Hogan Lovells hires competition litigator Michel Struys to Brussels office

Michel advises on all aspects of EU competition law, including merger control, cartels, abuse of dominance and state aid. His high profile litigation experience before the EU Courts has involved assisting multinational companies in a number of landmark European Commission proceedings that raised novel issues.

He has acted in a number of landmark EU proceedings raising novel issues such as the State aid dimension of taxation; the availability of injunctions for standard essential patents; and price signalling.

Michel joins from boutique firm Van Bael & Bellis and was previously a partner in the Competition practice of the Brussels and Paris offices of Allen & Overy, where he went on to co-head its Global Competition practice.

He also served six years in the Court of Justice of the European Union as a référendaire (law clerk). Michel has received well-earned recognition for his work in the area of EU competition law. At the request of the European Commission, Michel has been a Member of the International Competition Network (ICN) since 2012.

“We are delighted to announce that Michel is joining our Brussels office as a partner,” said Alice Valder Curran, head of Hogan Lovells’ Global Regulatory practice group. “This move demonstrates our continued commitment to our practice’s growth with strategic lateral hires, and enhancing our already world class global antitrust and competition practice across Europe.”

Christopher Thomas, Brussels Office Managing Partner, added: “Michel is an excellent addition to our team. He will enhance our capabilities for clients in Brussels, as well as throughout Europe and internationally as they face an increasingly complex environment surrounding antitrust and competition enforcement.”

Michel’s hire follows the firm’s recent recruit of Ivan Peeters & Philip Van Steenwinkel in Brussels with a focus on expanding the firm's finance, capital markets and financial regulatory offering.