Thomas Oster

As a partner in our competition & EU team in Paris, I specialise in contentious and non-contentious national and European competition law, compliance, commercial and distribution law. I am also active in the anti-bribery and corruption compliance sphere.

Offering our clients long-standing expertise in advising on cartel investigations and preparing leniency applications before the European Commission and the French Competition Authority, I also help develop and implement competition and compliance programmes and provide assistance in notifying transactions to the regulators.

On the commercial side of my practice, I have in-depth experience in advising clients on the structuring of selective, exclusive or franchise distribution networks across Europe, as well as on supplier-distributor relationships and sales regulations. I am also able to assist our clients in the management of their product liability issues.

In the field of compliance, I help our clients to implement their anti-bribery prevention program and whistle-blowing systems under the French 'Sapin II' regulations. I also carry out internal investigations.

My experience of competition law covers several different angles. I have not only worked on competition law issues in practice, but in-house and in a professional internship at the French Competition Authority. Before joining the team here at Bird & Bird in Paris, I worked in the Paris office of a major global law firm for 14 years.

I often take part in industry seminars and conferences and am the author of several articles on competition law. Today, I am a member of the association of competition law practitioners (APDC) as well as the French association for the study of competition law (AFEC).

I speak French and English.