Founded in Paris in 1920, Gide is a leading international law firm with 12 offices spread throughout the world.
Gide is physically present in six regions of the world, with 11 offices, enabling it to act on cases globally.
10 March 2020
Gide is pleased to announce the recent promotion of Anna Dias up to partner in Brussels, effective on 1 January 2020, as part of the development of the firm's International Trade practice group. This appointment goes hand in hand with the arrival within the Brussels office of Michel Servoz, former Senior Policy Advisor at the European Commission, as Senior Advisor.
A pioneer in international and European economic law with the creation of its Brussels office over 50 years ago, Gide has never ceased to develop its activities as is recognised today as a market leader. Gide Brussels currently numbers around thirty lawyers including six partners (Olivier Prost, Benoît Le Bret, Stéphane Hautbourg, Laurent Godfroid, Ségolène Pelsy and Anna Dias) and one counsel (Romain Rard). The team works with all the firm's offices in Europe, the United States, Africa and Asia.
Xavier de Kergommeaux and Stéphane Puel, respectively Senior and Managing partner of Gide, state: "We would like to sincerely congratulate Anna, who is one of the most promising talented lawyers of our firm, and warmly welcome Michel Servoz as Senior Advisor in Brussels. These appointments support the ongoing development of our activities in Brussels and reflect our commitment to offer our clients with leading advice and litigation assistance both in France and abroad."
Olivier Prost and Benoit Le Bret, partners of the firm in charge respectively of International Trade and European regulatory law, further add: "We are delighted with this appointment and with what Anna will be able to bring to the team at a time when international trade rules are undergoing profound change, against a backdrop of trade conflicts and Brexit, and when European companies will, now more than ever, need to be forward-thinking and bold in this regard. The arrival of Michel Servoz is also a part of this dynamic. He will strengthen the skills of our unique team in Brussels, with twelve nationalities covering the entire spectrum of EU law, from international trade through to the single market, via CJEU disputes and of course competition law. In particular, Michel will bring his know-how in the field of trade relations, digitisation of the economy and all fields that the Commission wishes to put the spotlight on as regards the competitiveness of the European industry on the international scene."
Admitted to the Paris and Brasília Bars, Anna Dias specialises in international trade law and in European competition law. She has in-depth experience of trade defence instruments (anti-dumping, anti-subsidy and safeguard procedures) and WTO law. Anna also advises companies and governments on regulatory issues arising from globalisation, including market access, regulatory barriers, discriminatory practices, export control, free-trade agreements, etc. As regards trade defence, Anna represents sectors of the European industry when they face unfair international competition and wish to file a complaint with European Commission (DG Trade). She also represents European and non-European clients who are targeted by trade defence investigations initiated by competitors before third-country authorities such as the United States, China, Brazil, Morocco, India, Russia, Jordan or Turkey. Anna also acts in disputes brought before the EU Court of Justice and the WTO by major players in several industrial sectors (energy, steel, paper, food processing, etc.). Anna holds a Master's degree in International Business Law from Paris I - Panthéon-Sorbonne University (2011), an LL.M. from Columbia University, New York (2010), and a Master's degree in law from Uniceub Brasília University (2006).
Senior Resident Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), Michel Servoz was senior advisor to the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, focusing on artificial intelligence and robotics. Before joining the European centre of political strategy, the European Commission's in-house think tank, Michel Servoz served as director-general in the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion from 2014 to 2018. From 2010 to 2014, he was deputy secretary-general of the European Commission, in charge of the coordination of the EU semester and the multi-annual financial framework. He also served several positions within the DG Trade, in charge in particular of WTO negotiations on services, transatlantic trade negotiations and other bilateral negotiations on services. Before working for the European Commission, Michel Servoz was a law professor, served as a judge in France, and as deputy secretary-general to the Paris Cour de Cassation. A graduate from the Institut d'études politiques (I.E.P.) of Lyon and from the Ecole nationale de la Magistrature de Paris, he holds a Master's degree in law and international studies from the University of Lyon.
