ECLA was formed in 2004 by Frank Fine, a U.S. and EU qualified lawyer, who has been part of the Brussels antitrust community since 1986. After many years in private practice, primarily with UK law firms, Frank formed ECLA with the objective of providing an attractive alternative to major Western law firms in terms of client service and cost-efficiency. ECLA competes with top-tier law firms in finding creative solutions to complex, cutting-edge legal issues.

The firm focuses on EU antitrust law, data privacy, foreign subsidies and other EU regulatory and compliance matters, including investigations, merger filings and counseling. On more labor-intensive matters, ECLA obtains, on an as-needed basis, junior associates from international law firms to carry out specific tasks, resulting in substantial cost savings for the client.

Since 2018, the ECLA team includes as a consultant, Penny Newman, a well-known EU and U.S. antitrust lawyer (who operates via Newman sprl). Ms. Newman brings a valuable U.S. perspective to the ECLA antitrust practice. She is a former Assistant Attorney General for antitrust for the state of Missouri and, for many years, was the Head of Global Antitrust at Bertelsmann, one of the world’s largest EU-based media companies.