The Legal 500

Allen & Overy LLP’s team is praised for ‘very good industry knowledge’ over a range of industry sectors; clients range from Citibank to Diageo, Hewlett-Packard to DAF Trucks, in Joost Everaert’s case alone. All the partners have occupied significant leadership positions in, and outside, the firm, including Werner Eyskens. Clients say such standing gives them added confidence, further underpinned by the team’s appearances in precedential cases, such as the first civil case on alleged misselling of products following the financial crisis. This, and class action suits, dominated 2010’s book of business. Koen Van den Broeck is recommended.

Hanotiau & van den Berg’s alternative dispute resolution work is focused on an impressive bench of arbitrators, all highly regarded within the local arbitral community. LCIA, IBA and AAA colleagues, as well as referrals from global law firms, testify to its international reputation. The talents of Paul Lefebvre, Bernard Hanotiau and Albert Jan Ven Den Berg are most often utilised by larger Belgian and multinational corporates. Commercial litigation skills, including up to the Supreme Court, are offered by Lefebvre, being of the few civil lawyers licensed to appear before the Belgian Supreme Court.

Linklaters’ ‘good industry knowledge’ shows the team’s services are ‘proactive and responsive, providing clear and structured advice’. The team’s senior figures are the best known; Joost Verlinden, Françoise Lefèvre and Johan Verbist all have high visibility in the most complex landmark cases, such as the Fortis and Deutsche Bank misselling litigations and associated regulatory/criminal cases. Such shareholder, financial misselling, and D&O mismanagement claims had a high profile in 2010; the rich list of financial sector clients includes KCB, Dexia and Petercam; industrial clients range from Tractabel, Electrabel and UCB.

Lydian’s ‘knowledge, experience and commitment’ is the foundation of the team’s ‘professional approach in difficult and delicate matters’. The litigation practice is broad and diverse, taking in referral work from large US and UK law firms, but also generating its own international arbitration following, amid mainstream agency, commercial and construction law disputes. A string of clients, including SMI, Dexia and G4S. recommend Annick Mottet Haugaard, whilst others say Hugo Keulers ‘has the ability to make our “problem”, his and to advise and act accordingly’.

NautaDutilh’s growing team is praised for its expertise in contractual disputes, as well as insurance claims handling work. Clients say the team’s ‘efforts to know our business and show interest in technical aspects helps us a lot’. Shareholder disputes falling out of the financial crisis were a 2010 staple; as was D&O liability advice. Head of practice Marc van der Haegen is recommended, as is Stan Brijs, celebrated for his ‘professional ethics and passion to win as a litigator’, and a ‘quick and strategic mind’. Clients include Mitsubishi and Rabobank.

Stibbe’s practice encompasses a wide span, including banking and commercial disputes, arbitration, company and insolvency law, as well as ECJ and appellate advocacy. Bruno Maes and Ludovic De Gryse are also admitted to the Supreme Court Bar, and work for BNP Paribas before that court eliminated the last challenge to the bank’s takeover of Fortis. Head of practice Jean-Pierre Fierens is ‘an outstanding lawyer’, and he is also a skilled arbitrator.

Baker & McKenzie’s Koen De Winter is singled out for maritime-related litigation for large international contract disputes, handled from his Antwerp base. With IP and IT disputes emphasised amongst the client lists, whether they be for banking, agrichemicals, or US fast food giants, the practice’s diversity is strong; advertising-related disputes are also a speciality.

Eubelius has strong connections across the country’s linguistic communities. Known best for banking, commercial and contract-related litigation, it also regularly acts for public sector bodies. Ignace Claeys, Frank Hellemans and Ludo Cornelis have ‘broad general knowledge, deliver quick and sharp analyses, and are trustworthy’. Patrick Hofströssler is particularly praised for his technical ability, which spans public law litigation, construction cases, and family inheritance-related claims. The team’s arbitration work is impressive and growing.

Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick has ‘good knowledge of the insurance sector’. Aimery de Schoutheete (‘very efficient and responsive’) and Joe Sepulchre are key figures in the litigation department, a distinct unit within the firm. Joe Sepulchre has a ‘deep knowledge of international law, a hard fighter, who never gives up’. Arbitration work is on the up, as is financial crisis-related and company/shareholder litigation; ICJ and ICSID instructions have also been handled. John Kirkpatrick is highly respected for his Supreme Court practice, as is Simone Nudelholc.

Having successfully handled first-instance wins for a Belgian subsidiary of a major Swiss pharmaceutical company, and for property specialist Montea, Loyens & Loeff has shown no less acumen in defending consequential appeals. 2010 saw the team also seek urgent business-critical injunctions, handle significant arbitrations, and disentangle commercial, agency and distribution agreements. The trio of Geert Bogaert, Grégoire Jakhain and Peter Callens are respected; clients include Koramic, Nestlé Belgilux and Clairfield Partners.

Simont Braun’s team of three Supreme Court lawyers is recognised; Lucien Simont, Paul-Alain Foriers and Caroline De Baets are the names to note, who work closely with the firm’s banking and corporate clients; Paul Alain Foriers is ‘very good on corporate/civil matters, providing very sharp legal advice’.

