Elisabetta Righini is a partner in the Antitrust & Competition Practice in Latham & Watkins’ Brussels office. Her practice focuses on international and European law, with a particular emphasis on State aid and EU regulation and litigation. Ms. Righini helps clients navigate regulatory frameworks in Europe and she has particular regulatory expertise in the digital, telecoms, energy and transport sectors. She regularly advises clients on developments in the Digital Single Market and assists them managing the regulatory exposure while achieving commercial objectives. She also advises companies, industry associations, and public authorities on State aid compliance and assists them with European Commission investigations and litigation before the European courts. Prior to joining Latham & Watkins, Ms. Righini worked at the European Commission for 15 years, initially as a member of its Legal Service, and most recently for five years as a senior member of the Cabinet of former Competition Commissioner and Vice-President Joaquín Almunia. As legal and policy advisor to the Vice-President on EU State aid control, Ms. Righini was the interface between the Vice-President, DG Competition, and other stakeholders including Member States authorities at the Ministerial level, CEOs, and industry representatives. She was actively involved in the State Aid Modernisation package, from conception to adoption. She also advised on other areas such as international trade and WTO, energy, environment, and climate change. Ms. Righini also has extensive experience as a litigator, having served for 10 years as a member of the Legal Service at the European Commission where she appeared before the European Court of Justice in over 100 cases relating to state aid, external relations, anti-dumping, services, and fiscal matters. She has also appeared before the World Trade Organization in over 20 cases relating to sanitary and phytosanitary measures, genetically modified organisms, subsidies, tariffs and non-tariffs, barriers, and telecoms. She is a visiting professor at the Centre of European Law of Kings College’s Dickson Poon School of Law in London, where she teaches State aid law and EU energy law, and a member of its Advisory Board. Ms. Righini is the local Chair of Latham’s Women Enriching Business (WEB) committee and a member of the European Network of Women in Leadership.
2023 Awards
2021 Awards
Distinctions
Nominee, 2021 Antitrust Writing Awards: Business, Cross-border issues
Nominee, 2019 Antitrust Writing Awards: Business, Cross-Border Issues
Nominee, 2019 Antitrust Writing Awards: Business, Private Enforcement
Nominee, 2019 Antitrust Writing Awards: Business, General Antitrust

