Sophie Lignier is of counsel with Foley & Lardner LLP and a member of the firm's Antitrust and International Practices. She practices European Community (EC) law with a particular focus on competition law and mergers & acquisitions. She also provides general EC advice and monitors developing regulatory legislation in areas of particular interest to clients.
Ms. Lignier has extensive knowledge of European law from experiences in the public and private sectors. Prior to joining the firm in 1999, she worked for the European Commission, at the Secretariat General. During her time there, she worked in close cooperation with DG Enterprise and the Legal Service on the codification work of the EC Pharmaceutical legislation. She previously undertook a stage at the Committee of the Regions of the European Union where she worked on the regional and local implications of the EC economic policy, including enterprise policy, competition and taxation, and the internal market. Ms. Lignier also worked for SJ Berwin & Co, a UK law firm where she focused on a wide range of issues in the field of European Competition and International Trade law.
She holds a master's degree in community law from the Université de Bourgogne, France, and a license in law from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.
She is a member of the Bar in Brussels. Her native language is French and she is fluent in English.