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Morrison Foerster Ranked as a Leading Firm by Chambers Europe 2025

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Morrison Foerster has received two practice area rankings across the Belgium and UK categories, as well as four individual...

About Morrison Foerster

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Morrison Foerster has received two practice area rankings across the Belgium and UK categories, as well as four individual recognitions, in the 2025 edition of Chambers Europe.The firm once again received practice area rankings for Belgium TMT and UK: Capital Markets: Debt.Additionally, Morrison Foerster received four individual recognitions, with lawyers being recognized in the rankings on the basis of their legal knowledge and experience, ability, effectiveness, and client service. Individual recognitions include:<ul><li>Alexander Israel, Belgium: Competition: EU, Band 6</li></ul><ul><li>Alex van der Wolk, Belgium: TMT: Data Protection, Band 3</li><li>Scott Ashton, UK: Capital Markets: Debt, Band 4</li><li>Ben Summerfield, UK: Commercial and Corporate Litigation, Band 4</li></ul>Anchored in the European markets where business, technology, and finance converge, Morrison Foerster’s Brussels and London teams provide legal and strategic counsel to many of the most innovative and successful companies transforming technology and our global economy.From our offices in Brussels, the de facto capital of the European Union, and in London’s thriving financial hub of the city, our lawyers work on complex cross-border matters that are critical to the strategic operations and growth of some of the world’s largest and best-known global enterprises.To view the complete list of Morrison Foerster’s rankings in the 2025 edition of Chambers Europe, please visit the publication’s <a href="https://chambers.com/law-firm/morrison-foerster-europe-7:7854" target="_blank">website</a>.

Morrison Foerster Ranked as a Leading Firm by Chambers Europe 2025

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Scott has a corporate finance practice with emphasis on cross–border securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and restructurings. His capital markets experience includes private placements and public offerings of debt and equity (including Rule 144A, Regulation S, and SEC–registered offerings); his M&A experience encompasses public and private acquisitions, asset sales, and tender offers; and his restructuring experience includes debt restructurings, bankruptcy proceedings, and corporate spin‑offs.As part of the firm’s leading private placement team, Scott has specialized experience in representing issuers who wish to make private placements of securities to institutional investors. In addition to traditional model form transactions, Scott is a member of the Loan Market Association working group on private placements that developed the LMA private placement documentation.

