The Six-Minute Brief: Europe

lateral hireNov 2 · De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek

De Brauw hires the former president of the EU General Court

Marc van der Woude joined De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek's Brussels office as Of Counsel on 2 November 2026. He was President of the EU General Court from 2019 until September 2026, after serving as a judge there from 2010 and Vice-President from 2016. He will advise on EU and competition law.

why it matters

A Luxembourg court president in private practice weeks after leaving the bench is a credential no pitch deck can match; Brussels competition rivals now face that name on De Brauw's EU litigation pitches.

source De Brauw appoints Marc van der Woude as Of Counsel in Brussels

lateral hireNov 3 · Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance hires a CMA Director of Mergers

Kasia Bojarojć joins Clifford Chance's global antitrust practice in London as counsel. At the UK Competition and Markets Authority she was a Director of Mergers who led Phase 1 and Phase 2 investigations, after about a decade in private practice. The firm says its antitrust practice has added 10 lateral partners since 2021.

why it matters

Hiring from inside the CMA's merger unit is a signal to dealmakers that the firm can read the regulator's playbook; expect rivals to answer with their own regulator alumni in UK merger-control pitches.

source Clifford Chance further strengthens merger control credentials with hire of CMA Director of Mergers Kasia Bojarojć

dealNov 3 · Uría Menéndez

Uría Menéndez advises Portugal on TAP's reprivatisation

Uría Menéndez advised the Portuguese State on the competitive reprivatisation of TAP, which Lufthansa won over Air France-KLM. Lufthansa is buying 44.9% of the airline, plus up to 5% more if employees do not take up their reserved shares, and the State stays the majority shareholder. The firm puts the total value at €1,201 million, including the workers' 5%; partner Bernardo Diniz de Ayala led the team.

why it matters

State-side mandates on flag-carrier sales are rare and very public; Uría gets its name on one of Europe's most watched airline privatisations, from the government's side of the table.

source Uría Menéndez assessora o Estado no processo de reprivatização da TAP

tech & aiNov 3 · Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance advises the ESM on €1 billion of digitally native notes

Clifford Chance advised the European Stability Mechanism on its first digitally native notes: €1 billion at 3.375%, maturing 8 April 2030, recorded on distributed ledger technology and settled in central bank money through the Eurosystem's Pontes initiative. The firm calls it the first benchmark issuance by a European supranational issuer settled through Pontes. Banco Santander, DZ BANK, HSBC Continental Europe and Société Générale were joint lead managers; partners Steve Jacoby and Cristina Freudenberger led.

why it matters

A "first" on Pontes gives Clifford Chance a ready-made tokenisation credential while Europe's DLT settlement infrastructure is still taking shape; capital-markets rivals without a comparable deal will be pitching theory against practice.

source Clifford Chance advises the European Stability Mechanism on benchmark €1 billion digitally native notes issuance

lateral hireNov 2 · Freshfields

Freshfields adds private funds partner Brett Bush in New York

Brett Bush joins Freshfields' Private Capital practice in New York as a private funds and secondaries partner. The firm calls him its 11th strategic US partner addition this year; the Private Capital practice has more than 300 lawyers worldwide.

why it matters

Freshfields is counting its US hires out loud, and funds and secondaries are where it is spending; US-facing rivals should expect the "11th this year" line to keep climbing in its marketing.

source Freshfields Strengthens Private Capital Practice with Partner Brett Bush in New York

lateral hireNov 2 · Simmons & Simmons

Simmons & Simmons brings a real estate team to Brussels

Yves Moreau joins Simmons & Simmons as a partner in its Brussels real estate practice, bringing managing associate Laura Vervier and associates Ségolène Michel, Caroline Bontinck and Noor Spapen. He is the fourth lateral partner to join the Brussels office in 2026, after Stefan Nerinckx (employment), Laurent Voisot (tax) and Koen Vanhaerents (corporate).

why it matters

Four lateral partners in one year turns Brussels from an outpost into a build; Belgian real estate rivals now face a partner the firm calls one of the market's leading names, arriving with a ready-made team.

source Leading real estate partner Yves Moreau joins Brussels practice

dealOct 30 · Freshfields

Freshfields advises National Express owner Mobico on its takeover by Leita Mobility

Freshfields advised Mobico Group, which trades in the UK as National Express, on its recommended takeover by Leita Mobility, which values Mobico at about £308 million (46 pence in cash per share) with an implied enterprise value of about £2.3 billion. Leita's parent, Autobuses de León, is jointly held by the Cosmen family office, Mobico's largest shareholder, and Asterion Industrial Infra Fund III. Partners Claire Wills and Andy Robinson led.

why it matters

A household-name UK public takeover keeps Freshfields on the target side of the City's P2P league tables, the credential every rival public M&A team is chasing.

sources Freshfields advises Mobico on its recommended acquisition by Leita Mobility | Freshfields Freshfields, Latham and Addleshaws advise on £2.3bn National Express takeover

dealOct 28 · A&O Shearman

A&O Shearman advises Sequence on its sale to Intuit

A transatlantic A&O Shearman team led by Valentine Bleicher (Chicago) and Will Samengo-Turner (London) advised Sequence HQ on its sale to Intuit. Sequence is an AI-native revenue management platform that Riya Grover founded in 2021; the value was not disclosed. The firm's release cites The Times calling it one of the largest UK AI exits by a female-founded business.

why it matters

A&O Shearman is marketing the deal as an AI exit story, not just a sale; rivals courting UK tech founders should note how it borrows press validation to make the point.

source Transatlantic A&O Shearman team advises on one of the UK's stand-out AI exits

The referees join the firms.

De Brauw hires the former president of the EU General Court

Clifford Chance hires a CMA Director of Mergers

Uría Menéndez advises Portugal on TAP's reprivatisation

Clifford Chance advises the ESM on €1 billion of digitally native notes

Freshfields adds private funds partner Brett Bush in New York

Simmons & Simmons brings a real estate team to Brussels

Freshfields advises National Express owner Mobico on its takeover by Leita Mobility

A&O Shearman advises Sequence on its sale to Intuit

also this week

The referees join the firms.

De Brauw hires the former president of the EU General Court

Clifford Chance hires a CMA Director of Mergers

Uría Menéndez advises Portugal on TAP's reprivatisation

Clifford Chance advises the ESM on €1 billion of digitally native notes

Freshfields adds private funds partner Brett Bush in New York

Simmons & Simmons brings a real estate team to Brussels

Freshfields advises National Express owner Mobico on its takeover by Leita Mobility

A&O Shearman advises Sequence on its sale to Intuit

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also this week