The Legal 500

Allen & Overy LLP is ‘the firm of choice for very complex transactions, when you need expert legal advice’. Work highlights display strengths in representing the media and energy sectors, as well as financial institutions, and the group acted for KBC on the €1.35bn sale of its European private banking division KBL to Hinduja Group. Noteworthy individuals include Dirk Meeus, managing partner of the Brussels and Antwerp offices, whose clients include Huntsman and ING; and the ‘very dedicated’ Pierre-Olivier Mahieu, who is ‘swift to find business-driven solutions in difficult situations’.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP represented BNP Paribas in the tender offer through its Fingen joint venture company for the outstanding stock of Compagnie Nationale à Portefeuille, which was the largest public M&A transaction in Belgium in recent years. The department’s key contacts are Jan Meyers, who is recommended for privatisations; Jacques Reding, who has a broad international focus; Laurent Legein, who is particularly knowledgeable in the areas of capital markets and private equity; and of counsel Deborah Janssens.

Linklaters is ‘particularly good at coordinating efforts efficiently with in-house counsel’, and clients appreciate its ‘very useful international network and proactive legal support’. The team acted on the €20.2bn reverse takeover of International Power by GDF SUEZ and the €3.24bn spin-off and listing of ArcelorMittal’s stainless and speciality steel business. Paul Van Hooghten leads the team, which includes five partners as well as counsel Thierry L’Homme, who is ‘very accurate, an expert in corporate law’; and Eric Pottier, who provides ‘practical solutions in highly sensitive and complex matters’.

Baker & McKenzie is a ‘strong reliable house with consistent quality and motivated manpower’, and its lawyers have ‘a clear understanding of their clients’ business’. The firm assisted Argenta in a €150m public offering and was also involved in a number of secondary offerings on the Belgian market in the biotech sector. Recommended individuals include Jean-François Vandenberghe and Arne Gutermann, who have ‘a commercial attitude’; Peter Leys and Dominique Maes, who ‘make a good team’; and Koen Vanhaerents, who is ‘ideal for difficult negotiations’.

Clifford Chance is ‘a truly excellent firm’ for corporate and M&A matters. The group is particularly strong in the energy and utilities sector, where the ‘very dedicated and knowledgeable’ Xavier Remy is the key figure. Recent work includes acting for Publigas and Fluxys G on the €150m investment in Fluxys G by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Quebec. Philippe Hamer co-heads the department alongside Remy and is ‘a hardworking and diligent lawyer with a fine eye for detail’.

The ‘outstanding lawyers’ at Eubelius ‘listen to and understand their clients’, and deliver ‘very good value for money’. The firm acts for clients including Belgacom, KBC and bpost, and recently assisted Movetis on the €428m acquisition by Shire, involving a public tender offer. Koen Geens, who is praised for his response times and practice area knowledge, co-heads the corporate and securities department with Marieke Wyckaert, who is commended for her negotiation skills. Matthias Wauters is also highly regarded; ‘he not only possesses in-depth knowledge, but also the commercial ability to get a deal done’.

‘Top firm’ Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer experienced a significant upturn in M&A activity including advising Solvay on its €4.5bn acquisition of the French chemicals group Rhodia as well as Fluxys on a joint venture with two other European power producers. BNP Paribas Fortis, Delhaize and Anheuser-Busch InBev are also clients. Vincent Macq heads the team, and Chris Sunt and Geert Verhoeven are also recommended.

Clients receive ‘full and efficient support’ from Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick, which adopts a ‘very hands-on’ approach and is ‘outstanding value for money’. Recent work includes handling aspects of Pfizer’s €2.38bn sale of Capsugel and assisting Veolia Propreté on the disposal of Veolia Environmental Services Belgium and its Belgian subsidaries. Thierry Tilquin leads the seven-partner department.

The corporate lawyers at Loyens & Loeff are ‘extremely business-driven and ready to adjust to the needs and means of each individual deal’. Department head Grégoire Jakhian recently advised Van Gansewinkel on its acquisition of Veolia’s Belgian waste management activities, and Peter Callens advised IKO Europe on the acquisition of 50% of shares in Metrotile Europe. Damien Conem, who was recently promoted to counsel, is ‘very knowledgeable of M&A practices in Belgium and eases the legal process to ensure the deal gets done’.

