Legal500

Baker & McKenzie European & Competition Law Practice

AVENUE LOUISE 149, EIGHTH FLOOR, 1050 BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

Tel:: Work +32 2 639 36 11
Fax:: Fax +32 2 639 36 99
DX:: 70 BAB

Web:: www.bakermckenzie.com

Zurich, Washington DC, Warsaw, Vienna, Valencia, Toronto , and 69 more

What we say about the firm's legal practice in Belgium

Aviation

Within Aviation, Baker & McKenzie is a second tier firm,

Baker & McKenzie delivers ‘timely, very high-level advice’. Dominique Lechien is well regarded for ‘expertly understanding the industry’, while Michael Van Acker made partner. The team acts for 3P Air Freighters in the liquidation of Cargo B Airlines.

Banking, finance and capital markets

Within Banking, finance and capital markets, Baker & McKenzie is a second tier firm,

Baker & McKenzie’s ‘very pragmatic approach’ is exemplified by Antoine De Raeve’s leadership in transactions; clients say he is ‘perfect for deals requiring very specific negotiations’. De Raeve acted as counsel to Nyrstar, in connection with a €225m retail bond issue, Nyrstar’s first, which featured a “hard underwriting” of €100m. Michael Van Acker assisted BNP Paribas Fortis and RBS’s €70m base financing of car lease company Excelease, enabling its entry into the syndicated loan market.

Competition

Within Competition, Baker & McKenzie is a third tier firm,

Baker & McKenzie represented Mitsubishi in securing the first ever EU cartel settlement, plus acted for key pharma and Canadian fund clients, such as the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, on its acquisition of the UK National Lottery operator Camelot. It also assisted on a Belgian competition law inquiry into the consumer sector. Major clients include Abbott. The team is praised for a ‘sense of urgency, timely delivery of input, and interactive dialogue’. Bill Batchelor and Fiona Carlin are recommended.

Corporate and M&A

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

Baker & McKenzie acted on a €267m disposal of KBC’s shares in Belgian reinsurer Secura, typical of downturn-influenced disposals, while it also did excellent mid-market work for GIMV, IK Investments and Gores. Clients note the firm’s ‘excellent and flexible worldwide network’, and the two Belgian offices have ‘a good understanding of client needs’. The corporate team, which features the well-regarded Koen Vanhaerents, Dominique Maes and Roel Meers has ‘excellent knowledge and strong negotiation skills’. Roel Meers was made partner in July 2010.

Dispute resolution

Within Dispute resolution, Baker & McKenzie is a second tier firm,

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.

EU regulatory

Within EU regulatory: Environment (including WEEE and RoHS), Baker & McKenzie is a first tier firm,

Baker & McKenzie’s clients are ‘very satisfied’ with Nina Niejhar’s work; the team advised a leading computer manufacturer on individual business to business waste plans. Clients include Chinese industrial concerns, and Polish state bodies.

Environment

Within Environment, Baker & McKenzie is a first tier firm,

Pascal Mallien’s experience at Baker & McKenzie is mentioned by clients, but he is also ‘very up-to-date on environmental issues’, and a ‘strong and committed’ lawyer. The team, considered ‘our internal partner’ for team working, also has a ‘vast knowledge of environmental policy, and relevant EU directives’, especially with energy businesses. Clients include Procter & Gamble.

Information technology

Within Information technology, Baker & McKenzie is a third tier firm,

Baker & McKenzie’s Daniel Fesler is the firm’s IT and e-commerce specialist. Of late, the practice has been involved in drafting and negotiating license and rights assignment agreements for IT clients, as a cross-over to the firm’s IP practice; clients include those in the video-on-demand sector and computer manufacturers.

Intellectual property

Within Intellectual property, Baker & McKenzie is a second tier firm,

Baker & McKenzie has a good IP practice; it currently represents Nokia, Abbott, Esprit, Accenture and 2010 Premier League champions Chelsea FC in opposition, cancellation and revocation procedures before the Benelux and European Trade Mark Office, and as country representative in anti-counterfeiting matters. The team also represents Van Ratingen in a fierce dispute over trade marks in the deep fat fryer market in Belgium. Koen De Winter is praised for having a ‘very hands on approach, quick reactions and in-depth knowledge in the IP area’. Pierre Sculier is also recommended, being ‘extremely skilled’.

Labour and employment

Within Labour and employment, Baker & McKenzie is a second tier firm,

Baker & McKenzie’s François Gabriel and Jef Slootmans remain leading figures. Clients include General Motors, Monsanto and Eli Lilly. The team assisted both on EU works council negotiations, and site harmonisation of terms & conditions respectively. It also acted for a leading Belgian manufacturer in a fiercely contested restructuring, resulting in collective lay-offs, extensive press interest, and a union “lock-out”, before an agreed settlement. The team’s litigation caseload, having grown, is extensive as it handles essentially respondent litigation for Belgian’s larger businesses.

Real estate

Within Real estate, Baker & McKenzie is a first tier firm,

Baker & McKenzie’s clients appreciate the team’s consistent quality of service. Clients state that they are ‘very satisfied with the personal approach’ of Dominque Lechien and Rudy Dupont, who is well-known in the French speaking business community. Dupont assisted a consortium of major Belgian real estate developers in the sale of a corporate vehicle, which owned a new 20,000 sq m office building located near the Brussels South railway station. Clients include Cummins, Securex and Finest.

Tax

Within Tax, Baker & McKenzie is a first tier firm,

Baker & McKenzie offers the litigation expertise of Alain Huyghe, who also has excellent experience before the ECJ and local appellate courts, and is an equally good deal adviser. The team advised on Abbott’s purchase of Solvay, including due diligence, tax structuring and tax input on the purchase agreement, in one of Belgium’s biggest M&A deals. Philippe Lion also advised on a rare M&A deal in the Belgian insurance sector, in Baloise’s purchase of Avero.

