Marc Barennes is a partner with Geradin Partners. 

Marc benefits from a unique 360-degree experience in competition litigation and counseling. Over the past 20plus years, he has been a European Commission official (DG COMP), a référendaire (Senior Court Advisor) with the General Court of the European Union, the executive director of a European competition claim aggregator based in Luxembourg, as well as a competition lawyer based in Paris and Brussels. 

As a case and policy officer with DG Competition (2001 and 2003 to 2006), Marc led dawn raids, largely contributed to the development of leniency applications, carried out investigations (RFI and interviews), drafted a Statement of Objections and a fining decision. He also contributed to the drafting of several Commission policy instruments and internal guidelines. 

As a référendaire with the General Court of the EU (2006-2018), Marc was directly involved in 350 judgments, more than 70 of which were in the antitrust, cartel, abuse of dominance, merger, and State Aid domains. A majority of these cases set new precedents in these fields and involved fines or orders to recover between 200 million euros and several billion euros. 

As an attorney with Latham & Watkins (2002-2003) and with bureau Brandeis Paris that he co-founded (2020 to 2023), as well as the executive director of a claim aggregator (2018-2019), Marc focused on competition litigation and counseling. While Marc was involved in merger control at the start of his career, he has been instrumental over the past 5 years to the quick development of funded class actions in France and elsewhere on behalf of thousands of companies and public entities harmed by anticompetitive or deceptive practices.

Since 2010, Marc is a Lecturer in EU litigation, global competition litigation, cartel law, State aid law, class actions and litigation funding, including with the leading School of Law in France, Sciences Po Paris. He has also been a non-governmental advisor (NGA) for the European Commission, France and Luxembourg in the International Competition Network (ICN) since 2012. He is regularly invited to write, give interviews and speak throughout Europe on EU litigation, competition litigation, class actions and litigation funding matters. 

• LL.M., Northwestern University (2002)
• Master II in business and competition law, Montpellier University (1998)
• Master I in business law, Panthéon-Sorbonne University (1997)

Paris, New-York

French, English, Italian and Spanish (passive)

