Herlinde Burez is a specialist in (EU and Belgian) competition and distribution law.

Herlinde heads contrast’s merger control team. She has extensive experience in EU and Belgian merger control and the coordination of rest-of-the world merger filings. She also assists companies with all competition law related aspects in the context of their transactions, such as gun jumping questions, the organization of due diligence with respect for the rules on exchange of commercially sensitive information, assessment of competition covenants in transaction agreements agreements, and so on.

Herlinde also supports clients in shaping commercial relationships to fit their business needs and in managing those relationships, including in relation to the termination of commercial cooperation agreements and related conflict management.

In these areas, Herlinde has in particular acquired expertise in the automotive industry. She co-authored the chapter 'Motor Vehicle Distribution' in 'Vertical Agreements in EU Competition Law' (3rd edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press 2018, 462 p., F. Wijckmans | F. Tuytschaever) and she heads the Automotive Task Force of contrast.

Herlinde holds a master’s degree in Law from the University of Ghent and obtained a DEA in European law at the University of Aix-Marseille III.

Herlinde has been at contrast since the start in 2006 and became partner on 1 January 2017.

Herlinde Burez has published several articles on EU and Belgian competition law and distribution law in leading Belgian journals. Her publications include regular contributions to the section 'Case Law in Summary' in TBM-RCB (Journal for Belgian Competition Law, now Competitio) from 2006 until 2016.