Thomas specialises in commercial, financial and insurance law (regulatory & litigation).

He 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 particular interest in alternative and sustainable models and regularly assists actors of the Fintech and Insurtech industry.

Thomas has an all-round expertise in regulatory matters and is an expert in contract and civil liability.

He represents clients before the courts in contractual and commercial disputes, notably when involving a financial or insurance law component.

In addition to his practice, Thomas is an Assistant Lecturer at the Free University of Brussels (ULB) where he has been giving seminars in Contracts & Torts since 2014. Thomas 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 (B2C and B2B) unfair terms initiatives.

Thomas is ranked by The Legal 500 as a Rising Star in Insurance and recommended as a key lawyer  in EU Regulatory: Financial Services and Insurance “Thomas Derval is very engaged and has a practical mindset. He is very knowledgeable in (consumer) credit laws and intent on finding good solutions for his clients”. He is also mentioned in IFLR 1000 “He knows the practicalities of legally designing financial products very well. [he] has practical experience that is rarely found at high street firms” – “He is approachable and very nice to work with. His good knowledge of both financial regulations and more general laws allows him to have a holistic view on complicated issues”.

Thomas is the recipient of the Georges Boels pleadings prize from the French-speaking Brussels bar.