Travers opens in Brussels to boost competition bench - exits Paris

Travers Smith is expanding into Brussels, bolstering its competition capability.

The office announcement follows the recent appointment of Stephen Whitfield as head of competition and the promotion of Ingrid Hodgskiss to partner.

At the same time, the firm is shutting down its long-standing Paris office. Travers has maintained a small presence in the French capital since 1999, but it’s now surplus to requirements. That means the Brussels base will be its only office outside of London.

No redundancies will result from the closure, according to Travers, with all Paris-based staff being integrated into the London office.

Brussels is becoming an increasingly important hub for City firms post-Brexit, particularly for those with top-tier M&A and private equity practices that require dedicated EU competition expertise.

Many firms want their own lawyers in Brussels to handle European Commission merger control and regulatory matters for clients directly.

Paul Weiss made a similar move late last year, hiring top competition lawyers from rival firms to establish itself in the Belgian capital.

Travers managing partner Edmund Reed said: "The opening of our Brussels office meets our commitment of being able to advise clients on all aspects of EU competition law.  We want to be able to continue to provide our clients with the best legal and sector expertise and our presence in Brussels will further enhance our already strong competition offering."