Catherine Gordley
Counsel
d: +32 (0)2 790 48 05
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Areas of expertise
Industries
Languages
English
French
Italian
Catherine has particular experience in merger control, including advising clients in Phase II merger proceedings and in other transactions requiring remedies.

Her merger experience spans a wide range of sectors, including financial services, aviation, steel, chemicals other basic industries.

She also advises on the interplay of the EU merger control regime with newer instruments such as foreign direct investment and foreign subsidies reviews. She is a key member of the firm’s EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) taskforce and a contributing author to a handbook on the FSR published by VBB with Concurrences.

Catherine’s practice includes advising on distribution, licensing and abuse of dominance issues, particularly in the luxury/retail goods and media sectors. She is also active in the life sciences sector, advising pharmaceutical companies on matters related to distribution, pricing, product denigration and generic/biosimilar market entry.

Catherine regularly prepares compliance programmes and assists companies with their implementation.

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Representative matters

  1. Advised Nippon Steel on the EU merger control and FSR aspects of its proposed USD 14.9 billion acquisition of US Steel.
  2. Advised Gedeon Richter on its strategic acquisition of 100% of the shares in Estetra and Neuralis, and certain assets of Mithra Recherche et Développement, from Mithra Pharmaceuticals.
  3. Advised leading industrial chemicals company Quaker on its successful acquisition of rival Houghton, and subsequently advised Quaker Houghton on various other transactions.
  4. Advised sustainable water solutions specialist Pentair on the EU merger control approval of its $1.6 billion acquisition of Manitowoc Ice.  
  5. Advised Boeing on the EU merger control aspects of its proposed acquisition of Brazilian regional jet manufacturer Embraer, subject to a Commission Phase 2 review until the transaction was abandoned. 

Professional 

  1. Admitted to New York Bar, 2013
  2. Admitted to Brussels Bar (B List)

Academic

  1. L.L.M., EU Law, University of Brussels (ULB), 2017
  2. J.D., Harvard Law School, J.D., 2011
  3. Master in European Integration and Regionalism, University of Graz, 2008
  4. B.A., Yale University, 2006
  1. The EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation, Concurrences (2023): contributing author
  2. Van Bael & Bellis: Competition Law of the European Community, Kluwer 6th edition (2021): contributing author