The Legal 500

Within Aviation, Stibbe is a second tier firm,

In 2010, Stibbe was appointed as counsel to The Brussels Airport Company on public procurement, airport regulation, real estate and contractual issues. Frederik Vandendriessche leads the team, which also acts for Belgocontrol.

Within Banking, finance and capital markets, Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe’s ‘very experienced’ banking and finance team has ‘profound knowledge of the market’. It advised KKR on the financing of its $2.4bn acquisition of Pfizer’s Capsugel division, which involved ten different jurisdictions. Practice head Ivan Peeters is highly regarded, and clients have ‘every confidence in his abilities’. Wouter Ghijsels specialises in sydicated lending, acquistition finance, secured transactions, project finance and buyouts, and was made up to partner in 2011.

Within Competition, tier 4

Stibbe has seen an inflow of state aid mandates from clients such as France Telecom and the Flemish Region. Peter Wytinck, who is known for his ‘strategic advice’, guided Tessenderlo Chemie through the EC’s feed phosphates investigation, which resulted in the first ever hybrid settlement; and advised Schindler on the EC’s private damages claim arising from the elevators cartel case.

Within Corporate and M&A , Stibbe is a second tier firm,

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’.

Within Dispute resolution, Stibbe is a first tier firm,

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.

Within Energy, Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe’s standalone practice concentrates on renewable energy projects. Practice head Wouter Geldhof advised Enfinity on regulations pertaining to the Ikaros solar project; ENI on its acquisition of Nuon Belgium; and GE Energy and Storm Management regarding an onshore wind farm joint venture.

Within Environment (including WEEE and RoHS), Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe’s ‘solutions-driven’ Brussels team provides a number of Belgian accredited organisations with ‘in-depth advice’ on the compliance with regional environmental legislation. Key clients include the Walloon Region and the Flemish Region. Lead lawyer Jan Bouckaert has a ‘large amount of experience in the sector’ and a ‘realistic, multidisciplinary approach’.

Within Financial services, Stibbe is a first tier firm,

UBS recently instructed Stibbe to advise on its obligations under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive in connection with investment and payment services. Other instructions included advising the Belgian pension funds of Cargill, ING and Carrefour on regulatory issues. Jan Peeters and Ivan Peeters are the names to note.

Within Information technology, Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe has made a conscious effort to increase its standing in the cloud computing space. It continues to advise Microsoft on regulatory concerns and recently advised it on matters relating to its text-to-speech software. Tessenderlo Chemie and Infrabel are new clients. Practice head Erik Valgaeren is recommended for his ‘professionalism, client orientation and flexibility’.

Within Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology , Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe has been increasingly active in the field of clinical trials of biotechnology products and advertising issues, and has a strong background in litigation. The team recently advised UPS on the storage of pharmaceuticals.

Within Privacy and data protection , Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Erik Valgaeren heads Stibbe’s ‘responsive and practical’ group, which recently advised UPS on archiving systems and data transfer and helped devise an international data compliance programme for Mozilla Corporation. Google instructed the group to act in a privacy investigation.

Within Environment, Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Led by Jan Bouckaert, Stibbe’s environmental practice impresses clients with its ‘theoretic, yet pragmatic knowledge and solution-driven approach’. Monique Kestemont is recommended for planning advice, and clients also note the ‘quite remarkable’ skills of the senior associates in the team. AG Real Estate, Allfin Group and The Federal Agency for Nuclear Control are clients.

Within Fraud and white-collar crime, Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe’s six-strong team handles all aspects of fraud and criminal law for top corporates, and recently acted for Verizon before the Antwerp Criminal Court in a case of alleged VAT fraud. With almost 20 years’ experience, Hans Van Bavel has ‘excellent knowledge of the internal criminal judicial system and its impact on businesses’.

Within Information technology, Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe’s Erik Valgaeren is ‘the expert’ for IT contracts, and is appreciated for his client-oriented approach. He focuses on issues relating to the internet, e-commerce, electronic communications and data management. The seven-strong team acts for clients such as Google Belgium in a case relating to the registration of certain AdWords; Carrefour Belgium in criminal proceedings surrounding the hacking of its e-commerce application; and YouTube in a case concerning freedom of speech, allegedly illegal phone taps and defamatory broadcasts.

Within Intellectual property, Stibbe is a second tier firm,

Stibbe is recommended for its ‘very good industry knowledge and appropriate advice’. It advised the Benelux Trademarks Office in several trade mark cases, and represented Ferrero in a trade mark dispute with McDonald’s over Kinder Happy Breakfast. Practice head Ignace Vernimme shows ‘professionalism and excellent knowledge’, and some regard him as ‘the best IP lawyer around’. The firm recently promoted Gunther Meyer to counsel, who specialises in patent litigation, biotechnology and pharmaceutical-related issues.

Within Labour and employment, Stibbe is a second tier firm,

Stibbe’s employment group has a strong position in the market, and a top reputation for pensions law, an area where Corinne Merla is an ‘expert’; she has a ‘great view of the market and is a pleasure to work with’. Another niche is in sports-related employment matters, where Elisabeth Matthys is the resident expert. Matthys recently advised The Royal Belgian Football Association on a compensation claim following a breach of contract by the head coach of the Belgian national football team. Jean-Philippe Cordier heads the practice.

Within Legal market overview,

Dexia Bank’s problems in 2011 provided Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick, Stibbe and Laga with key roles in restructuring the Franco-Belgian institution. Another major hit to the economy came from ArcelorMittal’s decision to partially close an east Belgian steel plant and lay off hundreds of workers, although this provided work for employment law practices.

Within Media and entertainment, Stibbe is a second tier firm,

Stibbe has ‘a good knowledge of the media sector and the roles of distributors and broadcasters’. Practice head Erik Valgaeren ‘tackles the specific issues at stake with efficiency’. The firm’s prestigious client base includes Google, Belgacom and the Belgian Professional Football League.

Within Real estate, Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe has strong expertise in PPP work, where the group is acting for The Belgian Buildings Agency on aspects of the €395m PFI prisons programme, involving the construction of four new prison compounds. It also reported a significant increase in retail sector instructions. Practice head Rudy Nauwelaerts is the Belgium real estate specialist: he is ‘a fine negotiator, both knowledgeable and pragmatic.’

Within Shipping and transport, Stibbe is a third tier firm,

Stibbe’s shipping and transport group is led by Frederik Vandendriessche, who advises national railway operator NMB on various matters including the recent acquisition of 200 trains to improve commuter traffic in Brussels. Antwerp Port Authority and UPS are also clients.

Within Tax, Stibbe is a third tier firm,

Stibbe’s ‘very professional’ tax team is particularly expert in VAT, and is advising PMV on a complex PPP structure, which enables the municipalities of the Flemish Community to invest in sports infrastructures in a more VAT-efficient way. The group recently attracted a number of new clients, including FIFA, Oyster Asset Management and Port de Bruxelles. Department head Thierry Denayer advises on domestic and international tax matters.