Michel Struys was previously a partner in the Competition and EU law practice of the Brussels and Paris offices of Allen & Overy. He started his career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York City before serving in the Court of Justice of the European Union as a Law Clerk (référendaire). He  joined Allen & Overy’s London office, where he went on to co-head its Global Competition practice from 2004-2007. He left A&O in May this year.

Wealth of experience

Mr Struys has a wealth of experience advising on all aspects of EU competition law, including merger control, cartels, abuse of dominance and state aid. He has assisted multinational companies in a number of landmark EU Commission proceedings raising novel issues such as the application of Article 102 TFEU to the licensing of standard essential patents in Samsung, price signalling in the Container Shipping case, and tax optimisation in McDonald's successful challenge to the recent EU Commission’s state aid investigation. He also has extensive litigation experience before the European Courts. 

Dynamic team

Michel Struys says: 'I am thrilled and truly honoured to join Van Bael & Bellis. The firm is, without a doubt, one of the most dynamic teams around when it comes to EU antitrust and international trade law expertise: a rare feat for an independent firm playing in a top league occupied by only a few global firms. I am looking forward to working with Van Bael & Bellis’ diversified team of top-notch lawyers led by a true legend of EU law, Jean-François Bellis.'

Client's defence

Jean-François Bellis, co-managing partner, commented: 'I have had many opportunities to see Michel at work on important cases over the last few years and was always struck by the depth of his commitment to the client’s defence and the lucidity of his analysis. I am looking forward to having him as a valued member of our EU competition law team and I am confident that, through his experience, he will make a great contribution to our European competition practice.' The Van Bael & Bellis EU competition team now includes 12 partners and nine counsel in its Brussels office.