Wilmer lures ex-EU health commissioner for EU work

Former EU Commiss-ioner for Health and Consumer Protection David Byrne SC has joined the Brussels office of US firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.

Byrne was a barrister for 30 years before moving into the public sector in 1997 as Attorney General of Ireland.

"I can advise on EC [European Community] law and how politics works within the EU. It's no accident I'm with a US firm. They have clients that want to engage with the EU," said Byrne.

Byrne joins Wilmer as part-time special counsel. He is also special envoy to the director general of the World Health Organisation. He is working on a project to amend the International Health Regulations dealing with the monitoring and response to global communicable diseases such as Sars and bird flu.