Howrey's Brussels chief and global antitrust co-head Trevor Soames has become the latest in a string of partners to quit the US firm's European network.

Soames, who works from Brussels and London, sent an email to contacts earlier today (20 January) confirming that he has left the firm.

According to the email, he has not yet decided on his next move. However, he is understood to be in talks with several law firms.

Soames' client relationships include United Airlines and Microsoft, and are likely to be a major draw to firms.

Soames said: "I'm obviously sad to be moving on as I have had an enjoyable and successful time at Howrey, and will be sorry to leave the firm – most especially its superb transatlantic antitrust group with whom I have been privileged to work for the last eight years.

"I am considering my next steps very carefully, but I am determined to build a market-leading antitrust practice again, in Brussels".

Soames, who helped set up Howrey's Brussels office in 2002 after leaving the City office of Norton Rose, is set to be replaced as Brussels managing partner by competition partner Stephen Mavroghenis.

Soames' departure comes in the wake of the news earlier this month that five partners from Howrey's London, Munich and Duesseldorf offices were to join Field Fisher Waterhouse, including London managing partner Mark Hodgson and Germany managing partner Joachim Feldges.

Outside Europe, Dewey & LeBoeuf this week hired three intellectual property (IP) litigation partners in San Francisco from Howrey as part of a seven-partner haul also including lawyers from Baker & McKenzie, Dechert and Sullivan & Cromwell.

Meanwhile, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton announced earlier this week that it had opened an office in Taipei through the takeover of Howrey's local office, led by IP partner Glenn Rhodes.

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