Professional profile

Dr. Friedrich Knöbl born in 1944:

• Studying in Vienna Graduation Dr. jur. 1969
• Different management positions untill 1984
• Lawyer registration in 1988
• Sworn expert in proprietary rights and publishing affaires 2003
• Languages: German, English, French

Professional profile

Dr. Martin Brenner is an attorney-at-law in Austria. He graduated from the University of Vienna School of Law with a Mag.iur in 2003 and a Dr.iur. in 2008 and was admitted in Austria in 2008. Martin Brenner was an associate with Dr. Heribert Kirchmayer (2004-2007), starts as j-partner with EDL-Member Dr. Friedrich Knöbl and then as his partner (2007-2009).

Martin Brenner is specialized in the areas of competition law, litigation and contract law.

MEMBERSHIPS: Austrian Bar Association.
LANGUAGES: German and English

Professional profile

Patrick Kileste is one of the current and founding partners of the firm. He holds a Law degree magna cum laude from the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) and started his activities at the Brussels Bar in 1983.

He is considered one of the leading lawyers in the area of the commercial distribution law (distribution, commercial agency, franchise), including the European law aspects.  He has extensively written since 1985 about distribution case law. He is the author of a book about the application during 50 years of the law of 27 July 1961 related to the unilateral termination of exclusive distribution contracts of indefinite duration.

Regarding the area of the automobile distribution law, he is one of the few lawyers who only advise distributors. He is a member of the EDL (European Distribution Lawyers) network, an international association where lawyers and representatives of professional federations meet together. He is a member of the Fédération Belge de la Franchise and was appointed Chairman of the Collège des Experts in 2011. He is also a member of the Brussels Chamber of Commerce.

He further specializes in corporate law, particularly in the area of solving shareholder’s conflicts.

He is the author of numerous academic publications and frequently speaks in his specialization areas.

He also intervenes as a national or international arbiter and is a member of CEPANI (Centre Belge d’Arbitrage et de Médiation) where he also serves on the Legal Committee.

He is interested in solving conflicts through alternative techniques and has had various training experiences in this area, notably in negotiations and so called non violent communication. This enables him to assist his clients effectively in all kinds of negotiations, including estate conflicts.

He has been trained as a mediator at the Brussels Business Mediation Center (BBMC, now called bMediation) and is a certified mediator in civil and commercial matters. He is a member of the mediation commission of the Brussels Bar.
He also trains young lawyers in these areas.

He is convinced of the important role a lawyer should occupy in raising the consciousness in the human relationships based on a greater respect for individual needs. He was one of the promoters of the study day organized by the Brussels Bar on the subject « Une autre façon d’être avocat » (« Another way of being a lawyer ») and is a member of the Institut de Développement Personnel de l’Avocat.

Professional profile

Christian BOURGEON is founder partner of the French law firm BMGB & Associés.

A graduate of Sciences Po Paris, he focuses exclusively on distribution and competition law.

He studied a Degree at the “Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris” and a Law Degree at the “Institut d’Etudes Judiciaires de Paris”.

He was admitted as lawyer in the Paris Bar Association in 1977.

As legal expert in distribution and competition law, Mr. Bourgeon assists numerous small and medium size companies from different distribution sectors, being well known in the automobile sector.

He also assists professional organisations and many authorised networks associations which congregate companies from diverse distribution sectors.

Thanks to his regular contact with the European Union and national authorities, he is actively involved in the development of the legal and regulatory system related to small and medium size enterprises.

He is founder member of the EDL, European Distribution Lawyers network.

Professional profile

Professional profile

Professional profile

PROFILE
Ms Flora Santaniello has extensive experience in matters of domestic and European antitrust laws and various other areas of EU law, regularly representing Italian and foreign undertakings before the Italian Competition Authority and the European Commission. She frequently assists clients by drafting codes of conduct for antitrust compliance programmes and running training sessions in antitrust and unfair trade practices matters, including mock dawn raids. Her varied professional experience has allowed her to develop in-depth knowledge of many sectors. These include aerospace, the production and distribution (both wholesale and retail) of smoking products and electronic cigarettes, the manufacture and distribution of automotive and jet fuels, gas and electric power, the distribution of motor vehicles, air transport and airport services, maritime and railway transport, the production and distribution of pharmaceutical products, professional publishing, entertainment (pay TV and distribution of movies to cinemas), and waste collection, transport and recovery.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Ms Flora Santaniello first began working at the Brussels office of Pappalardo e Associati law firm (which later merged into Bonelli Erede Pappalardo) in 1995. She later moved to the Rome office, where she remained until 2001. She then worked at Allen & Overy LLP for six years in their International Antitrust Group. Ms Santaniello then moved to Simmons & Simmons LLP law firm in 2007, where she worked as a senior associate in the EU, Competition and Regulatory Group until 2014.

