Latham & Watkins announced that Christos Malamataris has re-joined the firm’s Brussels office as partner in the Antitrust & Competition Practice. Malamataris joins from the European Commission’s Director General for Competition, where most recently he served as an official focused on merger control, policy and strategy, and new merger-related legislation.
“We are thrilled to welcome Christos back to Latham,” said Lars Kjolbye, Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins in Brussels. “He is a fantastic lawyer and a great fit with our team. His return to the firm adds further senior expertise and leadership to our already strong European practice.”
Malamataris’ practice spans all fields of competition law, including merger control, conduct cases (abuse of dominance and restrictive agreements), State aid, EU regulatory principles, and litigation. He has particular expertise in the technology, life sciences, and financial services industries as well as novel areas of EU merger control, including innovation theories of harm, killer acquisitions, and procedural infringements.
“Christos is a leader, an outstanding strategist, and a dedicated team player,” said Jacques-Philippe Gunther, Global Vice Chair of the firm’s Antitrust & Competition Practice. “He is well-known for his commercial mindset and exceptional technical skill, particularly in relation to complex cross-border transactions and investigations.”
“Christos’ substantial transactional and regulatory expertise very strongly complements our existing global merger control capabilities,” adds Mandy Reeves, Global Chair of Latham’s Antitrust & Competition Practice. “At a time when the CMA and other international regulators are taking an increasingly active stance in relation to merger control matters, Christos’ experience, insights, and understanding from both sides of the table will be invaluable to the continued growth of the practice. We are thrilled to welcome him back to the team.”
