Clifford Chance (CC) has made a high-profile hire in Brussels with the  addition of former Linklaters competition partner Johan Ysewyn.

Ysewyn, who joined CC yesterday (12 September), was head of Linklaters' Brussels antitrust group and co-head of the firm's global cartel group. Before his departure in March this year, he had spent 16 years at the magic circle firm, including 11 years as a partner.

His practice focuses on cartel and compliance issues, state aid and Belgian competition law as well as merger control, and has recently advised clients including Fortis and KBS and on merger filings including Heineken and Carlsberg's acquisition of Scottish & Newcastle.

The hire comes after CC lost Brussels-based global antitrust head Simon Baxter last year, when he joined Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom.

Commenting on the new hire, CC's current global antitrust managing partner Oliver Bretz said the hire would replenish the firm's partner capacity in the office.

He said: "We needed a Belgian lawyer and Johan is perhaps the most well-known competition lawyer in Belgium. He is the perfect fit, not just because I have known him for 16 years, but because we needed a more broad-based practice in the Brussels office."

Ysewyn added: "One thing that attracted me to CC was that it has a young team in the office with which I will be able to build a platform for my practice, especially in cartel work. I will not be taking a managing title but focus on my practice, which is what I enjoy doing the most."

Since Baxter's departure Bretz has been spending part of his time in Brussels to manage the antitrust practice, as has Spanish antitrust head Miguel Odriozola. The office continues to be headed up by competition partner Tony Reeves. It has around 10 partners in total.

CC's antitrust practice most recently added a partner with the hire of Alastair Mordaunt, who joined from the Office of Fair Trading in May this year.

Linklaters Brussels partner Gerwin van Gerven is now the head of the firm's local antitrust practice, having stepped down from his role as global head of the group in June this year, handing over to London partner Michael Cutting.