Legal500

Jones Day

BVD BRAND WHITLOCK 165, 1200 BRUXELLES, BELGIUM

Tel:: Work +32 2 645 14 11
Fax:: Fax +32 2 645 14 45

Web:: www.jonesday.com

Washington DC, Tokyo, Taipei, Sydney, Singapore, Shanghai , and 31 more

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

Banking, finance and capital markets

Within Banking, finance and capital markets, tier 4

At Jones Day, Thierry Buytaert’s good work continues, having assisted with a €21m hotel finance deal for Barclays, and acted for NextiraOne in a €70m pan-European receivables factoring agreement. Repeat mandates for Traxys in 2010 illustrate the team’s popularity with longstanding clients.

Competition

Within Competition, Jones Day is a third tier firm,

Jones Day is praised for ‘ensuring that our practices respect anti-cartel law; so far, following its advice, we have never faced any legal exposure’. Bernard Amory is ‘professional, pragmatic, and agile’. Vincent Brophy is also recommended, his team gives ‘thorough and pertinent advice’. Yvan Desmedt is ‘talented and bright’. Highlights included the air cargo cartel investigation, the AA/BA joint venture, Bridgestone’s sale of two subsidiaries to Bekaert, and in extensive Polish-related state aid/investment advice.

Corporate and M&A

Within Corporate and M&A , tier 4

Signature deals for Jones Day included working with Bridgestone’s Brussels-based EU HQ in the sale of two of Bridgestone’s subsidiaries to Belgian-based Bekaert. The team is ‘very client-oriented, mindful of costs and punctuality, is particularly user-friendly, solution-oriented and responsive to the idiosyncrasies involved with working for a multinational client based outside Europe’. Luc Houben and Thomas De Muynck are recommended.

Dispute resolution

Within Dispute resolution, Jones Day is a third tier firm,

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.

EU regulatory

Within EU regulatory: Telecoms, Jones Day is a first tier firm,

Jones Day were joined by of counsel Serge Clerckx, alongside Bernard Amory and Alexandre Verheyden, who has a strong representative practice before EU bodies as well as the ITU in Geneva. Clients include the European Competitive Telecommunications Association, Bouygues Telecom and Mobistar.

Information technology

Within Information technology, Jones Day is a third tier firm,

Jones Day’s information technology team, headed by Bernard Amory is comprised of sixteen lawyers, who, from an EU and domestic slant across most major member states, advise principally on IT regulatory matters. Clients include Apple (in relation to the iPhone), Dell and SAP.

Tax

Within Tax, Jones Day is a second tier firm,

Howard Liebman at Jones Day has a strong personal following; clients say he is the ‘ideal person for assisting European subsidiaries of American parent companies’, being praised for ‘quick and accurate judgements and giving sound legal and financial advice’. Recent work includes the financing of the acquisition of the 3B fibreglass group by Platinum Equity. Werner Heyvaert’s arrival from Stibbe, as of counsel, was a bonus, bringing several new clients, including EMP Global, Soros and Unitas Capital.

What we say worldwide

Please choose another Jones Day 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.

Australia

Offices in Sydney

Belgium

Offices in Brussels

China

Offices in Shanghai and Beijing

Germany

Offices in Frankfurt and Munich

Spain

Offices in Madrid

France

Offices in Paris

Hong Kong

Offices in Hong Kong

Indonesia

Foreign firms : Foreign firms

India

Offices in New Delhi and Mumbai

Italy

Offices in Milan

Japan

Offices in Tokyo

London

Offices in London

Singapore

Offices in Singapore

Saudi Arabia

Offices in Riyadh

Taiwan

Offices in Taipei

United States

Offices in San Francisco, Houston, Washington DC, Pittsburgh, New York, Irvine, Dallas, Columbus, Cleveland, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Diego, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and Boston

Search News and Articles

Legal Developments by:
Jones Day

US rules regarding offshore accounts

The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act 2010, enacted on 18 March 2010, imposes a new US withholding tax and reporting regime, known as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The FATCA regime applies generally to payments made after 31 December 2012, except on obligations (to be defined in future guidance) outstanding on 18 March 2012. Substantial effort is required by foreign entities to bring their worldwide operations and policies into compliance with the FATCA rules as of the effective date. 

- Jones Day

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