Paul Hastings Fuels Growth in Brussels With Addition of Premier Antitrust Partner

BRUSSELS – Paul Hastings today announced the launch of its enhanced Brussels platform with leading antitrust lawyer Salomé Cisnal de Ugarte, who joins the firm as a partner and chair of its Brussels office.

Joining from King & Spalding, where she led the firm’s EU Antitrust & Competition practice, Cisnal de Ugarte advises on all aspects of EU competition law and has substantial experience in cross-border mergers and joint ventures, high-stakes antitrust investigations and complex vertical agreements. Cisnal de Ugarte has secured unconditional merger control, FDI and FSR clearance for some of the world’s most prominent companies and private equity firms. She currently serves as a non-governmental adviser to the European Commission (DG COMP) on merger control at the International Competition Network (ICN) and as an officer on the Merger Working Group of the IBA’s Antitrust Section.

“As antitrust enforcement continues to intensify across industries such as tech, pharma, energy and financial services, Salomé’s stellar experience and reputation will enhance our ability to win mandates and advise our M&A and private equity clients in navigating increasingly complex, multijurisdictional regulatory scrutiny,” said firm Chair Frank Lopez. “As the center of European antitrust law and policy, Brussels is a critical market in which to add premier talent such as Salomé as we continue building our destination European and global antitrust practice and supporting our growing M&A and PE platform.”

Cisnal de Ugarte’s arrival in Brussels builds on the strong momentum of the firm’s global Antitrust & Competition practice, which has experienced remarkable growth, nearly tripling in size over the past four years. In addition to Cisnal de Ugarte and Sally Evans, who joined from Kirkland, in London, the group recently welcomed Gail Levine and Josh Soven, who joined in Washington, D.C., from Mayer Brown and Paul, Weiss, respectively, and Stephen McIntyre in Los Angeles from O’Melveny. The practice was recognized by Global Competition Review in the 2026 GCR 100, the publication’s annual list of the top antitrust and competition practices worldwide.

She also further strengthens the firm’s M&A platform, which over the past two years has added 20 partners and, according to Bloomberg, ranked No. 1 for global deal value growth. Paul Hastings’ 2025 total deal value was nearly 14 times higher than its 2023 total — an increase to $275 billion from $20 billion. The firm’s average deal value climbed to $1.6 billion — more than seven times higher than its 2023 average of $208 million. Paul Hastings ranked No. 13 among global firms for global M&A deals by value in 2025, jumping 59 spots from 2023, and 10 of the more than 200 deals the firm closed were valued between $5 billion and $20 billion-plus.

Consistently ranked as a leading antitrust lawyer in Chambers, Legal 500, Global Competition Review and Lexology Index/WWL, Cisnal de Ugarte was identified by POLITICO Europe as one of the top “Women Who Shape Brussels,” acknowledging her significant influence in the competition law field. She advises a wide-ranging client base, spanning large corporations, private equity firms, asset managers, and global investment funds.

“I’m delighted to join Paul Hastings at such an important moment in the firm’s global antitrust expansion and the continued growth of its M&A and PE practices,” said Cisnal de Ugarte. “The firm has built an outstanding reputation advising on some of the most complex and high-profile transactions globally, and I look forward to drawing on my experience in EU and international antitrust to deliver integrated, cross-border advice to clients navigating an increasingly demanding regulatory environment.”

The firm’s targeted expansion in Europe, particularly in London, with 8 partners joining over the past six months, has been a key growth driver for its premier global private equity and strategic M&A platform. Prominent recent additions include fellow antitrust partner Sally Evans, as well as Alicia Osei, Jenny Doak and Catherine Richardson (Tax), David Richardson (Investment Funds), Stephen Diosi (Employee Benefits and Incentives), Thomas Picton (Structured Credit) and Jennifer Passagne (Fund Finance).

About Paul Hastings
With widely recognized elite teams across 17 core practices, Paul Hastings is a premier law firm with a culture of excellence focused on providing intellectual capital and superior execution globally to the world’s leading investment banks, asset managers and corporations. For more information, visit www.paulhastings.com.