Scott D. Ashton

Partner

Alexander Israel is a partner in the firm’s Brussels and Berlin office and a member of the Antitrust practice.Alexander chairs the European Competition practice and is the co-office managing partner of the Brussels office. He is a prominent antitrust authority and longstanding adviser to global companies and senior executives. His practice focuses on cartel and abuse of dominance investigations brought by the European Commission and the German Federal Cartel Office, as well as related litigation before the European and German courts. Alexander regularly handles high-profile cases — including the Air Cargo defense and the CDS defense (both GCR Matters of the Year). Alexander also advises on merger control and global regulatory approval strategies, for example for Amgen/Horizon and Pfizer/Arena. Main areas of his practice include technology, life sciences, aviation, automotive, and financial services. Alexander manages a high volume of significant cases, many involving cutting-edge legal challenges.Legal 500, Chambers, JUVE, Who’s Who Legal, and Global Competition Review (GCR) rank Alexander as a leading practitioner for European and German matters. Alexander and his team won the award “European Competition or Antitrust Team of the Year 2023” (The Lawyer) for an antitrust litigation victory at the European Court of Justice.Alexander is often asked to speak at conferences and universities and has authored multiple books and articles on German and European Union competition law.Before joining Morrison Foerster, Alexander led the Brussels office of another leading U.S. law firm, where he played a key role in establishing the office and leading antitrust initiatives, frequently tackling complex and precedent-setting issues across transactions, investigations, and litigation.He is admitted in Germany and Belgium and speaks German, English, and French.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>European airline in various disputes with another airline concerning feeder flights, including litigation</li><li>Representing Condor in its successful challenge of the European Commission’s approval of Lufthansa’s COVID aid</li><li>U.S. technology companies in ongoing cartel investigation by the European Commission</li><li>Represented numerous national and international companies in global cartel investigations, in particular in the automotive sector</li><li>Secured full immunity for a leading U.S. company in the EC investigation “Car Battery Recycling”</li><li>Represented WABCO, Trane, and Ideal Standard before the General Court in the bathroom fittings cartel case, resulting in a historic fine reduction of €205 million</li><li>Represented a Swiss watchmaker in the EC investigation “Independent Watch Repairers,” resulting in a closure</li><li>Represented a Swiss watchmaker in proceedings before the European Court and the European Court of Justice</li><li>Represented the European Commission in the case T-441/14 “Power Cables”</li><li>Represented Lufthansa and Swiss in their appeal of the cartel decision “Air Cargo,” achieving the first annulment of an immunity decision (Matter of the Year 2016, Global Competition Review)</li><li>Represented a bearing manufacturer in the European Commission’s cartel case “Bearings”</li><li>Represented two European airlines in the EC code-share investigation</li><li>Represented a European investment bank in the EC’s proceedings into CDS (various allegations) resulting in a rare closure of the file after the Statement of Objections (Behavioural Matter of the Year 2016, Global Competition Review)</li><li>Coordinated a global defense against private damage claims for antitrust violations</li><li>Represented Lufthansa in the worldwide merger clearances for the acquisitions of Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and BMI, as well as the sale of BMI to IAG</li><li>Represented Cisco in the worldwide merger control clearance of its acquisition of Tandberg and CoreOptics</li><li>Represented Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines before the General Court in cases T-162/10</li><li>Handled numerous EC complaints alleging abuse of dominance and defending such allegations</li></ul>

