Elaine Whiteford has joined Covington as a partner in the European Dispute Resolution practice resident in the firm’s London office.
Ms. Whiteford’s practice focuses on contentious competition law matters and follow-on damages litigation, challenges to regulatory decisions, cartel and other regulatory investigations, and other types of commercial litigation. Over the last decade, Ms. Whiteford has been involved in many of the most significant competition damages cases brought in England before the High Court, the Competition Appeal Tribunal and the Court of Appeal. Her experience also includes coordinating multi-jurisdictional litigation on behalf of claimants and advising (potential) defendants on proactive litigation strategies and options for avoiding litigation.
In addition, she has extensive experience in advising clients on investigations by all the major European competition regulators. She has expertise in challenging regulatory decisions, before both the Competition Appeal Tribunal and the General Court of the European Union, and in bringing judicial reviews claims.
Alex Leitch and Jeremy Wilson, co-chairs of Covington’s European Dispute Resolution Practice, commented: “We are thrilled with Elaine’s decision to join the firm. She brings significant EU litigation experience, which we see as a real asset in the current market, impacted by many developments around Europe, including Brexit related disputes, and the new class action regime in the United Kingdom.”
Johan Ysewyn, co-chair of Covington’s global antitrust practice, noted: “We have been substantially expanding our antitrust capabilities in Europe, including with the recent arrivals of Kevin Coates and Sophie Bertin, both former senior officials from the European Commission’s DG COMP. Elaine’s appointment complements that growth by adding further strength on the private enforcement side which is becoming as critical in Europe as it is in the US, essentially now being the natural follow-on to any regulatory investigation.”
Elaine Whiteford added: “I am very excited to be joining Covington, which presents a great opportunity to combine my litigation and competition expertise at the national and European level. The firm’s strategic expansion is enormously attractive, and I very much look forward to being part of the team.”
A fluent Dutch speaker, Ms. Whiteford is a barrister who spent a number of years as an academic lawyer before moving into private practice. She studied law at the University of Edinburgh and has a PhD from the University of Leiden.