What we say worldwide

Please choose another Baker & McKenzie office to view full details of what we say in that region, or choose from this list to view a specific editorial reference in context.

United Arab Emirates

Offices in Abu Dhabi

Legal market overview : Legal market overview

Australia

Offices in Sydney and Melbourne

Austria

Offices in Vienna

Azerbaijan

Offices in Baku

Legal market overview : Legal market overview

Belgium

Offices in Brussels, Antwerp, and Brussels

Bahrain

Offices in Manama

China

Offices in Beijing and Shanghai

Czech Republic

Offices in Prague

Germany

Offices in Berlin, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, and Munich

Egypt

Offices in Cairo

Spain

Offices in Madrid and Barcelona

France

Offices in Paris

Hong Kong

Offices in Hong Kong

Hungary

Offices in Budapest

Indonesia

Offices in Jakarta

India

Foreign firms : Foreign firms

Italy

Offices in Rome, Milan, and Bologna

Japan

Offices in Tokyo

Kuwait

Legal market overview : Legal market overview

Kazakhstan

Offices in Almaty

Legal market overview : Legal market overview

London

Offices in London EC4V and London EC4V

Luxembourg

Offices in Luxembourg

Libya

Legal market overview : Legal market overview

Malaysia

Offices in Kuala Lumpur

Netherlands

Offices in Amsterdam

Philippines

Offices in Makati

Poland

Offices in Warsaw

Qatar

Foreign firms : Foreign firms

Russia

Offices in Moscow and St Petersburg

Sweden

Offices in Stockholm

Singapore

Offices in Singapore

South Korea

Foreign firms : Foreign firms

Saudi Arabia

Offices in Riyadh

Switzerland

Offices in Zurich and Geneva

Taiwan

Offices in Taipei

Thailand

Offices in Bangkok

Ukraine

Offices in Kiev

United States

Offices in Washington DC, Palo Alto, New York, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco, and Houston

Vietnam

Offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

Search News and Articles

Legal Developments by:
Baker & McKenzie

New rules due on assessment of workplace working conditions

Continuing our practice of regularly updating our clients on changes in the Russian legislation, in this legal alert we would like to inform you that as of September 1, 2011, the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation will introduce a new procedure for assessing working conditions in workplaces. 1 [1] Results of workplace assessments with respect to the working conditions conducted before September 1, 2011 (in accordance with the procedure currently in effect 2 [2]) will remain valid up until the next regular assessment.

- Baker & McKenzie

Legal Developments in Belgium

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to

Gaming & Gambling Law Newsletter January 2012

Judgment in the Rank Group plc cases (C-259/10 and C-260/10): interpretation of the principle of fiscal neutrality applied to gambling

- ALTIUS (in cooperation with Tiberghien)
FSMA MiFID Action Plan announced

Like in many of our neighboring countries, the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) is taking a more persistent approach in pursuing compliance with MiFID conduct of business. In that regard it has announced a “MiFID Action Plan”.

- Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick
International mobility - limited access to the Belgian labour market

Bulgarian and Romanian workers still need a work permit until 31 December 2013.

- Claeys & Engels, member of Ius Laboris
Modification of the dismissal rules as from 1 January!

Claeys & Engels has updated the calculation modules on www.formuleclaeys.be. Higher level white-collar employees who enter into service after 1 January 2012 will, in the event they are dismissed, be entitled to a notice period, calculated on the basis of the IPA Act. The new notice period amounts to 30 days per started year in service, with a minimum of 91 days.

- Claeys & Engels, member of Ius Laboris
Social elections 2012: Day X-35 (between 3 and 16 January)

On day X-35 at the latest, the employer must announce several decisions. The latter may be subject to appeal before the labour tribunal at the latest on day X-28.

- Claeys & Engels, member of Ius Laboris
Enantiomers and race-mates: the same product?

On October 3 2011 the Brussels Commercial Court invalidated Lundbeck's supplementary protection certificate (SPC) for escitalopram, the 'S' enantiomer of its racemate citalopram. The court held that escitalopram is the same product as citalopram, and that the former's SPC did not comply with Articles 3(c) and (d) of EU Regulation 469/2009. The court held that it was in the interests of patients to declare the decision provisionally enforceable.

- ALTIUS (in cooperation with Tiberghien)
Employment Law News Flash

Another year draws to its close. At the eleventh hour, a government was formed, a budget was agreed and political pledges were made to tackle the current adverse economic and financial climate. The year-end - traditionally a busy period with the issuing of hefty Programme Statutes - marks the beginning of intensified law-making under the reign of Di Rupo I.

- ALTIUS (in cooperation with Tiberghien)
Towards a new dismissal regime

The new regime of dismissal compensation must be simple and should in no way lead to a cost increase for employers. Unnecessary procedures before the courts must be avoided. The purchasing power of the dismissed individuals must be maintained.

- Claeys & Engels, member of Ius Laboris
The Dutch 30 % -rule: change for Belgium

The Dutch second Chamber recently approved some important changes with respect to the conditions for the Dutch fiscal 30 %-rule. As a result, this rule will in practice no longer be available for Belgians.

- Claeys & Engels, member of Ius Laboris
New salary thresholds for white-collar workers

As every year, the Federal Public Service Employment has adapted the thresholds of remuneration to be taken into consideration for the application of certain provisions of the employment contract for white-collar workers.

- Claeys & Engels, member of Ius Laboris