Peter Thomas is a Partner in the Firm’s Washington, D.C. office and a member of the Litigation Department. Peter has extensive experience in the areas of antitrust, international arbitration and national security reviews before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). He has successfully tried several large international arbitrations and obtained numerous antitrust clearances of proposed transactions following Second Request investigations. Peter’s recent key matters include:
- ChemChina in successfully obtaining CFIUS clearance of its $43 billion acquisition of Syngenta AG, which is the largest proposed outbound investment by a Chinese company.
- Siliconware Precision Industries Co., Ltd. in obtaining FTC clearance following its investigation of SPIL’s proposed merger with a rival Taiwanese semiconductor assembly and testing provider Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc.
- TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. in obtaining clearance by the FTC of its $13.5 billion acquisition by ZF Friedrichshafen AG and negotiating the divestiture of TRW’s linkage and suspension component business.
- Melrose Industries plc in successfully obtaining CFIUS clearance of its approximately £8 billion proposed unilateral offer to acquire GKN plc.
- Sandoz Inc. in a FTC investigation of a so-called “reverse payment” settlement and in parallel private antitrust actions by direct purchasers and end-payor plaintiffs.
- Hilton Worldwide in obtaining CFIUS clearance of its sale of the Waldorf Astoria hotel to Chinese insurer Anbang.
- The Blackstone Group, L.P. in a settled putative class action antitrust litigation brought against private equity firms alleging collusive bidding practices.
- Ericsson in successfully defending against an antitrust lawsuit brought by TruePosition alleging collusive behavior in LTE network standards-setting activities.
- Smithfield Foods, the largest pork processor and producer in the United States, in obtaining CFIUS clearance of its $7.1 billion sale to a Chinese company, Shuanghui International Holdings, the largest acquisition ever of a U.S. business by a Chinese firm.
- Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation in winning a supply price reduction for a blockbuster drug following three separate trials in an ICC arbitration.
- McKesson Corporation in obtaining antitrust clearance by the FTC of its $2.1 billion acquisition of a medical surgical supply distributor, PSS World Medical.
- The Dominican Republic in two international investment treaty arbitrations and a companion ICC case stemming from privatization of the country’s electricity sector.
Peter was named in 2017 as a “Dealmaker of the Year” by The American Lawyer, an award that highlights attorneys who have showed creativity, client commitment and business savvy. Peter was honored for his representation of ChemChina in securing CFIUS clearance for its $43 billion acquisition of Syngenta AG, the largest outbound Chinese investment ever.
He is consistently recognized by Euromoney’s Benchmark Litigation as a “Litigation Star” in antitrust both nationally and locally in Washington, D.C. He is also consistently recognized by The Legal 500 in both international arbitration and antitrust, where clients have described him as having a “formidable international reputation in complex arbitrations,” and a “skilled practitioner,” having “extensive knowledge, excellent judgment and sense of humor under fire.”
Additionally, Peter is recognized by Chambers USA as an International Trade: CFIUS Expert, where sources say he provides “excellent coordination on cross-border deals” and “has a good strategic sense and feel for the process.”
Peter joined Simpson Thacher in September 1984 and became a partner in 1993. He received his B.A. with High Honors from the University of California at Berkeley in 1980 and received his J.D. in 1984 from the U.C.L.A. School of Law where he was Order of the Coif. Peter serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia.
Education:
- UCLA School of Law, 1984 J.D.
- Order of the Coif
- University of California at Berkeley, 1980 B.A.
- With High Honors; Phi Beta Kappa
Associations:
- Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, Board of Directors
- Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Committee on Professional and Judicial Ethics, 1994–1997
- Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Committee on Professional Discipline, 1991–1994
- American Bar Association
- International Bar Association
Admissions:
- District of Columbia 2006
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York 1988
- U.S. District Court Southern District of New York 1988
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia 2006
Cost
Rate : $$$