BAR ADMISSIONS
• Member of the Italian bar association since 1999

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
• Lecturer on competition law at the SEU – Servizio Europa Umbria, for the course “Law, Economy and EU Community Politics”
• Lecturer at the LUISS Guido Carli University for Social Studies, as part of “Project Russia”, a training programme organised by the LUISS Management for officials belonging to the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation
• Lecturer at the LUISS Business School for the module “Antitrust regulation and relationships with consumers” in the 2nd edition of the MACOM – Master in Compliance Management

EDUCATION
• Law degree from the LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome (1994)
• Postgraduate specialisation in EC (now EU) Law, Economy and Policies at SEU – Servizio Europa Umbria in Perugia (1995)
• Attendee of “The European Union following the 2004 enlargement” lectures, organised by theCentre International de Formation Européenne and the Czech Diplomatic Academy in Horažd’ovice in the Czech Republic (2004)

LANGUAGES
• Italian: mother tongue
• English: fluent
• French: fluent

Professional profile

Born 1954

Studied Spanish in Nijmegen and Madrid, graduated in 1979.

Studied Law in Nijmegen with specialisms Distribution Law and Intellectual Property Law, graduated in 1985.

1984 – 1985: co-author, together with prof. D.W.F. Verkade, of article ‘La Protección del Software en Holanda en 1985’.

After his graduation started working in 1985 as a lawyer for De Kempenaer Advocaten in Arnhem and Nijmegen; in 1991 he became an equity partner of the law firm De Kempenaer.

In 1999 he transferred his practice to Dommerholt Advocaten in Zwolle and Apeldoorn, also as equity partner.

From 2006 until now his office is seated in Nijmegen.

Main areas of practice:

• Distribution Law (authorized dealers/commercial agents/franchising law)
• Intellectual Property Law
• Company Law

Languages:

Dutch, Spanish, German, English, French, Russian

Membership:

Association of European Distribution Lawyers (AEDL)

Publications:

Various publications on Automotive Law

Professional profile

Founding partner of the Spanish law firm QVADRIGAS Abogados. Specialized in commercial law and broad experience in legal actions and administration of companies. He is general secretary of the Board of Directors of various important Companies.

Well-known personality in the Spanish automobile sector, because of his successful engagement in favour of fair distribution and free competition.

Spanish representative within the EDL, legal network of European Distribution Lawyers. Lecturer at different congresses and international meetings, supporting the interests of the Spanish automobile distribution and the respective professional associations.

He was professor at the law school of the University of Alcalá de Henares and of the University Antonio Nebrija in Madrid. He has been invited different times as speaker regarding company law to the Centre of Juridical Studies of the Spanish Ministry of Justice.

Professional profile

Prof. Dr. Patrick L. Krauskopf is chairman of AGON PARTNERS and head of the Center for Competition Law at the Zurich University.  Prior to joining AGON, he was, inter alia, a law clerk with the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, both the deputy director and then the chief of international affairs with the Swiss Competition Commission (COMCO).  At both the Zurich University (ZHAW) and other universities he lectures on contracts, torts and competition law.  With the WTO, UNCTAD, ICN and CUTS he frequently appears as an expert on competition law.  During his mandate at COMCO, he led the revision of the Swiss Cartel Act 2003, the Ordinance on Fines and Leniency Program 2004, the Communication on Car Distribution (BER) 2002, and the Communication (BER) on Vertical Restraints 2007.  He studied at the Universities of Fribourg and Berkeley (Master’s, 1991; Ph.D., 1999) and at Harvard Law School (LL.M., 2005).  Besides being admitted to all Swiss courts he has also passed the New York Bar.

Professional profile

Born in 1974.Admitted to Bar Association of Istanbul in 1997 (Began working as trainee in 1995)

EDUCATION

• 1998 Die Neue Schule (German Language School) Berlin – Germany
• 1991-1996 Marmara University, Law Faculty Istambul – Turkey
• 1984-1991 Gaziantep Anatolian High School Gaziantep- Turkey

LANGUAGE SKILLS

• English Advanced /Fluent
• German Upper-intermediate

PRACTICE AREAS

Law of Competition, Company Law, Law of Commerce, Law of Intellectual Property, Law of Obligations, Litigation & Appeals .

Worked as Legal Advisor/Attorney of some well-known holdings or companies like OKAN HOLDING (2004 – 2005),MENKA TICARET VE SANAYI A.S. -KAVALA GROUP OF COMPANIES (1999 -2006 ), TANYOL TURIZM VE OTOMOTIV TIC. A.S. ( Authorized Dealer of VOLVO) (2005) and also worked as legal advisor of Automotive Authorized Delear’s Association OYDER, Otomotiv Yetkili Saticilari Dernegi (2002-2004) in Istambul.

She currently works for a well-known retail company in the areas of; Law of Competition, Company Law, Law of Commerce, Food Law and Law of Intellectual Property. She is member of EDL – Association of European Distribution Lawyers since 2003.

SPECIAL COURSES /ACTIVITIES

• 2002 – 2003 Preparing legal articles for the Automotive Magazine in Turkey.
• 2001 – 2002 Marmara Contemporary Sciences Foundation -Law Terminologie Course.
• 1999 Seminar in the Association of Marine Law.
• 1998 Legal investigation about “The Structure of Competition Authority”.
• 1996 Seminars and Education Programmes in Bar Association of Istambul.
• 1994 Seminars and Conferences in Marmara University, Law Faculty.