Laurent Geelhand

  • Partner
  • Brussels, London
  • lgeelhand@hausfeld.com
  • +44 20 7665 5033
  • http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/laurent-geelhand/a7/1/61b
Laurent Geelhand

OVERVIEW

Laurent is widely recognised as an authority in European antitrust law and cross-border litigation and has been listed among ‘the stars of the in-house antitrust bar’ by Global Competition Review.

Expertise 

Prior to Hausfeld, Laurent was the European General Counsel of Michelin, where he systematically pursued actions against suppliers and secured multi-million euros settlements arising from the rubber chemicals, synthetic rubber and paraffin wax cartels using innovative litigation techniques and funding schemes. While at Michelin, he also devised a highly regarded and successful antitrust compliance programme.

Clients

At Hausfeld, Laurent leads the strongest antitrust automotive practice in Europe having achieved many settlements and recovered millions of euros on their behalf. In addition, he represents some of the best known corporates and professional associations of Belgium, France and the Netherlands. 

EDUCATION

Master of Laws (LLM), University of Washington
Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Law and economics, Université libre de Bruxelles, Magna cum laude and top 10%
Criminal Law, Université libre de Bruxelles, Magna cum laude and top 10%
Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Université libre de Bruxelles, Cum laude and top 10%

BAR ADMISSIONS

Brussels Bar

AFFILIATIONS

Lectures on European antitrust law at the University of Montpellier

NEWS

19 Hausfeld lawyers recognized by Who’s Who Legal, Competition 2021

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • United States, France, Germany, United Kingdom
  • Aug 25 2021

Hausfeld recognised in France for Antitrust Litigation at the 2021 Trophées du Droit

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • France, United Kingdom, Belgium
  • Jul 12 2021

Trucks litigation: Amsterdam Courts sides with claimants

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • France, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium
  • May 16 2021

Hausfeld Belgium recognised for antitrust litigation by Leaders League 2021

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • United Kingdom, Belgium
  • Apr 12 2021

Twelve Hausfeld lawyers across four regions named in 2021 Lawdragon 'Global Litigation 500' list

  • United States, France, United Kingdom, Netherlands
  • Mar 01 2021

Hausfeld receives GCR 2020 award for pan-European Trucks Cartel litigation

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • France, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium
  • Nov 11 2020

WWL 2020 counts 9 Hausfeld lawyers among world's top competition plaintiff lawyers

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • United States, France, Germany, United Kingdom
  • Jul 08 2020

Leaders League 2020 recognises Hausfeld France and Belgium in rankings

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • France, Belgium
  • Mar 19 2020

Legal 500 UK continues to rank Hausfeld in all its core practice areas

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • Commercial & Financial Disputes
  • United Kingdom
  • Sep 27 2019

Five Hausfeld lawyers recognised as 'Thought Leaders' for Competition by Who's Who Legal

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • United States, France, Germany, United Kingdom
  • Jan 28 2019

Legal 500 UK continues to rank Hausfeld in virtually all its practice areas

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • Commercial & Financial Disputes
  • United Kingdom
  • Oct 30 2018

Hausfeld wins at Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards 2018

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • United States, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium
  • Oct 05 2018

16 Hausfeld lawyers recognized in 'Who's Who' of competition in the US and Europe

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • United States, France, Germany, United Kingdom
  • Jun 20 2018

Hausfeld successfully settles Bearings Cartel case

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • United Kingdom
  • May 08 2018

European Commission proposes new consumer deal on representative consumer actions

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • Apr 11 2018

Commission announces three Automotive Cartel fines

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • United Kingdom
  • Feb 22 2018

Hausfeld maintains top tier ranking for competition litigation in Legal 500 UK

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • Commercial & Financial Disputes
  • United Kingdom
  • Oct 11 2017

EVENTS

Legal Claims & COVID-19: Anticipating Claims For and Against You

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • Commercial & Financial Disputes
  • Online 

  • 23 Sep 2020

CLS’ private compensation actions in practice seminar

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • Belgium

  • 05 Dec 2019

Advanced EU Competition Law Conference

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • Brussels

  • 25 Nov 2019

GCR’s 11th Live Competition Litigation Conference

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • London

  • 03 Oct 2019

Advanced EU and Competition Law Conference - 19-21 November 2018, Brussels

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • Brussels

  • 19 Nov 2018

PUBLICATIONS

Innovative regulatory tools against the GAFAS: the French Competition Authority requires "fair negotiations" between Google and press publishers

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • Technology & Data Breach
  • France, United Kingdom
  • May 20 2020

The Antitrust Damages Directive: four years on

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • United Kingdom
  • Nov 27 2018

PERSPECTIVES

Document production: the return of the French blocking statute?

  • France, United Kingdom, Belgium
  • Jun 13 2022

France targets Big Tech in its Presidency of the Council of the EU

  • Technology & Data Breach
  • Antitrust / Competition
  • Commercial & Financial Disputes
  • France, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium
  • Jan 14 2022

FinTech and electronic payments: between privacy and competition, the French Competition Authority releases findings following its sectoral investigation

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • France, United Kingdom, Belgium
  • May 21 2021

Un premier pas vers l’indemnisation des pertes d’exploitations liées au risque COVID-19

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • France, United Kingdom
  • Jun 03 2020

COVID 19 - will the automotive industry survive a 2nd time around?