Stibbe’s corporate practice advised on the Belgian law aspects of NYSE Euronext’s $9.5bn merger with Deutsche Börse, and acted for KKR on its $2.38bn acquisition of Pfizer’s Capsugel division. Other clients include Chevron, Carrefour and FIFA. Practice head Marc Fyon is adept at handling corporate finance work, mergers and acquisitions, company restructurings and joint ventures. The five-partner team also includes Jan Peeters, who is ‘an excellent lawyer, delivering very good strategic advice’.

Altius (in co-operation with Tiberghien) is ‘one of the best firms, in terms of competence, pleasantness and speed of response’. Carine Van Regenmortel is ‘technically very strong’ and co-leads the practice alongside Alexis Goeminne, who recently advised LRM and Capricorn Venture Partners on the acquisition of a lighting glass factory from EMGO. Tom Vantroyen is also recommended for his ‘excellent business advice’.

‘One of the most qualified and outstanding firms in the market’, CMS DeBacker acted on several high-profile M&A mandates in 2011 including advising Delhaize on the €935m takeover of Delta Maxi, and assisting Crédit Agricole on its €527m acquisition of Centea. The ‘business-driven’ Vincent Dirckx leads the team, and Carl Leermakers and Stéphane Collin are also recommended.

DLA Piper’s ‘extraordinarily efficient’ team handles a variety of domestic and cross-border transactions, and maintains a strong focus on African projects, where Caroline Daout is the key contact. Daout recently advised Group Forrest International on its disposal of a majority share in Group Forrest’s cement activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Practice head Jean-Michel Detry and Erwin Simons are highly regarded. Ortwin Carron joined from Monard – D’Hulst.

Laga recently acted for KSB on the sale of 51% of shares in KSB Engineering Services. Hilde Laga and the ‘honest and trustworthy’ David Roelens co-head the group, which recruited Christoph Michiels from Stibbe. Emmanuel Leroux was promoted to partner.

Lydian’s corporate and finance practice is led by M&A expert Peter De Ryck, who has a particular focus on private equity transactions. De Ryck works closely with the ‘reliable and imaginative’ Patrick Della Faille and newly promoted partner Tom Geudens. The firm acts for high-profile clients such as Disney, Honeywell and Citibank, and recently advised the purchasers in the acquisition of Eurobakers Group.

Monard – D’Hulst’s lawyers deliver a ‘very satisfying balance between recognising all the legal issues and realising the practical limitations of reality’. The ‘highly professional and business-minded’ Natalie Ulburghs recently acted for Euphony Benelux’s shareholders on restructuring the shareholding. Peter Rooryck and his team of two associates left to set up Rooryck & Co in 2011.

Dirk Van Gerven leads NautaDutilh’s four-partner corporate department, which acts for clients such as IBM, Fedex and Zenitel. Recent highlights include advising on the transfer of shares in a joint venture between Arcapita and Shurgard, and acting for QBE on its €267m acquisition of Belgium-based reinsurer Secura.

Simont Braun’s practice head Sandrine Hirsch led advice to the managers of Systemat, a Belgian leading IT-Services provider, on a management buyout of operations in Belgium and Luxembourg. Clients also include AXA Private Equity and Petercam. David Ryckaert is ‘very, very good at handling M&A instructions’; he is ‘a dealmaker, who never loses sight of the goal’.

Van Bael & Bellis’ ‘extremely customer-focused and very proactive’ team acts for blue-chip clients such as American Express, Coca-Cola and Vodafone. In autumn 2010, the firm represented Brinks International on the restructuring of Brink’s Belgium, which involved internal restructuring, complex negotiations with the trade unions and the Ministry of Labour, and, eventually, the bankruptcy of Brink’s Belgium. Martin Favart is now the main contact, following Pascal Faes’ departure to NautaDutilh.

White & Case LLP Avocats Advocaten receives a large chunk of its corporate M&A instructions from private equity and venture capital provider Gimv, and the firm recently advised this longstanding client on its investment in Eden Chocolates. Other noteworthy work comes from Pfizer, for which the team acted on the $2.38bn sale of its Capsugel division to KKR. Dries Hommez, Stefan Odeurs and Gisèle Rosselle are recommended.

Clients are ‘truly impressed with the combination of business knowledge and transactional expertise’ at Ambos NBGO, which includes nine corporate partners across the Antwerp and Brussels offices. The team represents a number of listed companies, such as Autogrill and IBM, as well as private companies including Fortis and Nuon. Christina Trappeniers and Caroline Wildemeersch are highly regarded, and the ‘versatile, innovative and committed’ David Dessers is also recommended.

