Laurent Thiry is a Belgian-qualified lawyer who focuses his practice on a wide range of issues under European competition law, including merger control and conduct matters, as well as state aid. He has experience advising companies across the energy, pharmaceutical, and digital sectors.
He has assisted clients in obtaining merger control clearance for significant transactions before the European Commission and coordinating submissions to competition authorities worldwide for clients such as Fitbit and Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Laurent’s experience was also recently enhanced in the context of his secondment with BP plc’s competition and regulatory team, where he dealt with various compliance and transactional questions for the BP group on a worldwide level.
Prior to joining the firm's Brussels team in 2019, Laurent worked at a leading Belgian law firm in Brussels, within the Energy and Transport department.
Experience
- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. in its US$17.4 billion acquisition of PPD Inc., a leading global provider of clinical research services. The transaction was reviewed and received unconditional clearances from competition and FDI authorities in the U.S., the EU and more than a dozen other jurisdictions worldwide.
- Fitbit in EU and other ex-U.S. merger filings regarding its acquisition by Google, successfully concluding in Europe with data remedies after a Phase 2 review. The transaction won the 2021 GCR Award for Merger Control Matter of the Year Europe.
- BP in merger filings regarding joint venture projects with Equinor for offshore wind farm projects in the U.S.
Perspectives
Credentials
Education
- LL.M., European Competition and Intellectual Property Law, Université de Liège, 2019, summa cum laude
- LL.M., European Law, Universiteit Leiden, 2014, cum laude
- Master in Law, Université catholique de Louvain, 2013, cum laude
- Bachelor in Law, Université catholique de Louvain, 2011, cum laude
Admissions
- Brussels, Belgium
Languages
- French
- Dutch
- English