Speaking Engagements

• University of Riga (Latvia), September 2024  – Conference on EU competition private enforcement: Methodologies of quantification
• European Class action Forum 2024, Amsterdam, June 2024 –  Conference on European Class actions: Recent developments in France
• Competition Litigation Circle, Ascot (England), February 2024 – Member of organizing committee and panelist on recent developments in Europe and France
• Université de Dijon, Dijon, 28/03/2024 : Les juges de l’Union européenne et le sport : sens et portée des arrêts du 21 décembre 2023
• Brown Rudnik Conference, Londres, 15/03/2024 : The state-of play of funding in Europe
• Sommet du droit, Paris, 30/01/2024: Les entreprises françaises doivent-elles faire appel au financement de litiges ? 
• Global Competition Litigation Circle, Ascot; 15/01/2024: Competition private enforcement in Europe (roundtables)
• CCA & Leaders League, Lisbon, 23/03/2023: To fund or not to fund class actions 
• ERA, Trier, 9 December 2022: ECJ’s 2022 Case-Law in Competition Private Enforcement 
• Croatian Competition Agency, 25th anniversary international conference, Zagreb, 28/08/2022: Regulation 1/2003 and Private enforcement
• ERA, Trier, 08/09/2022: Litigating complex cases before the EU General Court
• Association des Etudiants M2 Marché & Régulation de Paris Assas, 16/12/2020: Quels droits pour les concurrents de bénéficiaires d’aides d’Etat illégales?
• International Competition Network (ICN) webinar, 9/12/2020: Antitrust litigation costs and funding options 
• EFB/Cercle Montesquieu, Paris, 5/11/2020: Actions en réparation antitrust 
• ERA, Trier, 17/09/2020: Litigation before the Court of Justice of the European Union 
• Informa Conference, London, webinar, 2/07/2020: State aids and private damages
• IEB, competition seminar, Madrid, 31/01/2020: Damage claims and the concept of undertaking
• ICN webinar, 11/12/2019: Development of Damage Claims in the EU
• Cercle de la Compliance/ OECD, Paris, 10/12/2019: Droit de la concurrence en 2019 : principaux développements en Europe
• Délégation des Barreaux de France (DBF), Bruxelles, 6/12/2019: Développements en matière de droit privé européen de la concurrence
• ERA, Brussels, 27/09/2019, Training for Belgian judges in EU competition private enforcement law
• Northwestern University, Paris, Hotel Lutetia 24/06/2019: Private enforcement of antitrust in Europe
• 5th Lux Competition Day Conference, Luxembourg, 11/06/2019: Compensating Luxembourgish companies for their antitrust damage
• Paris Court of Appeals/Concurrences, Paris, 28/03/2019: Statute of Limitations in Antitrust actions
• ICN Webinar, Cartel workshop, 15/11/2018: Leniency 
• Croatian Bar, Luxembourg – 3/05/2018: Direct Actions before the General Court
• NYU-HEC Legal Clinic, Paris – 14/02/2018: Amicus Curiae before the EU Courts (Barennes)
• 5th P. Sarcevic International Conference, Opatjia (Croatia) – 7/10/2017: Antitrust and Access to Documents (Barennes)
• Concurrences & Mayer Brown, Paris – 28/02/2017: L’administration de la preuve en droit de la concurrence 
• UNCTAD seminar, Luxembourg – 27/10/2016: Unlimited jurisdiction before the General Court in antitrust cases 
• European Antitrust Academy, Berlin – 22/10/2015: The Commission’s settlement practice in cartel cases 
• Amicale des référendaires, Luxembourg – 25/09/2015: Litigation funding: 
• Paris Bar School (EFB) annual conference, Paris – 8/07/2015: Contentieux devant les juridictions de l’UE
• 4th Petar Sarcevic International Conference, Croatia – 9/05/2015: The Leniency and the Settlement Programs of the EU Commission
• Revue Concurrences & Baker Botts, Brussels – 25/09/2014: Developments in EU antitrust litigation: panelist
• EIPA, Luxembourg – 29/11/2013: Recent trends in EU Competition case law
• Revue Concurrences & Herbert Smith, Paris – 19/09/ 2013: Recours devant le Tribunal de l’Union contre les décisions de concurrence 
• ICN Plenary session, Warsaw – 4/05/ 2013: The relationship between antitrust authorities and courts in competition cases: 
• ICN Working Session, Paris – 26/11/2012: Courts and competition cases
• ICN webinar, Madrid – 18/02/2014: Courts and competition cases 
• AMCHAM (American Chamber of Commerce), Brussels – 9/11/2011: The standard of review of the EU Courts in competition law cases
• ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) and Baker & McKenzie, Paris – 6/05/2006: The European Commission’s fight against cartels
• Atelier de la DGCCRF, Paris – 6/12/2005 :  Premier Bilan de l’utilisation par les autorités de concurrence de leurs nouveaux instruments

