Professor Dr. Claus-Dieter Ehlermann is a senior counsel in the firm's Regulatory and Government Affairs Department, and a member of the Antitrust and Competition, European Regulatory, and International Trade, Investment and Market Access Practice Groups. He joined the firm in 2002. Professor Dr. Ehlermann is one of the leading authorities on international trade, European competition and EU administrative law.
Practice
Professor Dr. Ehlermann has represented governments before the WTO dispute settlement body, and he has been retained as advisor to certain governments, industry federations and undertakings involved in WTO disputes. Professor Ehlermann has been engaged to submit an expert opinion in the context of NAFTA litigation. He has also acted as an Arbitrator under Article 21.3(c) of the Dispute Settlement Understanding of the WTO.
With regard to EC law, Professor Dr. Ehlermann represents companies in EC competition law matters, most recently assisting companies in merger control procedures, State aid and international arbitration proceedings. On the regulatory side, Professor Ehlermann has advised major companies in Europe and the United States on the impact of current and pending EU legislation.
Professor Dr. Ehlermann was a member of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization in Geneva from December 1995 through 2001, serving as chairman during the last year of his mandate.
Prior to his service on the WTO Appellate Body, Professor Dr. Ehlermann held several senior positions with the European Commission. He was Director-General of the Directorate-General for Competition (1990-1995), Spokesman and Special Adviser for Institutional Questions of President Jacques Delors (1987-1990) and Director-General of the Legal Service of the European Commission (1977-1987).
Professor Dr. Ehlermann is considered to be one of the leading academic thinkers on EC law and has published widely. He was chair of EC Law at the European University Institute (Florence).
Professional Activities
Professor Dr. Ehlermann is a member of advisory boards of academic institutions and law reviews. He has published over 200 articles on European and international trade law and was co-editor of one of the foremost commentaries on the EC Treaty.
Honors and Awards
Professor Dr. Ehlermann is the winner of the Global Competition Review's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, an honor given to only 10 of the world's top antitrust lawyers.
Professor Dr. Ehlermann has been recognized as a leader in his field in the 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 editions of Chambers Europe, and in the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 editions of Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers. Professor Dr. Ehlermann is listed in the 2006, 2007 and 2011 editions of Who's Who Legal, The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers and also the 2009, 2010 and 2011 editions of Who's Who of Competition Lawyers and Economists and the 2009 Best Lawyers in Belgium.
Professor Dr. Ehlermann has also been recognized by JUVE Handbookas a "Leading Personality in WTO legislation" in the 2009/2010 edition, and as "Leading Expert in Foreign Trade/WTO-Law" in the 2011/2012 edition.
Related Information
Click here to view Professor Dr. Ehlermann's biography in French. For German, click here.