Cleary Gottlieb has had a strong and deep-rooted presence in Europe since 1949.

After opening our first international office in Paris that year, we opened offices in Brussels in 1960; London in 1971; Frankfurt in 1991; Rome in 1998; Milan in 2001; and Cologne in 2004. Today, more than 500 lawyers firm-wide are based in Europe. Each of our European offices, while an integral part of the firm as a whole, is in its own right a vibrant, well-integrated and respected part of its local legal community.

Our firm has earned a reputation for quality by representing clients in each individual market we have entered and in groundbreaking cross-border transactions.

The lawyers in the firm’s Europe practice work closely with their U.S. and Asia-based colleagues to provide clients with cutting-edge expertise around the globe. This close cooperation is fostered by a regular exchange of lawyers among our global offices.


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Notable Experiences

  • Antitrust: We advise on all aspects of EU antitrust law, including merger control, commercial agreements, cartel investigations and state aid. Our antitrust practice is among the most acclaimed, largest and longest-established in Europe.

  • Bankruptcy and Restructuring: We advise clients on bankruptcy and restructuring matters that cross legal and geographical borders, providing a rigorous approach alongside tough, analytical and outside-the-box thinking to structure creative solutions.

  • Capital Markets: We are regularly involved in the most sophisticated securities and capital markets transactions worldwide. We represent issuers and underwriters in their most challenging equity and debt offerings, including many debut and largest-ever listings.

  • Intellectual Property: We offer the complete range of legal services for enforcing, defending, commercializing, exploiting and acquiring patents, copyrights, trade secrets and trademarks.

  • International Trade and Regulation: Our integrated international practice in 17 major commercial centers throughout the world helps clients effectively address a broad range of trade and customs matters. The firm has a dual presence in Brussels and Washington, D.C., allowing us to provide coordinated regulatory counsel on multinational transactions.

  • Litigation and Arbitration: Recognized as one of the top litigation and arbitration groups in the world, Cleary has helped governments, corporations, financial institutions and individuals in cases that have dominated world business and legal news. Our leading European and international practice handles local matters as well as multijurisdictional disputes.

  • M&A: Our practice represents public and private corporations, acquirors and targets, private-equity firms, and financial institutions in recommended and hostile deals including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, business and/or share sales and purchases, tender offers, leveraged buyouts, minority investments, and restructurings. We have been involved in major cross-border transactions, often working closely with colleagues from our other offices, and domestic deals.

  • Private Equity: We represent private equity funds in structuring acquisitions, investment vehicles and management packages.

  • Tax: Our tax lawyers work closely with those in the finance and corporate practices, along with lawyers in other offices, to structure innovative financial products for clients, handle tax planning for multinationals and advise on tax controversy issues and M&A transactions.

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