Overview
Thomas is a Managing Associate in the Antitrust & Foreign Investment Group in Brussels. He advises multinational corporates on all aspects of EU and Belgian competition law, as well as on new regulatory frameworks such as the Digital Markets Act and the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation.
Before his current role, Thomas worked as a legal secretary (référendaire) at the General Court of the European Union, where he contributed to the resolution of more than 200 cases, including the first judgments under the Digital Markets Act, the Google AdSense abuse of dominance case, State aid cases on COVID-19 support for EU airlines and numerous precedent-setting banking union rulings. This background positions him particularly well to assist clients with contentious matters, such as complex antitrust or DMA investigations that may result in litigation before the EU Courts.
Work highlights
Thomas has worked on a range of high-profile matters, including:
- Advising Energizer on its USD 2 billion acquisition of Spectrum Brands.
- Advising Scripps Networks on its USD 14 billion sale to Discovery Channel.
- Defending an Asian technology company in an EU antitrust investigation.
- Advising Galapagos on its USD 5 billion co-commercialisation agreement with Gilead.
- Advising DELA on its acquisition of Yarden, creating the largest funeral insurance and service provider in the Netherlands.
- Advising Cargotec on its merger of equals with Konecranes (the first post-Brexit transaction to be blocked in the UK and cleared in the EU).*
- Advising CVC on its investment in Six Nations rugby.*
- Advising Zoopla and RVU on their growth strategy, including their GBP 508 million acquisition of Penguin Portals.*
- Advising the UK Government on the potential privatisation of Channel 4.*
- Preparing the executives of a global technology company for a hearing in the European Parliament.*
*matters handled while practising at a different firm.
Admissions