Profile
Dr. Robert Hardy, LL.M. (Harvard) is a Local Partner in the firm’s Amsterdam office. He advises clients on matters spanning a wide spectrum of economic sectors, including consumer products, energy, financial services, manufacturing, life sciences, TMT, and transportation.
Robert focuses his practice on:
- Antitrust Litigation & Competition Regulation
- International Trade
- Regulatory & Compliance.
Antitrust Litigation & Competition Regulation
Robert’s practice covers a wide range of issues under European and Dutch competition law. He represents clients before the European Commission (EC), the Dutch Competition Authority (ACM), the Dutch administrative law courts, and the EU courts in matters relating to cartel defense, abuse of dominance, merger control, and State aid proceedings. Additionally, he represents clients before the Dutch civil law courts on issues relating to antitrust damages claims.
International Trade
Robert provides clients with guidance on ex-U.S. foreign investment review – e.g., foreign direct investment (FDI) / national security regimes –, intellectual property – standard essential patents (SEPs) and FRAND licensing disputes before the Dutch civil law courts –, transactions, import and export controls, and sanctions.
Regulatory & Compliance
Robert advises clients on a diverse range of EU and Dutch regulatory frameworks that impact business matters. He provides proactive and responsive advice and legal risk assessments to clients, assisting with day-to-day business transactions, counseling on the applicability and effect of regulations, and providing guidance on how to mitigate the risks of potential enforcement actions – e.g., helping clients build effective yet practical internal compliance programs, and advising companies on commercial agency, distribution, and franchise arrangements.
Robert is a member of the Amsterdam Sustainability Desk. The Sustainability Desk is available daily and provides assistance and support for real estate sustainability inquiries in the Netherlands and the EU. Please visit our dedicated Sustainability Desk page for more information.
Concentrations
- Antitrust recovery
- Cartel defense
- Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
- Competition
- Commercial agency, distribution & franchise
- EU law
- Intellectual property & technology
- International trade
- Investigations
- Litigation
- Market entry
- Merger control proceedings
- Pharmaceuticals, medical devices & health care
- Platforms
- Regulatory
- State aid
- Technology, media & telecommunications
Capabilities
Experience
- Represented a semiconductor manufacturer before the EC and other authorities worldwide during a $US 37 billion takeover.°
- Assisted a steel company before the EC in connection with its acquisition (Phase II, eventually abandoned).°
- Represented a flash memory products company before the EC in its $US 19 billion acquisition.°
- Assisted a multinational power management company before the EC in its $US 11.8 billion merger.°
- Represented a pharmacy chain before the ACM in its merger (approved subject to conditions).°
- Represented clients involved in complex cartel investigations before the EC and the ACM, including with respect to Automotive Wire Harnesses, Automotive Electric Components, Batteries, Flour, and Smart Card Chips.°
- Advised the government of a country on complex State aid matters on several occasions.°
- Assisted a company in relation to an ex-U.S. foreign investment analysis.
- Worked on some of the most significant SEPs and FRAND licensing disputes in relation to telecommunications standards that have been ongoing in the Netherlands in recent years.°
- Advises client on all aspects of a distribution arrangement.
- Advised clients – e.g., multinationals, and trade associations – on compliance management systems, dawn raids, document creation, information exchanges, internal investigations, and patent settlements.°
°The above representations were handled by Dr. Hardy prior to his joining Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, Legal 500 EMEA, EU and Competition – The Netherlands, 2021 and 2023-2024
- Member, Dutch Bar Association
- Member, Brussels Bar Association
- Member, Competition Law Association (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Mededingingsrecht)
Credentials
- LL.M., Harvard Law School
- LL.M., Maastricht University
- Ph.D., Maastricht University
- The Netherlands
- Belgium
- Dutch, Native
- English, Fluent