International law firm Pinsent Masons has hired Dr Totis Kotsonis to lead the firm’s State aid and public procurement team within its Competition, EU & Trade Group.

Totis advises on all aspects of competition law and specialises in public procurement, State aid and EU regulatory compliance, including aviation, rail and energy regulation, as well as international trade law.

He brings with him solid expertise that includes advising on the UK’s largest wind energy project, the privatisation of Greek airports and national projects relating to rail infrastructure and rail passenger services. Hailed for his “unparalleled knowledge” of procurement law and in State aid regulation, Totis’ practice spans compliance as well as contentious matters, including litigation in national courts and the Court of Justice of the EU.

Totis has advised the UK Government and the European Commission on drafting legislation and in 2015, he was appointed to the European Commission’s stakeholder expert group on public procurement, tasked with assisting the European Commission in shaping EU public procurement policy. Totis speaks and writes regularly on competition, procurement and regulatory issues and since 2016, has been a regular commentator on Brexit-related issues.

Amongst other things, Totis will support the firm on some of the most complex and challenging projects currently in procurement – from advising authorities on running compliant and effective tender processes to advising authorities and bidders on procurement disputes and challenges. He will also advise clients as they seek to comply with, or benefit from, new national subsidy rules, while also continuing to advise multinational clients on EU State aid law compliance and WTO-related issues.

Alan Davis, Head of Competition, EU & Trade at Pinsent Masons said, “I am delighted to welcome Totis as one of the most well-known and leading practitioners in the market. Procurement and State aid are critical to a number of our key practice areas, clients and sectors – particularly energy, TMT and real estate public sector. As we expect the demand for procurement and State aid advice to increase post Brexit, Totis brings valuable contentious and non-contentious expertise that will play a crucial role for both public and private sector clients across the firm. Totis is a perfect fit for Pinsent Masons’ client base. His expertise and credentials will enable us to undertake an enhanced range of additional work and open up new opportunities at a critical juncture in the development of new UK procurement, State aid and trade law regimes post-Brexit.”

Simon Colvin, who leads the firm’s Central Government practice at Pinsent Masons said, “HM Government is a key client of Pinsent Masons. Totis’ expertise will enable us to respond to the rapidly changing requirements of HMG as it manages the existing procurement and State aid regimes and develops and implement new policy and legislation for the post-Brexit era. Totis’ years of experience as a leader in the field, and his expertise in developing the existing EU procurement regime will be key to the support we are able to offer in the future.”

Totis Kotsonis commented, “I’m thankful to the colleagues in the firm for their warm welcome and look forward to working closely with colleagues in the Competition, EU & Trade Group to strengthen further, and widen the scope of the Group’s offering, as we assist clients to comply with, and take advantage of, new regulatory frameworks at the end of the transition period.”

Totis’ arrival brings the number of partners in the firm’s Competition, EU & Trade Group to nine across the UK and Germany. It also follows the recent appointments of Hans Jürgen Meyer-Lindemann from Dechert in Dusseldorf and life sciences specialist, Robert Vidal, from Taylor Wessing in London.