Niklas Maydell, who has been managing partner of Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ Brussels office since it opened in 2022, faces a tough competitor in the war for talent in the EU’s unofficial administrative capital.

Unlike in other European jurisdictions, he is not only contending with other deep-pocketed corporate law firms; he is also competing with a mighty public employer—the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition.