People

Catriona Hatton Photo
Catriona Hatton
Partner | Section Chair - Antitrust & Competition Law (Firmwide)

Overview

Catriona Hatton is Co-Chair of the firm's Global Antitrust and Competition Law group and a member of the firm's Executive Committee. She has over three decades of experience advising on the EU and international merger control aspects of high-stakes global transactions, representing parties in many of the most high-profile, market-leading cases Catriona is Senior Vice-Chair of the International Bar Association's Antitrust Section.

Catriona has represented clients in complaints to, and investigations by, the European Commission and numerous national competition authorities. She advises clients in a number of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, mining, media and entertainment, automotive and energy.

Catriona is named a Global Elite Thought Leader (2019) by Who's Who Legal and is recommended in the recent edition of Chambers Europe 2025 as a business-oriented practitioner. She is also recommended in the recent edition of Chambers Global 2025 where she is particularly praised for her commercial acumen and her work in international merger control.

The Legal 500 EMEA 2025 recognises Catriona as a Hall of Fame lawyer, a recognition extended to “lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work”.

She was named one of the leading “100 Women in Antitrust” by Global Competition Review in 2009, 2013 and 2016.

She is also listed in Euromoney's Legal Expert Guide (2014), where clients referred to her as “Brilliant, quick-thinking, great to work with, vast experience in very relevant cases.”

Catriona speaks English, Dutch, French and Italian.

Admissions & Affiliations

  • Brussels Bar (E-list)
  • Qualified Solicitor, England & Wales, 1996
  • The Law Society of England and Wales
  • The Law Society of Ireland, 1988

Education

  • Licence Spéciale, European and International Law, Vrije Universiteit Brussel 1989
  • LL.M., Trinity College, Dublin 1985

Experience

  • Representing Liberty Media in connection with its acquisition of Dorna (MotoGP).
  • Represented Liberty Media in obtaining UK approval for its $4.6 billion acquisition of Formula One.
  • Represented Celanese in its $11 billion acquisition of DuPont’s nylon business, securing EU approval (with a divestment remedy) and approval in multiple jurisdictions world-wide.
  • Represented Oxford Nanopore Technologies in connection with Illumina’s proposed acquisition of PacBio.
  • Represented a third party in connection with Siemens proposed acquisition of Alstom.
  • Represented a third party in connection with the proposed merger of the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Boerse.
  • Represented Halliburton in seeking to obtain EU and other merger control approvals of its $28 billion proposed acquisition of Baker Hughes.
  • Represented Kimberly-Clark Corporation in connection with its $1.8 billion spin-off of Halyard Health.
  • Representing SI Group, Inc. in securing antitrust approval for the acquisition from Albemarle of its antioxidants, ibuprofen and related businesses.
  • Representing Colfax Corporation in merger filings in respect of its US$1 billion acquisition of Victor Technologies Holdings, Inc., a global manufacturer of cutting, gas control and specialty welding solutions.
  • Representing Cameron International Corporation in obtaining EU merger approval for its One Subsea joint venture with Schlumberger.
  • Representing Contran Corporation in obtaining EU approval for the $2.9 billion sale of its subsidiary, Timet, to Precision Castparts Corporation.
  • Antitrust counsel to Colfax Corporation in its US$2.4 billion public bid for Charter International plc.
  • Advising Sun Microsystems on EU antitrust aspects of various distribution and supply arrangements, strategic alliances and on merger control aspects of their acquisition of MySQL.*
  • EU and UK antitrust compliance advice to a leading online travel company.*
  • Represented Ariba in connection with acquisition by SAP AG’s $4.3 billion acquisition of Ariba, including advising on UK and international merger control filings and related antitrust counseling.*
  • Antitrust counsel to Ford Motor Company in connection with its sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors for approximately US$2.3 billion.*
  • Antitrust counsel to the Black & Decker Corporation in its merger with Stanley Works for US$4.5 billion.*
  • Antitrust counsel to a leading high tech company in advising on strategic alliances and competition compliance in IP licensing and distribution arrangements.*
  • Antitrust counsel to a U.S. company in defending a complaint for alleged abuse of dominance arising from IP litigation.*
  • Antitrust counsel to Sun Microsystems in its acquisition of Swedish company MySQL, developer of one of the world’s fastest growing open source databases, for approx. US$1 billion.*

*Prior to joining Baker Botts




Awards and Community

Recognized in The Legal 500 EMEA as "Hall of Fame" for Competition EU & Global, 2022-2025

Listed in The Legal 500 EMEA as a "Leading Individual" for Competition EU & Global, 2020 & 2021, 2023

Named "Lawyer of the Year" in European Union Law, (Brussels) by Best Lawyers, 2018

Recommended in Chambers Global, 2014-2025 for Competition/European Law - Belgium

Recommended in Chambers Europe, 2013-2025 for Competition/European Law - Belgium

Ranked as one of the "Top 100 Women in Antitrust Globally," in Global Competition Review's (GCR) Women in Antitrust, 2009, 2013 and 2016