KEN DALY, the managing partner of Sidley’s Brussels office and co-head of the Antitrust and Competition practice, focuses his practice on EU competition and EU regulatory matters across a wide variety of industries and business sectors, including film, music, media, broadcasting, professional and financial services, pharmaceuticals, sports, consumer goods, automotive parts, and transport.
Ken has over 20 years’ experience in competition law, including advising on European Commission investigations in mergers, cartel and abuse of dominance cases, advisory work in relation to selling practices and market behavior, and all aspects of competition litigation. He is an experienced advocate and has advised clients in a variety of high-profile cases before the European Commission and national competition authorities and has represented clients in litigation before the EU Courts and national courts of EU Member States.
In addition to his case work, a significant part of Ken’s practice relates to advising companies on how to interpret and navigate the EU’s law-making processes and regulatory regimes, including how to participate in the development of EU policy.
Ken’s practice includes advising on EU legal issues related to media, entertainment and sports, and he regularly counsels clients in contentious and non-contentious matters involving the protection and exploitation of intellectual property, the sale of media rights, single supply arrangements, governance issues, disputes, EU free movement rules, and disciplinary and regulatory investigations, as well as in relation to drafting and litigating commercial agreements.
Ken served a four-year term as Secretary General to the International Court of Appeal of the world motorsports regulator, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).
He has written extensively on EU law and policy topics, including distribution, competition law criminalization, cartel enforcement, and sports law. Ken is a regular speaker and contributor to conferences, including those organized by the American Bar Association, the Antitrust and Trade Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA), the IBA’s Global Forum for Competition Policy, and the IBA’s Eastern European Forum.
The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) awarded Ken the “Research and Policy Award” for his work on third-party litigation financing and class actions, as well as helping guide ILR’s efforts in the EU and the UK at its 17th Annual Legal Reform Summit.
Notable practitioner Ken Daly is best known for his handling of EU merger filings. “He always manages to put his advice in simple terms and to find pragmatic solutions, and the way he addresses the issues is clear and succinct,” report clients.
Strong leadership in advising clients has earned Ken acknowledgement in industry ranking guides:
- Legal 500 EMEA (Belgium) 2023 – Recognized for Competition: EU and global where clients report that “working with Ken Daly is a real pleasure. He is practical in his advice and substantively capable in handling large global transactions.”
- Chambers Europe and Chambers Global Belgium 2023 – Ranked for EU Competition where clients praised him “a gem of a lawyer who has our interests at heart and who is both highly dependable and super smart. ” and that “he is really practical, responsive and proactive.”
- Best Lawyers Belgium 2022 – Ranked for Competition and Antitrust, European Union, and Regulatory Law.
- Chambers Europe and Global Belgium 2022 – Ranked for EU Competition where clients report that he is “practical, responsive and proactive.” “He doesn’t recommend things that are going to take more work than potential payoff; he is very good at finding efficient ways to deal with matters.”
- Chambers Europe and Chambers Global Belgium2021 – Ranked for EU Competition where one client comments that he “has been truly excellent.”
- Who’s Who Legal 2021 – Recommended for Competition.
- Chambers Europe Belgium 2020 – Ranked for EU Competition Law.
- Chambers Europe Belgium 2019 – Ranked for EU Competition Law where clients noted “he is extremely knowledgeable, thorough, responsive, reliable and client-focused.”