Overview
Tom has over 30 years' experience working with clients on their most important cross-border M&A clearances. He has particular experience in the pharmaceutical and chemicals sectors, and served as co-head of Linklaters' Global Life Sciences and its Global Chemicals Groups. Most recently, he served for the last six years as Managing Partner of the Americas and as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.
Across all sectors, Tom advises clients on all aspects of antitrust law using a pragmatic approach to realize their commercial objectives. He also advises clients on the antitrust aspects of intellectual property licensing, cooperation with competitors and compliance.
Tom also has significant investigations experience, representing clients in congressional investigations and before State Attorneys General, as well as defending clients in criminal price-fixing investigations and private litigation. Tom regularly appears before the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission on both merger control and litigation matters.
Tom is frequently praised for his deep antitrust knowledge, with Chambers USA respondents noting “He brings a lot of expertise and subject matter expertise to bear and takes a practical view” and “[h]e is a true expert, with lot of charisma, authority and experience in the way he analyzes and communicates.”
Experience
Highlights of Tom’s experience on matters requiring substantive antitrust clearance often involving a second request include:
- Sanofi: advising on its US$1.15bn acquisition of biotechnology company Vicebio.
- Perfetti Van Melle: advising the owner of Mentos on the acquisition of Mondelez’s global Trident chewing gum business.
- Linde: advising in relation to its US$90bn merger of equals with Praxair to create the largest industrial gas group in the world. We coordinated merger control filings in more than 20 jurisdictions worldwide, including in the U.S., EU and China.
- Novartis: advising on its transformative transactions to acquire GlaxoSmithKline’s global oncology business and sell its global vaccines business, its acquisition of Spinifex Pharmaceuticals and its sale of assets to Questcor (Mallinckrodt).
- Siemens: advising on its acquisitions of Invensys Rail Business, wind turbine producer Gamesa and the Rolls-Royce Energy aero-derivative gas turbine and compressor business.
- Takeda: advising in relation to its US$62bn offer for Shire plc, the largest ever outbound M&A deal by a Japanese company.
- Bayer AG: advising on the US$7.6bn sale of its animal health business to Elanco Animal Health to create a leading global animal health company.
- Nestlé S.A.: advising on the US$10bn sale of its Nestlé Skin Health business.
- Glencore: advising on its US$29bn merger with Xstrata to create the world’s leading trading and mining company.
- Deutsche Börse AG: advising on its terminated merger with the London Stock Exchange, having previously acted on its planned merger with NYSE Euronext.
- Air France KLM: advising on the defense of the air cargo cartel investigations and follow-on litigation.
Beyond the office
Tom is a member of the Antitrust Section of the American Bar Association and is recognized in Chambers USA. He is recognized in Legal 500 USA and has been named a top lawyer for Antitrust & Competition including M&A clearance, investigations & litigation by LawDragon. He currently serves as a member of Linklaters’ Partnership Board.
Education, Qualifications and Languages
Tom holds a Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law, where he was also Managing Editor of the Fordham Law Review. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the College of the Holy Cross.
State Admissions:
New York
Connecticut
Thought Leadership
- Panelist: “Evidence from the Digital Economy” ABA 2024 Next Generation of Antitrust, Data Privacy, and Data Protection Scholars Conference January 2025
- Panelist: “Are Vertical Mergers Falling Flat?” ABA Spring Meeting 2023, March 2023
- Co-author, “Mega-Mergers: Key Considerations to Take to Get Your Deal Through,” Antitrust Chronicle, May 15, 2016.
- Co-author, “A Global Perspective on Antitrust Regulation,” Corporate Counsel, March 2, 2015.
- Co-author, “U.S. Merger Review Update,” Merger Control Survey, International Financial Law Review, 2014.
- Moderator, "‘4-3’ Mergers and Their Competitive Effects – Do We Have a Better Understanding?” GCR Live Third Annual Antitrust Law Leaders Forum, February 2014.
- Speaker, “GCR Live Foreign Investment Review: Getting the Deal Done in the Evolving Regulatory World,” Global Competition Review, October 17, 2013.
- Co-author, “Setting Sail from the Safe Harbor – When an Analyst Call Triggers an Antitrust Probe,” Corporate Counsel, 2011.
Admissions