Thomas Holst Laursen
With more than 25 years of experience, Thomas is one of the most experienced transaction lawyers in the market, having handled several of the largest and most complex transactions in the Danish market (including the Novonesis merger, SAS restructuring and acquisition, and Simcorp) and the market's recent IPOs (Netcompany and Gubra).
With transactions worth more than EUR 61 billion and 144 transactions (source: MergerMarket), Thomas is one of the highest ranked and recognised transaction lawyers in the market in both numbers and value. Thomas concentrates on M&A and capital markets transactions.
According to Mergerlinks, Thomas ranks as "the No. 1 Top M&A Lawyer in Denmark" in 2023 and leads the market in all recognised rankings of Danish transactional lawyers (Chambers, Legal500, etc.).
Thomas mainly focuses on assisting corporate clients and foundations. Thomas' experience includes M&A mandates, cross-border M&A, take-private transactions, IPOs, ABBs, rights issues, and JV/merger transactions.
Thomas has a Master’s degree in Law from the University of Copenhagen and Cambridge University.
Almost all the matters that Thomas is involved in require a multi-disciplinary team approach and project leadership. Clients continuously seek him and the team for their ability to provide a clear set of priorities, clear communication, and a deep commercial understanding of the client's needs.
"Thomas Holst Laursen is a very pragmatic, solution-oriented lawyer"
"Thomas Holst Laursen - exceptionally good within public M&A, in particular. Pragmatic and solution-focused. Very hands-on and always available"
"Great depth of the teams around Janus Jepsen and Thomas Holst Laursen in capital markets law. Very responsive on all levels"
"Thomas Holst Laursen is very commercially oriented with a clear focus on problem-solving. He gives clear, unbiased and salient advice"
"Thomas Holst Laursen possesses strong strategic understanding which is reflected in his advice. He is good at navigating complex stakeholder landscapes, yet always gives his honest opinion, even when it may not be the most popular which is something that I value highly"
"Thomas Holst Laursen is one of the best negotiators in the Nordics. He had no problem standing firm against a room full of US lawyers"
"Thomas Holst Laursen is a top-notch lawyer"
"Thomas Holst Laursen is an amazing lawyer"
"Thomas is a very skilled lawyer who is pragmatic; he knows where to pick a fight and where not to"
"Thomas not only is an excellent legal adviser but also helps with key deal-making elements"
"He is one of the few lawyers in Denmark who understands the commercial aspects of a deal without compromising on the quality of the legal advice"
"He is sharp and analytical – but with a sound pragmatic approach" (2023)
"Very strong overall, very commercial, to the point, tells it like it is and does not hold back in negotiations" (2023)
"Very pleasant and knowledgeable. Probably the best lawyer of his generation" (2023)
"Bright, engaging, commercially aware and always professional and collegiate in manner" (2023)
"Thomas Holst Laursen is the natural leader of the firm and is truly a pleasure to work with"
"Thomas Holst Laursen has superb knowledge and a practical pragmatic approach"
"Thomas has a great approach and is very commercial and knowledgeable" (2024)
"He has strong negotiation skills and a deep knowledge in the nature of transactions" (2024)
"Thomas Holst Laursen is seasoned and very sharp" (2023)
"Thomas Holst Laursen is taking a very holistic and considered approach to the legal issues related to the company transition we are working on" (2022)
"He is always very open and transparent. He has a friendly nature and has very broad experience. His communication is most often very clear and his knowledge on specific areas is often very deep. He is especially good at strategic advisory. He always does what he promises and his availability is fantastic" (2022)
"Highly skilled; makes things happen; client-first attitude" (2022)
"Thomas Holst Laursen provides thorough solutions. He has a pragmatic and solutions-oriented approach to the challenges presented. He understands the commercial angle and remembers the personal angle can be important, too" (2021/2022)