EU: Former Clifford Chance antitrust head launches own firm

The former head of Clifford Chance’s global antitrust practice has announced that after departing the firm, he will launch his own competition boutique.

According to reports, Oliver Brentz is set to launch Euclid Law, a competition firm with offices in Brussels in London. Euclid will focus on antitrust, regulatory and trade matters within the EU and UK.

Brentz spent 15 years at Clifford Chance. Prior, he had practiced at Linklaters and Simmons & Simmons. Among his most high-profile cases includes advising Barclays on the Forex and Euribor manipulation investigations, as well as representing Shell in the European Commission’s industry probe of alleged oil price-fixing.

In a statement, Brentz said he vaguely got the idea to launch his own operations after Allen & Overy head of global antitrust Olivier Freget left the firm earlier this year to launch his own Paris-based boutique Cabinet Fréget – Tasso de Panafieu.

”I see a gap in the London market for strategic advice for clients regardless of which law firm they are using,” Brentz said. “The competition authorities are talking to each other the whole time and will have a holistic view so I’ll be looking to replicate that in private practice, link up dots that people aren’t linking up and lose the conflicts which are just horrendous at the moment.”

The lawyers’ contract with Clifford Chance is set to expire January 17, say reports.

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