Developing our European disputes and competition capability with dual partner appointments across Belgium and Germany

The appointments mark another step in the firm’s strategy to continue to strengthen its pan European disputes platform, supporting clients facing increasingly complex regulatory scrutiny, enforcement action and cross border litigation.

Corporate crime, investigations and regulatory enforcement – Belgium

Monica Rodriguez joins Eversheds Sutherland’s Brussels office as a partner in its Litigation & Dispute Management practice, following more than a decade at Belgian law firm Eubelius, where she built a strong reputation in corporate crime and white‑collar investigations. She focuses on corporate crime, regulatory investigations and complex criminal litigation.

Monica regularly advises corporates, senior executives and public bodies on sensitive matters involving fraud, financial misconduct and regulatory breaches, and has extensive experience engaging with enforcement authorities and prosecutors. She represents corporate and private clients in complex white collar crime proceedings, demonstrating sharp strategic insight, a rigorous command of complex fact patterns and an unwavering commitment to protecting her clients’ interests, combined with the clarity and strategic foresight that make her a trusted adviser.

Based in Brussels, her work frequently involves EU facing and cross border mandates, where her fluency in Dutch, French and English enhances her ability to guide clients through the intersection of criminal law, regulation and reputational risk. Her combination of deep expertise and a strong track record in fraud and white‑collar crime has been acknowledged across several editions of the Legal 500.

Her arrival builds on the firms’ Regulatory & Investigations capability in Brussels, strengthening its ability to support multi jurisdictional investigations from the heart of Europe’s regulatory environment.

Commenting on her appointment, Monica Rodriguez – Partner at Eversheds Sutherland - said:

“I am delighted to be joining Eversheds Sutherland at a time when regulatory enforcement, investigations and cross border corporate crime matters are becoming increasingly complex and interconnected. The firm’s strong pan European disputes platform, combined with its collaborative approach across jurisdictions, provides an excellent environment to support clients navigating high stakes investigations and enforcement risk. I look forward to working closely with colleagues across Europe and beyond to help clients manage regulatory, criminal and reputational challenges.”

Joos Hellert, Head of the German Litigation practice group, Eversheds Sutherland:

“Investigations and corporate crime matters increasingly span multiple jurisdictions. Monica’s experience working across borders and with different enforcement authorities makes her a strong addition to our European litigation platform, and her presence in Brussels will enhance collaboration between our teams across Europe, the UK and beyond.”

Competition and antitrust litigation – Germany

Maxim Kleine joins the firm’s Hamburg office as a partner in Litigation & Dispute Management, where he will focus on competition and antitrust litigation, regulatory investigations and cartel defence.

Maxim joins from GÖRG, where he was Partner and Head of the firm’s Antitrust practice. He is widely recognised as one of Germany’s leading competition lawyers, with more than two decades of experience representing clients in complex cartel investigations, follow on damages claims and enforcement proceedings before the German Federal Cartel Office, the European Commission and the German courts.

He is consistently ranked in leading legal directories, including JUVE, Best Lawyers, Legal 500 and Lexology, and is known for his work on landmark antitrust cases across sectors such as infrastructure, defence, energy, media and manufacturing.

Commenting on his appointment, Maxim Kleine, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland, said:

“Competition and regulatory scrutiny are intensifying across Europe, and clients are increasingly facing complex, high stakes investigations and damages actions that span multiple jurisdictions. Eversheds Sutherland’s strong European and global competition platform, combined with its disputes capability, provides an excellent environment to support clients through these challenges. I am very much looking forward to working with colleagues across the firm to further strengthen our antitrust and competition offering in Germany and internationally.”

James Lindop, Global Co Chair of Competition, Trade & Foreign Investment, Eversheds Sutherland, said:

“Maxim is a standout competition lawyer with an exceptional track record in both investigations and damages actions. His arrival significantly strengthens our German and European competition capability and enhances our ability to support clients facing high risk, complex antitrust investigations and disputes. Maxim’s experience, reputation and practice make him an excellent fit for our global competition platform.”

Strengthening our European disputes practice

Mark Davenport, Global Co Head of Litigation, Eversheds Sutherland, said:

“These appointments continue to build our European disputes practice so that we can support clients seamlessly across jurisdictions. Monica and Maxim each add depth in strategically important areas – investigations, corporate crime and competition litigation – and together they strengthen our ability to deliver coordinated, multi office support on some of our clients’ most challenging matters.”

Dr. Alexander Niethammer, European Managing Partner, Eversheds Sutherland, said:

“Strengthening our disputes and competition capability in key European jurisdictions is central to our strategy of building a truly integrated pan‑European platform. The appointments of Monica and Maxim reinforce our ability to advise clients where regulatory pressure, competition risk and cross‑border disputes intersect, and reflect our continued investment in high‑calibre talent across Europe.”

The appointments of Monica Rodriguez and Maxim Kleine follow continued investment in Eversheds Sutherland’s Litigation & Dispute Management practice across Europe, as the firm expands its capabilities in regulatory enforcement, investigations, competition litigation and crisis driven disputes.