K&L Gates adds Taylor Wessing partner to Brussels team

The US firm previously hired McKenna Long & Aldridge competition partner Flavia Distefano (13 September 2011), the first lateral for the office since its establishment in February this year.

In contrast to other recent hires in Brussels, Smets is not a competition specialist and instead focuses on M&A and private equity transactions with a focus on management buyouts and acquisition finance.

K&L Gates’ European managing partner Martin Lane said Smets’ hire added “a further dimension” to the firm’s transactional capabilities in Brussels.