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • Commercial & Financial Disputes
  • United Kingdom
  • May 07 2020

Competition disputes perspectives – UK, Spring 2020

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • United Kingdom
  • Apr 29 2020

WHAT OTHERS SAY

Leaders League, 2022

Highly recommending Hausfeld in Belgium, they say: "Former European General Counsel of Michelin, Laurent Geelhand, leads one of the strongest automotive antitrust practices in Europe, having recovered millions of euros for clients."

Legal Business Awards 2019

Hausfeld was nominated as 'Competition Team of the Year' for its work with Peugeot (PSA Group) against two European and four Japanese manufacturers found guilty of price fixing in 2014, which was a claim led by Laurent.

Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards 2018

Hausfeld won the 'Innovation in Legal Expertise - Dispute resolution' award at the Financial Times Innovative Lawyer Awards 2018 for the way it applied innovative thinking enabling Dutch truck owners bring a mass claim in the Trucks cartel. Laurent was personally commended for his role in this case, working closely with the leading truck trade association TLN in the Netherlands.

The Lawyer Top 20 Litigation 2018

Hausfeld represented PSA Group in their claim against the manufacturers of the Bearings cartel. The case, which settled before trial, was listed as of one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2018. 

Legal 500

‘Expert-level expertise’ – Competition Litigation, 2020

Laurent Geelhand … highly commended for their work across the ‘impressive portfolio of automotive clients.’ - Competition Litigation, 2018

Who’s Who Legal

Recognised as a Global Leader for Competition Plaintiff in the 2021 edition of Who’s Who Legal ‘Global Leaders 2021’. 

Recognised as a Global Leader for Competition Plaintiff in the 2020 edition of Who’s Who Legal ‘Global Leaders 2020’. 

Laurent was mentioned as a leading name in European anti-trust and is ‘highly regarded for his experience acting for plantiffs’ in significant private enforcement cases.’ He was listed for his ‘exceptional performance’ by ‘WWL Competition 2018, Plaintiffs’ chapter which also described the European offices as ‘stand out’ and Hausfeld the ‘….leading firm in the European market’.

Furthermore, only one in seven of the individuals considered makes it on to the WWL Thought Leaders Competition, Plaintiffs list. In 2019, Laurent was included as a Thought Leader for the jurisdiction of Belgium. - Competition Litigation, 2018

Global Competition Review

Laurent is widely recognised as an authority in European antitrust law and cross-border litigation, listed among the stars of the in-house antitrust bar, in December 2014, listed among the Top 35 Corporate Competition Counsel by the same review. “…Using innovative litigation techniques and funding schemes, Laurent secured multimillion-euro settlements for the tyre maker arising from the rubber chemicals, synthetic rubber and paraffin wax cartels....” – GCR, 2018

Listed among the stars of the in-house antitrust bar. 
Listed among the Top 35 Corporate Competition Counsel. – Competition Litigation, GCR, 2014

Experience

Antitrust/Competition

Regarded as one of the pioneers of antitrust private enforcement in Europe, Laurent has been at the forefront of many landmark antitrust cases.

Most recently, he has been building claims in the Dutch courts for European truck purchasers allegedly harmed by the Trucks cartel - representing over 2,100 clients across Europe with a truck count of some 275,000 - and represented PSA Group as well as BMW in the automotive bearings.

He represented Michelin in the Michelin II abuse of dominance case. At Hausfeld, he represented claimants in the following cartels or abuse of dominance cases:

     Rubber Chemicals  Synthetic Rubber
     Paraffin Wax  Air Cargo
     Car Glass Bearings
     Wire Harnesses Detergents
     Occupant Safety Systems Yoghurts (France)
     Elevators RoRo/Maritime Carriers
     Pre-stressing Steel Starters & Altenators
     Google  

Previously, he:

  • represented Boeing before the European Commission in the Boeing/McDonnell Douglas merger control case, and Klaus Jacobs in the Belgian Barry/Callebaut merger control case
  • was part of the team working on Coca-Cola Enterprises in abuse of dominance litigation. 

WHAT OTHERS SAY

  • Legal 500 UK, 2020

    ‘Expert-level expertise’.

  • Legal 500 UK, 2018

    Laurent Geelhand… highly commended for their work across the ‘impressive portfolio of automotive clients'.

What I think

Document production: the return of the French blocking statute?

  • France, United Kingdom, Belgium
  • Jun 13 2022

France targets Big Tech in its Presidency of the Council of the EU

  • Technology & Data Breach
  • Antitrust / Competition
  • Commercial & Financial Disputes
  • France, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium
  • Jan 14 2022

FinTech and electronic payments: between privacy and competition, the French Competition Authority releases findings following its sectoral investigation

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • France, United Kingdom, Belgium
  • May 21 2021

Un premier pas vers l’indemnisation des pertes d’exploitations liées au risque COVID-19

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • France, United Kingdom
  • Jun 03 2020

COVID 19 - will the automotive industry survive a 2nd time around?

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • Commercial & Financial Disputes
  • United Kingdom
  • May 07 2020

Competition disputes perspectives – UK, Spring 2020

  • Antitrust / Competition
  • United Kingdom
  • Apr 29 2020