Alexander Israel ist Partner des Berliner und Brüsseler Büros sowie Mitglied der Praxisgruppe Kartellrecht.Alexander Israel ist Leiter der Praxisgruppe Europäisches Wettbewerbsrecht und Co-Office Managing Partner des Brüsseler Büros. Er ist ein hoch angesehener Experte für Kartellrecht und langjähriger Berater globaler Unternehmen und ihrer Vorstände. Seine Tätigkeitsschwerpunkte liegen im Bereich der Kartelluntersuchungen und Untersuchungen bezüglich des Missbrauchs von Marktmacht, die von der Europäischen Kommission und dem Bundeskartellamt durchgeführt werden, sowie damit zusammenhängenden Prozessen vor europäischen und deutschen Gerichten. Er berät regelmäßig zu komplexen Rechtsstreitigkeiten, darunter die Verteidigung in Sachen „Air Cargo“ und „Credit Default Swaps“ - beide Mandate wurden von der führenden Fachzeitschrift für Kartell- und Wettbewerbsrecht GCR als Matters of the Year ausgezeichnet. Alexander Israel berät ebenso im Bereich der Fusionskontrolle und zu globalen, regulatorischen Genehmigungsstrategien, unter anderem die Biotech- und Pharmafirmen Amgen/Horizon und Pfizer/Arena. Seine Praxis umfasst insbesondere die Bereiche Technologie, Life Sciences, Luftfahrt, Automobilindustrie und Finanzdienstleistungen. Alexander Israel betreut eine Vielzahl herausragender Verfahren, viele davon mit neuartigen und richtungsweisenden rechtlichen Fragestellungen.Alexander Israel wird von Publikationen wie Legal 500, Chambers, JUVE, Who’s Who Legal und Global Competition Review (GCR) regelmäßig als führender Experte im Bereich des europäischen und deutschen Kartellrechts bezeichnet. Für seinen wegweisenden Erfolg in einem Gerichtsverfahren vor dem Europäischen Gerichtshof hat die britische Fachzeitschrift The Lawyer Alexander Israel und sein Team mit dem Titel „European Competition or Antitrust Team of the Year 2023“ ausgezeichnet.Er wird regelmäßig als Vortragender auf Konferenzen und an Universitäten eingeladen und hat zahlreiche Bücher und Artikel zum deutschen und europäischen Wettbewerbsrecht veröffentlicht.Vor seinem Eintritt bei Morrison Foerster leitete Alexander Israel das Brüsseler Büro einer anderen führenden US-amerikanischen Kanzlei, wo er eine Schlüsselrolle beim Aufbau des Büros und der europäischen Kartellrechtspraxis innehatte und sich mit komplexen, richtungsweisenden Fragen zu Transaktionen, Untersuchungen und Rechtsstreitigkeiten befasste.Er ist in Deutschland und Belgien zugelassen und spricht Deutsch, Englisch und Französisch.<h4>Referenzen</h4><ul><li>Eine europäische Fluggesellschaft in verschiedenen Streitigkeiten wegen Missbrauchs einer marktbeherrschenden Stellung, einschließlich Prozessführung</li><li>Vertretung von Condor bei der erfolgreichen Anfechtung der Genehmigung von COVID-Hilfen für Lufthansa durch die Europäische Kommission</li><li>US-Technologieunternehmen in einer laufenden Kartelluntersuchung durch die Europäische Kommission</li><li>Vertretung zahlreicher nationaler und internationaler Unternehmen in globalen kartellrechtlichen Untersuchungen, insbesondere im Automobilsektor</li><li>Erwirkung vollständiger Immunität für ein führendes US-Unternehmen in der Untersuchung „Car Battery Recycling“ der Europäischen Kommission</li><li>Vertretung von WABCO, Trane und Ideal Standard vor dem Gericht der Europäischen Union im Kartellverfahren zu Sanitärarmaturen, mit einer historisch einmaligen Reduzierung der Geldbuße um 205 Millionen Euro</li><li>Vertretung eines Schweizer Uhrenherstellers in der Untersuchung „Independent Watch Repairers“ der Europäischen Kommission, die zu einer Einstellung des Verfahrens führte</li><li>Vertretung eines Schweizer Uhrenherstellers in Verfahren vor dem Europäischen Gericht und dem Gerichtshof der Europäischen Union</li><li>Vertretung der Europäischen Kommission im Fall T-441/14 „Power Cables“</li><li>Vertretung von Lufthansa und Swiss in ihrer Berufung gegen die Kartellentscheidung „Air Cargo“, die erstmalig zur Aufhebung einer Immunitätsentscheidung führte (Matter of the Year 2016, Global Competition Review)</li><li>Vertretung eines Wälzlagerherstellers im Kartellverfahren „Bearings“ der Europäischen Kommission</li><li>Vertretung zweier europäischer Fluggesellschaften in der Kartelluntersuchung der Europäischen Kommission zu Code-Share-Vereinbarung</li><li>Vertretung einer europäischen Investmentbank in den Verfahren der Europäischen Kommission zu CDS (Credit Default Swaps), was zu einer seltenen Einstellung des Verfahrens nach der Mitteilung der Beschwerdepunkte führte (Behavioural Matter of the Year 2016, Global Competition Review)</li><li>Koordination einer globalen Verteidigung gegen private Schadenersatzansprüche wegen Wettbewerbsverstößen</li><li>Vertretung der Lufthansa in den weltweiten Fusionskontrollverfahren für die Übernahmen von Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines und bmi sowie beim Verkauf von bmi an IAG</li><li>Vertretung von Cisco in der weltweiten Fusionskontrollprüfung der Übernahme von Tandberg und Coreoptics</li><li>Vertretung von Lufthansa und Austrian Airlines vor dem Gericht der Europäischen Union im Fall T-162/10</li><li>Bearbeitung zahlreicher Beschwerden bei der Europäischen Kommission wegen Missbrauchs einer marktbeherrschenden Stellung und Verteidigung gegen solche Vorwürfe</li></ul>

