agathe esch

* EU Merger control * State aid law * EU law (data protection, consumer protection, taxation)

Antitrust: drafting an audit report as well as a monthly competition newsletter EU civil service law: drafting legal briefs in French and English before the Civil Service Tribunal in Luxemburg International contract law: drafting a complaint before the European Ombudsman

* Trainee lawyer in the field of competition law * state aid law (culture, energy) * Merger control (multifiling, market definitions) * legal research

As legal counsel, I was in charge of drafting legal advices for institutional clients, primarily on EU civil service law matters but also on EU procurement rules, on access to documents, environmental law. I drafted and reviewed different international contracts such as contracts of distribution, service contracts etc. Finally as part of our regulatory work, I reviewed internal rules of international organisations.

Recruited to work in the Unit Redress and Financial services of DG Health and Consumers, I was primarily working on Redress, i.e. Alternative Dispute Resolution and collective redress proposals. I researched and reported on these two topics. I also drafted summaries for the European Parliament regarding the mechanisms of consumer redress available in each Member State. I assisted in the organization of the Consumer Summit 2011. I also prepared reports, summaries, minutes and replies both in the area of redress and financial services, which included several meetings with DG Markt and DG Just. This experience allowed me to gain knowledge in consumer law, especially in the alternative dispute resolution means available to consumers but also to confirm that I enjoy working in a multi-national environment.

* I was given two primary tasks: * case law research on the procedure before the European Court of Justice, the Tribunal and the Civil Service Tribunal in order to contribute to a book on this topic. * drafting statements of defense before the Administrative Tribunal of the ILO and legal advices on European law matters. * This first experience in EU law was very rewarding as I had the opportunity to improve my knowledge of EU procedure law in a unique way as well as my litigation skills.

* During these three months, I worked in different areas of law such as business law, employment law and contract law, both on a national and international level and therefore was able to implement my legal education. * I drafted annexes of the Code of conduct, regarding corruption and Intellectual property issues. * I reviewed work contracts, consultant contracts as well as confidentiality agreements in English and in French and updated the templates when necessary. * I researched the major employment laws in each country where Axios has offices in order to adapt their work contracts and updated the employees’ file. * As I had to work alone, with little guidance, this first experience in a company was a real challenge, which I enjoyed.

Merger control: filings before the European Commission and the French Competition Authority (Phase 1 and phase 2). Antitrust: drafting legal advices on abuse of dominant position and cartels. Drafting a legal brief on restrictive practices and dominant position. EU Law: drafting a complaint before the European Commission and drafting position papers on several European initiatives.

This LL.M. was oriented towards EU and International law with a particular focus on commercial law. It was comprised of the following subjects: EU labour and company law, Contract, Tort and Property in Europe, European International Private law, Securities law, Corporate Governance, Carriage of Goods. I opted for an extra course in my curriculum: EU competition law with Marc Van der Woude, judge at the General Court. My thesis concerned a comparative analysis of the proposal on the European Private Company and the cross-border mobility of companies

During my stay at the Alma Mater University, I followed courses at two faculties: at the Faculty of law I studied EU contract law which includes an historical overview from the Roman legal principles to the Principles of European Contract Law, and comparative private law. At the Faculty of Political Science I opted for subjects regarding the EU political system and EU policies. This strengthened my knowledge in contract law, and in private law in general, as well as it provided me with more political knowledge of the EU structure.

The Master in European Law offered a broad view of European Law, including Fundamental Rights in Europe (European Charter of Fundamental Rights and ECHR), EU labour law. It was also comprised of international courses, such as International commercial law but also French courses (bankruptcy and insolvency law, tax law).

During my Bachelor in Law, I studied all the basics necessary to have a deeper knowledge of law. Subjects included from French constitutional law and administrative law, civil law (contract law, property law, tort law), criminal law and commercial law, as well as philosophy, economics, public finances. I was also awarded the “best reward” in European Law competition as organised by my University in the third year of study, and in property law in the first year. I received the “second best reward" in French contract law in the second year.