Crowell & Moring has hired a partner from Simmons & Simmons, strengthening the US firm’s London antitrust and competition practice. 

Peter Broadhurst joins the firm after 13 years at Simmons & Simmons, bringing with him experience advising companies on competition issues, including merger clearance, cartel investigations, abuse of dominance, distribution arrangements and developing compliance programs. 

The move comes as Crowell & Moring looks to beef up its competition capabilities in London in the face of rising post-Brexit UK merger reviews and investigations. 

Philip T. Inglima, chair of Crowell & Moring, said Broadhurst’s experience advising clients in front of the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) made him a “great strategic fit” as the CMA’s role as an independent regulator gained prominence in the wake of Brexit. 

During his time at Simmons & Simmons, Broadhurst advised corporate clients across a range of industries including the technology, TMT, financial services, energy, industrial and consumer goods sectors. 

Robert Weekes, Crowell & Moring’s London managing partner, said: "Peter is a tremendous addition to our London office and to our global antitrust group. He will provide the firm's corporate clients with top flight competition advice, working closely with our friends and colleagues on our Brussels competition team.” 

Weekes added that Broadhurst’s work helping clients navigate the rising number of foreign direct investment rules in Europe and the UK made him a strong addition to the firm’s London competition roster. 

Over the past year, Crowell & Moring has made a number of strategic additions to its global competition and antitrust practice, including the hire of first-chair defense litigator Stefan Meisner who joined the firm’s Washington headquarters last fall from McDermott Will & Emery. The firm also added to its Brussels team with the hire of EU and Belgian competition and state aid law expert Karel Bourgeois from Allen & Overy in January.  

The firm has also been making big moves outside its competition and antitrust practice, having recently bolstered its financial services offering by combining with Wall Street boutique Kibbe & Orbe, which saw 24 lawyers, including 13 partners, join Crowell & Moring’s offices in Washington, London and New York. 

Elsewhere in the world, the firm launched in the Middle East last autumn when it took over Squire Patton Boggs’ office in Doha.