Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Slaughter and May best friend Bredin Prat have won lead roles advising Schneider Electric on its groundbreaking €1.6bn (£1.1bn) damages claim against the European Commission (EC).

Cleary and Bredin Prat are advising the electrical equipment maker in its battle with the EC, which took place in the European Court of First Instance – the European Union's second-highest court – last month (25 April).

Schneider is seeking damages after it was forced by the EC's competition arm to reverse its merger with rival Legrand and sell its shares in 2001. Although the de-merger decision was overturned in 2002, Schneider is filing a damages claim for €1.6bn, the amount the company believes it lost by selling its shares at a loss.

Both firms have been advising Schneider since the EC's decision to block the merger was appealed. Brussels-based competition partner Antoine Winckler is leading the Cleary team, while Bredin Prat Brussels head Marc Pittie is leading for the French firm. A judgment is expected in the coming months.

Winckler told Legal Week: "It is a very exciting case to be working on. This is the first damages case against the EC in the context of merger control policy."

If Schneider is successful, other companies to have suffered from similar EC antitrust rulings could pursue damages claims. UK company MyTravel had its merger with First Choice blocked by the EC and then later overturned.

Linklaters Brussels-based joint head of competition Alec Burnside said claiming damages against the EC is not easy. He added: "Not only do you have to prove that the Commission was wrong, but that the fault was a particularly extreme one.

"If they are found to be liable, it will be an important legal development and could set the standard for other cases to be brought."