU) Regulatory Practice. She joins the Crowell & Moring Brussels office from Mayer Brown.

"The addition of Salomé gives further depth to our European presence and enhances our ability to provide first-class counseling services across Europe," said Kristof Roox, partner and head of Crowell & Moring's Brussels office. "We are particularly pleased with the strength and breadth of Salomé's experience, as it enhances the synergies between our Antitrust and International Trade groups. Her addition bolsters our EU competition practice with her extensive State aid experience, having worked for beneficiaries, complainants, and sovereigns. We are thrilled to welcome Salomé, who is a first rate addition to our team."

Cisnal de Ugarte focuses her practice on EU and national competition law, as well as international trade and other EU regulatory matters. With over 15 years of experience, Cisnal de Ugarte is a trusted advisor to many European and global corporations across a wide range of sectors, including luxury and other consumer goods, chemicals, energy and natural resources, banking and financial services, as well as, media and technology. She is recognized for her capabilities handling State aid matters and has substantial experience dealing with vertical and horizontal issues relating to retail distribution and online commerce of branded goods. She represents clients before the European Commission, national competition authorities, and in European courts. In addition, Cisnal de Ugarte assists companies and governments with international trade matters, including providing counsel on World Trade Organization (WTO) and free trade agreement negotiations and proceedings, including the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement (TTIP), trade remedies, and market access issues. As part of her extensive competition experience, she has handled mergers at EU and national level, advised clients on compliance and cartel investigations, and provided strategic and legal counseling on complex antitrust matters.

Cisnal de Ugarte started her career in the Brussels antitrust, competition, and trade team of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and worked later as director for European & Regulatory Affairs at Whirlpool Europe. She is a graduate of the University of Deusto, Harvard Law School, and the European University Institute and was honored with an associate fellowship of the Real Colegio Complutense at Harvard University and a Fulbright Scholarship. She has, until recently, served as vice chair and member of the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU (AmCham EU) and is currently the president of the Harvard Club of Belgium and the Belgian Fulbright Alumni Association. In 2013, she was awarded the ILO International Client Choice Award for EU Competition Law. Cisnal de Ugarte regularly publishes and lectures on competition and trade issues.

"Crowell & Moring has an excellent reputation and outstanding lawyers," said Cisnal de Ugarte. "The firm's superb practices in antitrust and international trade, coupled with its renowned litigation and regulatory platforms, will allow me to offer clients comprehensive advice to deal with their most complex issues and maximize their greatest opportunities from a transatlantic perspective. I am excited to join such a dynamic firm that is so highly regarded for its commitment to client service, entrepreneurial culture, innovation, and spirit of teamwork."

Cisnal de Ugarte's arrival follows the recent promotion of Brussels-based Emmanuel Plasschaert to partner in Crowell & Moring's Labor & Employment and Corporate groups. Plasschaert primarily focuses on individual and collective labor law, including human resources-related privacy and international employment issues. He is recognized for his experience with complex restructurings and collective labor law disputes. In addition to his employment practice, Plasschaert has significant experience in commercial and complex litigation matters and criminal enforcement issues, especially white collar crime enforcement matters.

The firm's Brussels office provides a broad range of litigation, transactional, counseling, arbitration, and regulatory capabilities. The Brussels office has a strong domestic, European, and transatlantic practice, with clients ranging from local SMEs to the world's largest multinational corporations with operations in the European Union. The Brussels lawyers focus on antitrust/competition, intellectual property, international trade and customs (including WTO law), telecommunications, media and technology, top-level domains and domain names, corporate and commercial, labor and employment, consumer protection and unfair competition, pharmaceutical law/life sciences, privacy and data protection, advertising and product risk management, environmental, energy and chemical law, and litigation and arbitration. 

Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with more than 500 lawyers representing clients in litigation and arbitration, regulatory, and transactional matters. The firm is internationally recognized for its representation of Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation, as well as its ongoing commitment to pro bono service and diversity. The firm has offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, Anchorage, London, and Brussels.

Brussels Contact
Lorraine Baldwin
+32 (0) 2 739 16 77
Lorraine.Baldwin@hkstrategies.com