Freshfields partner Joins Cabinet of the European Commission

Vanessa Turner has been asked to join the Cabinet of the European Commissioner for Competition

Vanessa International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is delighted to announce that Vanessa Turner has been asked to join the Cabinet of the European Commissioner for Competition, Neelie Kroes, as a member with responsibility for merger control and antitrust issues. This is a great distinction.

Vanessa is currently a partner in Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s leading antitrust, competition and trade (ACT) practice in Brussels. She has been a partner since 2000 and has represented the firm’s clients in European antitrust and merger control law.

At the Commission, Vanessa will be responsible for antitrust and merger policy across a wide range of areas. She will be leaving the firm to take up her new post on 1 April 2008.

David Aitman, global co-head of Freshfields’ ACT practice, said: ‘This is tremendous news for Vanessa. We are delighted the Commission has recognised Vanessa’s excellent experience in the field of antitrust and merger control. It is unusual for a senior policy role like this to be filled by someone from private practice, which indicates Vanessa’s strong reputation and breadth of experience.’

Profile

Vanessa has advised a broad range of clients before the European Commission, European courts and national authorities on Article 81 and Article 82 EC Treaty, on merger cases and on general EC competition law matters such as the design and implementation of competition compliance programmes. She has frequently advised on multi-jurisdictional matters including international mergers and cartels. Vanessa also headed the firm’s Cartels Skills Group.

An English solicitor and German Rechtsanwalt, Vanessa is a native speaker of English and German, fluent in French and conversant in Dutch. Educated at the University of Surrey (UK), Universität Mainz (Germany) and at the Institut d’Etudes Européennes (Brussels, Belgium), she is half-English and half-German.