The Legal 500

Allen & Overy LLP’s practice spans corporate and commercial litigation, restructuring and insolvency disputes, contentious antitrust matters, arbitration and ADR. Practice head Koen Van Den Broeck recently represented Cera CVBA, KBC’s holding company, in a €600m shareholders’ and directors’ liability claim. Werner Eyskens, who is ‘hands on, practical and very approachable’, acted for Pepsi International in insolvency and creditor protection proceedings. The firm also has a strong focus on energy litigation, where newly promoted partner Tom Schoors is a key player.

‘World class’, Hanotiau & van den Berg is ‘the number-one firm for arbitration’. The four-partner team is perhaps best known for international arbitration, but also has a strong litigation practice. Paul Lefebvre, Bernard Hanotiau, Albert Jan Van Den Berg and Pascal Hollander are the partners; Lefebvre is particularly highly regarded and is one of the few civil lawyers licensed to appear before the Belgian Supreme Court.

Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick’s specialist litigation department deals with contentious work in an international context. The team, which has a ‘good combination of technical knowledge and pragmatic approach’, successfully represented the European Space Agency in a public procurement dispute in the Brussels Court of Appeal; and acted for the Belgian state in a civil liability case. Practice head Hakim Boularbah and Nicolas Angelet are responsive, creative and show good judgement.

Linklaters goes ‘above and beyond’ for its clients and is ‘the firm of choice for sophisticated, large commercial claims’. Throughout 2010 and 2011, the team handled a diet of banking disputes, regulatory investigations, investment arbitration and commercial matters for major industry players. Practice head Joost Verlinden is a ‘sound and respected lawyer’, who ‘consistently achieves desired results’, and Johan Verbist is ‘a very responsive, practical adviser’. Françoise Lefèvre recently acted for Ageas in a €2bn case against bondholders who were seeking to unilaterally extend the maturity of hybrid bonds.

Lydian’s clients highlight the firm’s ‘Anglo-Saxon approach and responsiveness’. Insurance disputes expert Hugo Keulers recently acted for C-Power in an insurance claim against Ethias, following defects in the construction of six offshore wind farms. Other clients include G4S, Burberry and Swatch. Annick Mottet Haugaard is an ‘extremely dynamic and efficient professional’, and Yves Lenders is also recommended.

NautaDutilh’s clients appreciate the professionalism, pragmatism and efficiency of Stan Brijs and his dispute resolution team, which not only covers corporate and commercial litigation, but also securities law and shareholder activism, a field in which arbitrator Marc van der Haegen specialises. Recent work includes advising Aareal Bank on its potential liability as bank and mortgagee in the sale of the SAS Radisson Hotel in Brussels. Clients also include KBC, Electrabel and Mitsubishi.

Simont Braun has substantial litigation expertise relating to corporate, banking and finance, commercial, IP and IT matters, and recently advised several clients in a case relating to the €2bn 8.75% mandatory convertible securities issued by the former entities of the Fortis Group. The team includes Lucien Simont, a former president of the Supreme Court Bar, and two Supreme Court lawyers in practice head Paul Alain Foriers – who is ‘an eminent specialist of commercial law’ – and Caroline De Baets.

Stibbe is one of the few law firms in Belgium to have two lawyers admitted to the Supreme Court, and also includes a well-respected arbitrator in Vera Van Houtte, who is a vice-president of the ICC Court of Arbitration. Recent cases include representing The Flemish Community and VZW Vlaams Doping Tribunal in Supreme Court proceedings relating to violations of the World Anti-Doping Agency rules in professional tennis. Jean-Pierre Fierens leads the department.

Eubelius is a ‘big name’ in the Belgian market, and its ‘outstanding lawyers’ impress with ‘excellent service and value for money’. Ludo Cornelis, Patrick Hofströssler and Ignace Claeys have handled numerous banking litigation cases, and Herman De Bauw is recommended for his niche expertise in contentious telecoms issues.

Loyens & Loeff, which focuses on corporate and commercial disputes, recently advised BNY Corporate Trustee Services in injunction proceedings regarding a €2bn mandatory convertible bond issue. Zenitel, Rabobank and TNT are new clients. Geert Bogaert and Peter Callens are recommended, as is the ‘clever and practical’ Martine De Roeck, who holds over 20 years’ litigation experience and was appointed as a deputy judge at the Antwerp Court of Appeal in 2010.

Van Bael & Bellis is commended for its ‘very high service levels and proactive approach’, and represents clients such as AstraZeneca, Coca-Cola and GlaxoSmithKline. The ‘creative and thorough’ Catherine Longeval is recommended for employment, pharmaceuticals and unfair trade litigation. Martin Favart and Peter L’Ecluse are also key figures in the practice.

In 2011, White & Case LLP Avocats Advocaten bolstered its dispute resolution department when recommended counsel Nathalie Colin joined from Linklaters, bringing with her 15 years’ experience, particularly in banking and insolvency litigation. Also recommended are Stefan Odeurs and Thierry Bosly, who specialise in business law disputes; Bosly recently advised Crédit Agricole Suisse in arbitration proceedings against Chinop.