Ashurst LLP’s main corporate contacts are managing partner Carl Meyntjens and counsel David Du Pont. Recent big-ticket instructions include advising Ontex on its €1.2bn sale to Goldman Sachs PIA and Texas Pacific Group Capital. Other clients include KBC Securities and Janssen Pharmaceutica.

Bird & Bird solutions-driven team meets deadlines, and recently advised insurance group Ethias on the sale of Nateus and Nateus Life to Baloise Group. The ‘very responsive and easily reachable’ Alain Costantini and Paul Hermant are recommended. The firm recently recruited a third corporate partner as Ludo Deklerck joined from Thompson Hine LLP.

Dechert LLP combines its corporate and securities experience, with strong niche expertise in the energy sector and knowledge of the regulation and operation of network industries, in areas such as electricity, natural gas, rail and telecoms. The main contacts are René Gonne, Richard Temko and Eric Deltour, who is recognised for his ‘technical knowledge’.

Koen Devos leads Eversheds’ corporate and commercial practice, which recently acted for Rutland Partners on its acquisition of GEMS, and Advanced Plasma Power on negotiating a joint venture with Group Machiels.

Jones Day represents MasterCard, PepsiCo and numerous major Japanese clients. Department head Luc Houben, who is ‘particularly client-sensitive and responsive’, recently advised Procter & Gamble on the divestiture of its Pringles business to Diamond Foods. Of counsel David Roger joined from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in 2011.

Olislaegers & De Creus has ‘outstanding knowledge of mergers and acquisitions’, and also handles joint ventures, contracts and corporate governance matters, and has significant experience in corporate restructuring. Michael Olislaegers is ‘highly co-operative and a proactive thinker’, and Kristof De Creus is ‘a very good contractual lawyer’.

Altra Law’s corporate practice is led by former Linklaters lawyer Didier Leclercq, who specialises in private M&A transactions; Leclercq has ‘a genuine interest in understanding the business environment of his clients’. The ‘technically sound and highly efficient’ Benjamin Haberkorn is also recommended.

Contrast’s ‘diligent and hardworking team’, which is ‘excellent on all levels’, recently advised Perusa Partners on its acquisition of the Flamingo Group, a Belgian company in the domestic pet sector. Practice head Bart Bellen ‘always keeps the client’s needs in mind’.

Crowell & Moring has sector focuses on the media, defence and biotech industries. Clients include Telenet, Clearwire and NextPharma. The corporate department is headed by Brussels managing partner Emmanuel Gybels.

De Wolf & Partners handles mandates concerning venture capital, public or private equity investments, M&A, corporate restructuring and IPOs. Patrick De Wolf is the key contact.

Marie Evrard leads Field Fisher Waterhouse’s ‘high-quality’ corporate department, which experienced an increase in M&A and a flow of restructuring assignments. Of counsel Louis-François du Castillon is also recommended.

Hunton & Williams LLP’s Belgian corporate practice is centred on Hervé Cogels, who is recommended for his significant international experience.

Koan Legal Strategies has ‘outstanding technical legal knowledge’, and acts for clients such as GDF SUEZ and IAB Europe. Practice head Geoffroy de Foestraets works closely with tax partner Pierre Willemart and Jan Decorte, who has ‘in-depth knowledge of the media sector’.

Laurius advocaten’s ‘excellent’ corporate department is led by the ‘client-empathetic’ Dirk Wellens. Recent work includes advising Fortis Private Equity on the acquisition of a 50% stake in project company Regatta.

‘Responsiveness and knowledge of international aspects are the main strengths’ of Lorenz, which advises multinational companies such as SunGard, Micro Focus and Hudson on Belgian corporate law and corporate governance issues. Steven De Schrijver ‘knows M&A law inside-out’, and Bert Theeuwes is ‘very practical and a good communicator’.

Nicole Van Ranst, Kristoffel Vermeersch and Klaus Heinemann are the main corporate contacts at Marx, Van Ranst, Vermeersch & Partners, which recently acted on the management buyout of Vulco from Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe.

Verhaegen Walravens’ co-founder Jacques Verhaegen is a corporate and M&A expert with over 20 years’ experience. Also recommended is Anouk De Graef, who recently advised Heidelberger Druckmaschinen on its acquisition of Cerm Benelux.

WilmerHale acted on a steady stream of public and private M&A deals in 2011, most of which included cross-border elements. It has particular expertise in the consumer goods, consulting services, construction and chemicals sectors. Corporate governance expert Paul von Hehn is recommended, along with of counsel Frank De Paepe, an expert in regulated industries.