Cleary Gottlieb Expands Award-Winning Antitrust Team Globally With Puja Patel in New York and Amaryllis Müller in Brussels

Cleary Gottlieb is expanding its award-winning global antitrust team in the U.S. and Europe, with Puja Patel joining the firm as a partner in the New York office and Amaryllis Müller joining as counsel in the Brussels office.

Both bring extensive experience in antitrust matters, covering a variety of transactional and behavioral work.

“We are delighted to bring two such amazing talents to our global antitrust team and expand on the strengths that have made the practice one of the best in the world,” said Cleary Managing Partner Michael Gerstenzang. “Their arrival adds to Cleary’s strategic growth across key practice areas and their experience in mergers and acquisitions, complex antitrust investigations, and digital regulatory regimes will be significant value-adds to our already world-class offerings.”

Cleary’s comprehensive international antitrust practice is recognized for the sophisticated guidance it provides to clients on industry-transforming matters in a rapidly evolving global regulatory environment.

Puja has been recognized by Chambers USA and Legal 500 as an industry leader in antitrust work, using her deep understanding of the issues and business knowledge to address clients’ needs. She advises clients on all aspects of the merger review process, including Second Request investigations before the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, antitrust risk assessments, SPA negotiations, and HSR compliance.

“Puja brings a client-centric approach to her work along with great experience in transactions of all kinds, particularly cross-border deals,” said co-leader of the U.S. Antitrust Practice Leah Brannon. “We’ve had the opportunity to work with Puja as co-counsel on several merger reviews and saw how she keeps a clear focus on her clients’ business needs as she helps them navigate complex, high -stakes antitrust issues. Her ability to keep that focus while running matters and understanding the details of a case make her a great addition to the team. We’re also delighted to have Puja in our New York office, joining our partner Joe Kay and our growing bench of antitrust associates to enhance the firm’s antitrust presence there.”

“I am proud and excited to be joining Cleary’s top-flight antitrust practice, which is known for its exceptional work on M&A transactions,” said Puja. “I look forward to growing the practice in New York, as well as working with the other talented antitrust lawyers at Cleary across the globe.”

In addition to anticipated growth in M&A transactions in 2025, the EU’s Digital Markets Act – and upcoming digital regulations elsewhere – are leading many companies to seek cross-functional counsel with tech-specific experience.

In this context, “The decision to bring Amaryllis aboard was as easy as it was obvious,” said Brussels Antitrust Partner Robbert Snelders. “She has a wealth of experience in the DMA space that will enhance the strength of our market-leading practice, enabling us to continue delivering the highest caliber service to our client base, especially those in the fast-paced tech environment. What’s more, she’s all at once ambitious and collegial, which is a perfect fit for Cleary.”

“I am delighted to return to private practice and join Cleary’s stellar Global Antitrust Team during a particularly interesting time for this regulatory field,” said Amaryllis, who will be joining the firm in February. “Cleary is known for its work on cutting-edge antitrust matters, and I am really excited to contribute to advising exceptional clients while bringing a practical perspective from my time as in-house counsel.”

Prior to joining Cleary, Puja was a partner at another international law firm in New York. She received a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and a B.S. from New York University’s Stern School of Business. Amaryllis joins from TikTok, where she was senior legal counsel for antitrust, after having spent 10 years at another international law firm in Brussels. She earned a law degree from University of Leuven, an LL.M. from the College of Europe and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School.