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Salomé Cisnal de Ugarte is a Partner at King & Spalding and head of the firm's EU Antitrust & Competition practice. A Harvard-trained lawyer with a doctorate in law, she represents clients before the European Commission, national competition authorities and the European Courts, with a standout track record in merger control, cartel investigations, and complex antitrust matters across jurisdictions. Recognized by Chambers as a leading antitrust lawyer, Global Competition Review featured her as one of the world's leading antitrust practitioners in their "Women in Antitrust" report. In 2018, Politico Europe honored her as one of the 20 “Women Who Shape Brussels,” acknowledging her significant influence in the competition law field.
Praised by clients for her "brilliant" and "spot-on advice on the legal issues, as well as on the required strategy to get the best results,” companies come to Salomé for solutions on their most complex antitrust issues. She advises on all aspects of EU competition law and has substantial experience in cross-border mergers and joint ventures, high-stakes investigations and complex vertical issues.
Currently serving as a non-governmental adviser to the European Commission (DG COMP) on merger control at the International Competition Network (ICN), Salomé brings exceptional legal precision and strategic acumen to global transactions. She has secured unconditional regulatory clearance for some of the world’s most prominent companies—particularly in tech, pharma, financial services, and energy—under the EU’s complex regulatory regimes (merger control, FDI and FSR). Her expertise spans the full spectrum of EU competition law, including merger control, dominance and conduct cases, State aid, and emerging regulatory frameworks like the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR).
Salomé is consistently ranked in Chambers, Legal 500, Global Competition Review, and Who’s Who Legal, with clients describing her as “simply phenomenal” and “excellent.” Her thought leadership is regularly featured by Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and Global Competition Review. Recent contributions include high-profile commentary on EU merger control reform and enforcement actions involving major digital platforms. In 2018, Politico Europe named her among the “Women Who Shape Brussels” in recognition of her impact as a competition lawyer.
She holds degrees in Law and Economics (summa cum laude) from the University of Deusto (Spain), an LL.M. from Harvard Law School (USA), and a Ph.D. in Law from the European University Institute (Italy). She is fluent in Spanish, German, English, Italian, and French.
Beyond her legal work, Salomé serves as President of the Harvard Law School Association in Europe, and has held multiple leadership roles on the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) Board, including as Elected Director, Appointed Director-Europe, and member of the Harvard Medals & Awards Committee. In 2021, she was appointed Fellow of Aspen Spain.
Prior to joining King & Spalding, Salomé was a leader at other world-class law firms in the Antitrust & Competition space. Salomé advises clients from the Brussels office and occasionally from Frankfurt.
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