Articles & blogs

• Generative Artificial Intelligence and Competition: The Main Takeaways of the Recent Opinion Issued by the French Competition Authority, The Platformlaw Blog · 28 September, 2024 (co-author)
• L’application de la notion de l’« unité économique » dans le cadre d’actions en indemnisation pour infraction au droit de la concurrence : analyse critique des arrêts de la CJUE dans les affaires Mol et Volvo, L’actu concurrence (Alain Ronzano) · 2 articles, juillet et  août 2024 (co-auteur)
• How to Choose a Litigation Funder: A Funding Seeker’s Perpective, May 24, 2023, Revue Concurrences, (Barennes co-author)
• Why the CJEU should not follow the AG Opinion on the application of ne bis in idem in the pending Volkswagen case, May 18, 2023, European Law Blog (Barennes)
• Actions représentatives : La France n’accorde pas aux associations une source de financement en pratique indispensable, 8 mars 2023, journal Le Monde, (Barennes co-author)
• Sur la portée du droit à réparation intégrale et le recours à l’estimation judiciaire du préjudice par la Directive Dommages: analyse de l’arrêt Traficos Manuel Ferrer, 21 février 2023, Lettre l’actu- concurrence d’Alain Ronzano 
• Les nombreux enseignements de l’arrêt RegioJet concernant la production de preuves détenues par les autorités de concurrence dans le cadre d’actions en indemnisation, 12 janvier 2023, Lettre L’actu-concurrence d’Alain Ronzano 
• The ECJ’s Paccar Ruling: A Welcome Clarification of the Concept of “Discoverable Evidence” in Private Competition Law Proceedings, 16 Décembre 2022, Competition Policy International (Barennes co-auhtor)
• Le Règlement relatif aux subventions étrangères: un outil juridique majeur pour assurer une concurrence loyale, Septembre 2022, Le Club des Juristes
• Funding competition claims: What are the main trends?, Interview of L. Macpherson, Revue Concurrences, February 2022 
• The bundling of claims in cartel damages litigation – Germany v. Netherlands v. UK v. Italy v. France – Bureau Brandeis , 20 January 2022 (Bousie, Bossen, Barennes, Scoccini, Seifert)
• ECJ Redefines the “Economic Entity” Doctrine and Rules that a Subsidiary May be Liable for Behavior of Its Parent Company (Sumal C-882/19), Competition Policy International, 14/11/2021 (Barennes co-author)
• The Volvo Judgment in Case C-30/20: the Place Where the Damage Occurred in Follow-on Cartel Damages Claims, Kluwer Competition Law Blog Post, 22/07/2021
• Comparative analysis between the UK, Dutch and French approach to passing-on in competition cases, Lexology Competition Law Blog, 9 June 2021 (Barennes co-author)
• Le recours en indemnisation en cas d’infraction, un contentieux à fort potentiel pour les entités publiques, Gazette des communes – (2) articles publiés les 24 mai et 30 mai 2021 (Barennes co-auhtor)
• Litigation costs, funding and access to justice in competition damages actions in Europe, in Private Enforcement of Competition Law in Europe, ed. R Amaro and E. Guinchard, May 2021 (Barennes co-author)
• The Booking.com ECJ judgment: Greater access to justice for victims of abuses of a dominant position, Kluwer Competition Law blog, 26 November 2020
• Pandémie de Covid 19: actions en dommages intérêts en matière d’aides d’Etat, blog du Club des juristes, 22 juillet 2020 (Barennes co-author)
• Funding competition claims: What is the impact of the Covid-19 crisis? Revue Concurrences, June 2020 (Barennes interviewer)
• Limitation periods in competition damages actions in the EU, Revue Concurrences, February 2020 (Barennes co-author)
• Funding competition claims: How do funders work? Revue Concurrences, February 2019 (Barennes interviewer)
• The role of the settlement and leniency programs in the EC’s fight against cartels (2010-2014), in EU Competition and State Aid Rules, Springer, 2018 
• L’arrêt du Tribunal Timab c/ Commission ou comment une transaction en matière de cartels aurait mieux valu qu’un bon procès, Lamy de la Concurrence, n° 4, 2015
• New Rules of Procedure of the General Court of the European Union, Revue Concurrences, Fall 2015 (Barennes co-author)
• Working with Courts and judges in competition cases, ICN work project, 2013 (Barennes co-contributor)
• Strategic and efficient brief writing before the General Court of the EU, Revue Concurrences, Winter 2012 (Barennes co-author)
• Cartel Recidivism in the Mirror of EU Case Law, JECLAP, October, 2011 (Barennes co-author)
• The Standing of the Competitors of the Aid Recipient in State Aid Cases (in EU Competition Law in Context: Essays in Honour of Virpi Tiili, Hartpublishing), 2009
• The European Commission’s 2002 Leniency Program in Practice, DG Competition Newsletter, Autumn 2005 (Barennes, co-author)