Adopting a ‘very hands-on and client-friendly approach’, Altius (in co-operation with Tiberghien) regularly handles corporate and commercial litigation and regulatory disputes. Christophe Ronse is highly regarded for contentious IP and life sciences cases. The team is also involved in a growing number of international arbitration proceedings, for which senior associate Alexander Hansebout is recommended.

Baker & McKenzie acted for Massive Media in a damages claim against its data centre operator for negligence, resulting in substantial power failure and rack outages, which caused data loss and corruption. Koen De Winter is the key contact for contentious IP, and Pierre Sculier is experienced in IP, labour and commercial disputes.

CMS DeBacker covers all types of business law disputes, but also has a strong reputation for IP litigation, where Jean-François Goffin and Renaud Dupont recently represented Meura, a producer of processing equipment for breweries, in patent litigation against an international beer brewer. Sadly, André Lombart passed away.

Clifford Chance’s key partner for dispute resolution is Sébastien Ryelandt, who is particularly experienced in the financial sector and was part of the team which won the headline securities fraud case for Dexia, following Lernout & Hauspie’s collapse. New clients include Bank of America and Bodum.

DLA Piper’s ‘extremely client-friendly’ team acts in corporate and commercial litigation, but also has a growing arbitration practice, where it is particularly experienced in transport sector cases. Daniel Sharma is a ‘solid disputes lawyer’, Caroline Verbruggen ‘provides extensive and professional support’, and Supreme Court advocate Pierre Van Ommeslaghe is also recommended.

Janson Baugniet’s Cédric Alter successfully led a Supreme Court case for a Belgian company active in the medical gas sector, while Dominique Blommaert and Didier Bracke acted for the majority shareholder of Edificio in a corporate dispute. The firm, which handles litigation and arbitration, made Ophélie Cocquyt up to partner in 2010.

Jones Day is appreciated for its ‘ability and willingness to challenge the status quo and go the extra mile’. Practice head Sébastien Champagne handles domestic and cross-border commercial, distribution, trade, antitrust and telecom-related litigation. He and counsel Werner Derijcke are recommended.

In December 2010, Laga significantly enhanced its tax litigation practice through the addition of Luc De Broe and Annick Visschers, both formerly of Stibbe. Jürgen Egger is recommended for commercial litigation, and Hilde Laga is the key contact for corporate and finance disputes.

Monard – D’Hulst produces ‘positive results and an excellent level of service’, and houses a sizeable team of lawyers who are active in dispute resolution. Ben Hermans achieved a landmark judgment against the Belgian state relating to osteopaths and other regulated medical practitioners to practise without fear of criminal prosecution or threat to their status. Erik Monard is an expert in ex parte and summary proceedings. For corporate disputes, Natalie Ulburghs has ‘the ability to rapidly assess the core problem in cases’.

Olislaegers & De Creus’ ‘accurate, responsive and professional’ team is adept at handling business law disputes before state courts and arbitral tribunals. Frank Roose, Michael Olislaegers, Kristof De Creus and expert employment litigator Dylan Casaer are recommended.

Verhaegen Walravens acts for clients such as Fluxys, which it advises regarding operational issues such as disputes with contractors and other suppliers, and listed Belgian company Vandevelde, which it represented in a Court of Appeal case relating to KBC’s sale of certain investment products. Philip Walravens and Jean Pierre Renard are recommended for corporate and commercial disputes.

Ambos NBGO recruited the ‘truly exceptional’ Kathleen Paisley from White & Case LLP, where she was a partner in the London arbitration group. The firm ‘always delivers an outstanding service, through a client-oriented mindset’.

Cruyplants Eloy Wagemans & Partners has broad expertise in litigation, arbitration and mediation, and successfully defended natural gas distributor ALG in summary proceedings brought by shareholders attempting to block a proposed merger. Former head of the Brussels Bar Marc Wagemans is recommended.

Eversheds’ dispute resolution practice is centred on corporate and commercial law expert Koen Devos, who recently acted in product liability litigation and a soil remediation project dispute.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s caseload includes a number of tax and energy disputes. It also acted in one of the first instances in Belgium of a court case initiated by a victim of a cartel case.

Koan Legal Strategies’ Geoffroy de Foestraets is involved in a number of post-acquisition disputes and media-related cases. Clients include Renault, Citroen and Peugeot.

Laurius advocaten’s ‘very proactive’ group handles litigation, arbitration and mediation for domestic and international clients. Bert Luyten is ‘a particularly fine litigator, who keeps his clients’ best interests in mind’.

At Marx, Van Ranst, Vermeersch & Partners, the key contacts for dispute resolution are Herman Croux, Eric Laevens and Jan Ravelingien. Recent work includes property litigation and an important counterfeiting dispute.