Sidley Austin Adds to Latham Haul With Brussels Partner Hire

Sidley Austin is poised to hire another Latham & Watkins partner across the Atlantic, bringing on Brussels-based Elisabetta Righini in the new year, according to a source familiar with the move.

Righini advises clients on EU technology and artificial intelligence regulations, state aid matters and foreign subsidies regulation compliance, often appearing in front of EU institutions and courts in compliance and investigations matters.

Righini and a spokesman for Latham didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Chicago-founded Sidley in August began its raid of Latham’s London team with a five-partner group headlined by Jayanthi Sadanandan and Sam Hamilton, who are now global co-heads of Sidley’s leveraged finance practice.

Sidley added two more partners—Scott Colwell and Patrick Kwak—in October. The firm on Wednesday announced its hire of Tania Bedi, the former co-chair of Latham’s London finance department.

Righini’s hire represents a broadening scope from the earlier finance-focused partners it took from Latham.

Sidley is starting to build out its European tech-related transactions and regulatory practice. This week it announced the hire of Londoner Clive Gringras, the former head of the technology, media and telecoms practice at CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP.

Sidley leaders in a release said Gringras’ expertise in contentious transactional issues are in demand as regulators increase enforcement of rapidly evolving technology laws. Righini’s practice mirrors some of the regulatory work Gringras does.

Righini joined Latham in 2015, becoming a partner in 2020, according to her LinkedIn biography. She previously spent more than a decade at the European Commission. She ended her tenure there in 2014 as a member of the cabinet of European Commissioner for Competition Joaquin Almunia, advising the Spanish politician on state aid policy and enforcement.

State aid in the European Union typically refers to restrictions on governments providing support for domestic companies. Many Big Law firms have EU state aid practices.

The issue has become increasingly resonant as European countries contemplate industrial policy to compete with the US and China. The EU this week, for instance, opened a probe into Poland’s plan to use state resources to develop its first nuclear power plant, Bloomberg reported.