The Legal 500

Within Banking, finance and capital markets, ALTIUS (in co-operation with Tiberghien) is a second tier firm,

At Altius (in co-operation with Tiberghien), department head Johan De Bruycker recently acted for Barclays Bank on a number of financings for INEOS, and assisted CIGNA – one of the largest US insurance groups – on its acquisition of Vanbreda International. Alexis Goeminne is also recommended and represented Ascend Performance Materials as a borrower on a multimillion-euro refinancing. Other clients include Citigroup, RBS and Rabobank.

Within Corporate and M&A , ALTIUS (in co-operation with Tiberghien) is a third tier firm,

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’.

Within Dispute resolution, ALTIUS (in co-operation with Tiberghien) is a third tier firm,

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.

Within Environment, ALTIUS (in co-operation with Tiberghien) is a third tier firm,

Altius (in co-operation with Tiberghien) acts for clients such as CRH, Delhaize and Cummins. William Timmermans is the key contact, and is recommended along with Lieven Peeters.

Within Information technology, ALTIUS (in co-operation with Tiberghien) is a third tier firm,

Altius (in co-operation with Tiberghien) has expertise in contentious and non-contentious IT matters, and recently advised Google in a case against Serverscheck regarding Google’s Suggest/Autocomplete service. Brussels Airlines, MSD Belgium and Unic are also clients. Gerrit Vandendriessche leads the practice group, which has links to a number of IT law associations.

Within Intellectual property, ALTIUS (in co-operation with Tiberghien) is a first tier firm,

For some, Altius (in co-operation with Tiberghien) is ‘the best law firm in Belgium for IP matters’; it provides ‘very punctual, accurate advice’, and has ‘in-depth knowledge of the pharmaceuticals industry’. In 2011, the firm represented Thermae Development Company in a trade mark infringement claim, brought by Belgian mineral water producer Spa Monople. Other clients include Nintendo, Swarovski and Breeders Trust. The three-partner team includes practice head Paul Maeyaert, who is ‘very knowledgeable and excellent in pleadings’, and life sciences specialist Christophe Ronse, who is ‘particularly good in patent cases’. Olivier Vrins and senior associate Philippe de Jong are also recommended.

Within Labour and employment, ALTIUS (in co-operation with Tiberghien) is a third tier firm,

Altius (in co-operation with Tiberghien) gives ‘top-notch advice and has a very good understanding of the business issues’, and ‘clearly implements a “customer-first” approach’. The team handles all types of employment law issues, including pensions, health and safety, and data protection, and has a niche sports practice. Sylvie Dubois and newly promoted partner Sven Demeulemeester are recommended. Philippe De Wulf and senior associate Stefaan Diels joined from Taylor Wessing in 2011.

Within Real estate, ALTIUS (in co-operation with Tiberghien) is a second tier firm,

Altius (in co-operation with Tiberghien) acted for Eurostation and the Belgian railways on the sale of a large, fully pre-let office development near Bruges train station. ING Real Estate, Delhaize and Wyeth are also clients. Practice head Lieven Peeters and William Timmermans are recommended.