Alexander Israel

Managing Partner, Brussels

Ben Summerfield is a partner, global co-chair of Morrison Foerster's Complex Litigation + Advisement Practice Group and Litigation Head for our London office.Ben advises clients on complex, high-value, cross-border commercial disputes. He represents clients in major litigation before the English courts and regularly manages the strategic coordination of litigation in other jurisdictions. Ben also regularly acts as lead counsel in international arbitrations.“[A] high-class litigator,” an “excellent tactician and strategist,” and “a powerhouse of a lawyer,” “Ben Summerfield is a genuine superstar – the complete package of legal knowledge, experience and judgment. You would always want him on your side in a difficult case.” He “really knows the case and gets to know the client to identify their desired outcome and achieve it.” "Ben is an extraordinarily hard-working litigator.”Ben has been ranked as a Leading Individual for Commercial Litigation for six consecutive years in the Legal 500 UK. He “controls matters at a strategic level with good commercial judgement and creative thinking, while always finding time to be on top of the detail of the legal and factual issues. An all-round star performer who inspires trust and confidence in clients and barristers alike.”Ben is considered to be “an extremely knowledgeable, dynamic litigator” and “he does not miss a trick. He has a lot of insight and is someone you really want as part of a team.”In addition, clients say that “Ben is an exceptional partner [who is] extremely bright and quick thinking with good judgement. While he has a good instinct, he backs that up with detailed research and careful thought. He is a good strategist and tirelessly promotes the interests of his clients going above and beyond in order to deliver a premium service.” Ben has also been described in the Legal 500 and Chambers directories as “very switched-on,” “bright, responsive and keen to get into the detail,” and “manages his team well, so as to bring out the best in everyone and ensure that the task at hand is completed efficiently. He is very determined in finding solutions and is a very versatile and strategic thinker. He is also good fun to work with, which is essential in difficult and intensive situations.".Before joining Morrison Foerster, Ben was a partner and co-chair of the commercial disputes group of another global law firm.Ben is qualified as a solicitor in England & Wales.

Ben Summerfield

<div class="videoWrapper">Alex van der Wolk, co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s preeminent Global Privacy & Data Security practice and managing partner of the firm’s Amsterdam and Brussels offices, employs his nearly 20 years of experience to advise global companies on their most complex data strategies and compliance programs governing all aspects of information management. Alex’s clients benefit from his practical approach and global perspective, saying: “he quickly gets to the heart of the issue and provides solid, pragmatic advice based on the experience he has gained,” “in addition to having very strong legal knowledge, he has a commercial understanding and provides great insight in global matters,” and  “Alex is a true privacy expert with the ability to offer practical guidance on complex problems” (Chambers EU).</div>Alex helps clients develop privacy and data strategies at the forefront of their digital and data-driven endeavors, especially those involving new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and the metaverse. He has particular experience assisting clients with structuring their approach to data in specialized areas, such as health-tech, Agtech, and Adtech. Alex is an experienced litigator, representing clients in privacy litigation in Europe, including successfully representing clients in the first class action cases in the Netherlands and the UK. Additionally, Alex is often called upon to head crisis management teams for clients facing investigations by data protection authorities or responding to cybersecurity incidents. He counsels clients on their incident and cyber preparedness and has done significant work advising clients on EU cyber and data regulatory frameworks, such as NIS2, DORA, the Cyber Resilience Act, and the EU Data Act.Notably, Alex was one of the first practitioners in Europe to help companies set up Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs), and since that time has used this deep knowledge to develop a longstanding and unparalleled track record in obtaining regulatory approval for BCRs, both in the EU and in the UK.Alex is a frequent speaker at high-profile international conferences, including IAPP and South by Southwest (SXSW), and is a guest lecturer at the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, and Society. He is a Dutch-qualified lawyer and a member of the Amsterdam and Brussels Bars. He speaks fluent English and Dutch.