Thomas Derval

Thomas specialises in contract & tort, financial and insurance law. He combines an advisory and litigation practice in these fields.

He has an all-round regulatory expertise and advises a wide variety of Belgian and international private and public clients active in the regulated economy at large (banking, insurance, investment, payment, credit, crowdfunding, etc.). In this context, he has developed a significant experience in assisting actors of the Fintech and Insurtech industry and quickly grasps the impact of new technologies on his clients’ business.

Thomas is an expert in contract law and civil liability. He advises his clients on complex B2B and B2C contract and liability questions, and he represents their interests before the courts in civil and commercial disputes (among others when involving a financial or insurance law component). He also acts in proceedings brought by or before the regulators (FSMA and NBB) or the Ombudsman.

In addition to his practice, Thomas is an Assistant Lecturer and a member of the Private Law Centre at the Free University of Brussels (ULB), where he gives seminars in Contract & Tort. He regularly speaks at conferences and writes scientific contributions in his fields of expertise.

He is also an expert member of the Unfair Terms Commission, which is notably in charge of advising the Government, the Parliament, public entities and other stakeholders on unfair terms initiatives.

Thomas is the recipient of the Georges Boels pleadings prize awarded by the French-speaking Brussels bar. He also received various professional accolades and is notably considered a “next generation partner” in Insurance and is recommended in Financial Services and "Up and coming" in the Fintech sector.