Van Bael & Bellis ‘is an excellent firm’. Catherine Longeval, Martin Favart, and Peter L’Ecluse are the recommended names, each praised for being ‘prompt to act and respond to all issues’. Handling long-running proceedings for Monsanto saw the client’s cross-appeal upheld and thus ending a €3m claim against an Irish distributor of herbicides; litigation for Pfizer ranges from public law claims to marketing agreement disputes.

White & Case LLP Avocats Advocaten’s key client base of large local businesses and pan-European clients call upon Thierry Bosly and Stefan Odeurs for litigation assistance. Response times are ‘in accordance with the urgency of the problems we face’ to which ‘advice is tailor-made’. Recent highlights include instructions from Crédit Agricole Suisse in arbitration proceedings, plus business-to-business claims in the manufacturing and medical safety sectors.

Altius (in co-operation with Tiberghien) is praised for ‘flexibility and responsiveness to clients’, particularly Philippe De Jong, and Christophe Ronse, a certified mediator, whilst William Timmermans ‘works with excellent lawyers’. Its expertise in logistics and distribution law is one plus; another is acting in Supreme Court litigation worth €22m; a third is litigation done for electricity generator Elia, the Brussels regional government, and pharma giant Merck.

CMS DeBacker’s Cedric Guyot and Jean-François Goffin have been busy with commercial litigation and arbitrations, as well as extensive shareholder litigation and financial misselling actions. Clients include BNP Paribas. Renaud Dupont and André Lombart handle commercial and IP-related disputes.

Clifford Chance ‘respects its clients, is extremely efficient, with lawyers who are open to business’. Sébastien Ryelandt is recommended for his work on class actions, and, together with counsel Benoît Allemeersch, he continues to also handle a mix of claims, including investment arbitration hearings, (one worth €55m). The team achieved a notable acquittal for Dexia in the Ghent Court of Appeal in September in a €2bn case alleging securities fraud over the Lernout & Hauspie collapse, following a four-year trial.

DLA Piper’s Yves Tavernier can call on excellent resources, including universally respected Supreme Court advocate Pierre Van Ommeslaghe, who sits as arbitrator in a number of ICC cases. Cases with connections to the diamond trade, financial sector and insurance companies have all been handled, as has the long-running €2bn Sabena litigation. Christiaan Van Buggenhout is also recommended.

Janson Baugniet’s Cédric Alter and Dominique Blommaert are recommended lawyers for board-level executives and large US and Belgian companies, in both arbitration and litigation. The partners combine ‘diligence with professional style- they are good lawyers’. The team handled a €30m shareholder litigation, insurance insolvency cases and hedge fund challenges.

Jones Day’s ‘large geographic footprint is very helpful, especially in complex multi-country issues’. Sebastien Champagne ‘provides sound and pragmatic advice’, and has been busy with multi-million euro telecoms claims, tax litigation, and regulatory challenges under public law. Clients include KPN Belgium and Dell.

Laga has recent experience of Lehman Brothers-related litigation, which familiarity with Belgian insolvency law gives the team a good framework for solving other disputes. ICT outsourcing companies, privately-owned manufacturers and local government bodies all benefit from Hilde Laga, Jürgen Egger and Stefan Nerinckx’s fine work.

Monard – D’Hulst is recognised for ‘experience and ability with real depth in technically complex cases’, such as insurance claims and public procurement, where Kris Wauters is ‘very strong in public tender disputes’. Natalie Ulburghs ‘digs deep and explores every possible argument’, whilst Dirk Van De Gehuchte is an ‘exceptional lawyer’. Eric Monard represented Deminor, a minority shareholders organisation, who successfully settled a claim against Citibank over financial misselling of Lehman Brothers products.

Olislaegers & De Creus’ Frank Roose has acted for a Benelux life insurer on allegations of financial underperformance in multiple claims for damages, and in multijurisdictional pharmaceutical litigation. The team is expert in Belgian consumer protection law and shareholder actions. Michael Olislaegers is recommended.

Verhaegen Walravens’ Philip Walravens is experienced in corporate/commercial law; he also ‘takes real effort to study the file in detail’. Highlights included a €3.5m claim, over alleged misselling by KBC, of certain investment products, to a Belgian company, plus a €2.5m cross-border engineering/product liability claim.

Cruyplants Eloy Wagemans & Partners provides expertise in commercial litigation and business tax disputes, including criminal and civil cases, alongside a insurance matters. Charles Price and Marc Wagemans are recommended.

Eversheds’ practice is experienced in dealing with both multinational clients, as well as local Belgian subsidiaries. Past clients include retailers, software developers and healthcare providers; Koen Devos is the key contact.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer continues to assist a Belgian natural gas operator, following a highly public industrial accident, having won a first-instance acquittal in criminal proceedings in 2010. It now contests the criminal appeal and related civil claims; it also handles banking and tax litigation.

Koan Legal Strategies’ has benefited from the arrival of an ex-Jones Day litigator Geoffroy de Foestraets, who can handle litigation relating to post-acquisition corporate matters, and media and telecommunications files.

Marx, Van Ranst, Vermeersch & Partners’ Herman Croux and Eric Laevens are noted for anti-counterfeiting and product liability litigation for big brand name manufacturers; the team also handles distribution law cases.