Jones Day > Brussels, Belgium > Firm Profile

Jones Day > The Legal 500 Rankings

Belgium > Competition: Belgian law Tier 2

The team at Jones Day leverages the strength of its deep senior bench to expertly handle major Belgian-level merger proceedings, abuse of dominance cases, state aid issues, and follow-on litigation, including acting in proceedings before domestic courts and administrative bodies. Bernard Amory, who co-leads the firm’s global antitrust and competition practice, and Alexandre Verheyden, who oversees the Brussels office, both have significant experience in transatlantic merger and cartel work. Other key contacts in the practice include Laurent De Muyter and Yvan Desmedt.

Belgium > Competition: EU and global Tier 2

The team at Jones Day brings its ‘specific smart understanding' to the gamut of competition work, merger control clearances, antitrust investigations and follow-on damages claims all form a significant part of the regular workload. Additionally, the team is well regarded for its state aid expertise. Bernard Amory oversees the practice, supported by Brussels office managing partner Alexandre Verheyden. Other key senior names in the team include Laurent De Muyter and Kaarli Eichhorn. Of counsel Geoffroy Van De Walle has recently led on major abuse of dominance cases. In June 2022, the group’s transactional offering was further strengthened by the arrival of Nadiya Nychay from Dentons.

Belgium > Dispute resolution Tier 2

The ‘very strong practice‘ at Jones Day provides ‘excellent client service and high-quality strategic and commercial advice’ for its clients, and is highly capable of acting in cross-border litigation and arbitration proceedings. The team notably recently represented Mastercard in a landmark antitrust enforcement case, and has vast banking litigation and regulatory experience. ‘Excellent litigator‘ Sébastien Champagne is the head of the team, with a practice focusing on commercial issues, trade practices, regulatory work, competition claims, and private enforcement disputes. Michèle Grégoire has expertise in financial institution and investment fund-related litigation, and is key to the team along with Vanessa Foncke.

Belgium > EU regulatory: Chemicals Tier 2

As a result of its combined strength in environmental, health and safety, and regulatory law, Jones Day is seen as a go-to advisor by multinational corporations, government-owned entities and public bodies requiring assistance with complex issues spanning all these fields. The firm is able to leverage its network of nine European offices to provide fluency in both EU and local regulatory nuances. Environment team lead Ursula Schliessner and newly promoted of counsel Preslava Dilkova are both noted for their REACH expertise.

Belgium > EU regulatory: Information technology Tier 2

The cross-departmental group at Jones Day is noted as being ‘unique for its in-depth knowledge of the sector, agile approach, and innovation‘. The team has a global and local technology and telecoms client base, which includes government agencies as well as key industry players. Bernard Amory and Alexandre Verheyden provide a competition and antitrust angle, while ‘excellent communicator‘ Jörg Hladjk focuses on the cybersecurity and data protection elements.

Belgium > EU regulatory: Pharma, medical devices and biotech Tier 2

Jones Day's prodigious client base spans major pharma companies, leading research institutes, key medical technology and device manufacturers, and investors. Cristiana Spontoni, who acts as co-head of the firm's healthcare and life sciences practice, handles work ranging from the pre-market phase, including clinical trials, to post-market issues, including product liability, marketing, distribution, and compliance. Mandates in the digital health space have been keeping the group particularly busy in recent times.

Belgium > EU regulatory: Privacy and data protection Tier 2

‘Star lawyer‘ Jörg Hladjk helms the dedicated cybersecurity, privacy and data protection practice at Jones Day, frequently cooperating on key mandates with experienced practitioner Laurent De Muyter. In addition to GDPR compliance work, the team predominantly focuses on four key areas – advising on cyber and ransomware attacks, developing binding corporate rules for global data transfers, handling the data aspects of transactions, and assisting critical infrastructure companies. Clients are regularly able to benefit from the firm’s global network.

Belgium > Industry focus: Healthcare and life sciences Tier 2

The team at Jones Day handles the full gamut of issues for a varied client roster of pharmaceutical companies, research institutes, and medical device manufacturers. Leveraging its network across the European Union, the firm advises on numerous digital health matters, pre-market clinical trials, and post-market studies. Practice head Cristiana Spontoni is known for acting on a variety of matters concerning product regulation, in addition to both pre and post-market issues relating to product liability, distribution, and data privacy. Ursula Schliessner maintains a health and safety focused practice, while Jörg Hladjk focuses on privacy and cybersecurity mandates, regularly advising research centers and medical device companies.

Belgium > Industry focus: IT and telecoms Tier 2

The team of ‘lawyers with strong technology backgrounds’ at Jones Day is active across areas such as  competition and regulatory issues in the telecoms sector, cybersecurity assessments in the context of transactional work, and contractual mandates. The firm is also well positioned to handle an array of venture capital work in the space. Jörg Hladjk, one of four heads of team, is praised for his ‘great communication skills’. Fellow co-heads Bernard Amory and Alexandre Verheyden frequently handle domestic and EU-level competition work for telecoms clients, while co-head Thomas De Muynck is able able to bring his corporate expertise to bear on cross-border technology transactions for local and foreign multinationals and private equity funds. Regulatory issues connected with Belgian fibre roll-out fall among Yvan Desmedt‘s practice strengths, and Laurent De Muyter is recommended for EU regulatory issues.

Belgium > Banking, finance and capital markets Tier 3

Close connections with the firm’s international offices enable the team at Jones Day to handle both domestic and cross-border financing matters. The group has close longstanding relations with major financial institutions and also serves a growing roster of corporate borrowers, with a particular reputation for advising on private equity-related acquisition financing matters as well as high-value debt issuances. Financial disputes and regulatory matters are also key areas of focus for the team, which is led by a consortium of experienced partners: Ferdinand Brughmans is a key contact for leveraged lending work, while Matthieu Duplat focuses on debt and equity capital markets, and Michèle Grégoire chiefly handles restructuring mandates.

Belgium > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 3

Standing out in particular for its activity in the private equity and venture capital spaces, the team at Jones Day is also well-versed in strategic M&A, handling a large volume of life sciences transactions in addition to advising on strategic partnerships and joint ventures, fundraising, and start-up financing matters. The practice is also noted for its cross-border capabilities, frequently working across the firm’s international offices to advise on the Belgian regulatory dimensions of multijurisdictional matters. Practice head Thomas De Muynck is described as possessing ‘unparalleled legal acumen‘ and chiefly advises on private equity deals in the life sciences sector. Jonas Van Den Bossche is noted for his expertise in the chemicals sector, while Paul Van Hooghten advises on a wide array of corporate restructuring and M&A matters.

Belgium > EU regulatory: Food Tier 3

Noted particularly for its strength in advising on government regulatory issues, Jones Day is regularly instructed to handle product authorisations, and labelling and recall issues. Ursula Schliessner is highly regarded for her expertise in matters relating to novel foods, including notifications under the simplified procedure. The group regularly collaborates with the firm’s competition, corporate, litigation, tax and employment practices.

Belgium > Private equity Tier 3

Jones Day remains active on a large volume of cross-border transactions, regularly working with the firm’s international offices in key jurisdictions such as the US and France to handle high-profile and innovatively structured acquisitions, strategic alliances, and VC-backed financing rounds. The team also handles a growing volume of domestic transactions and is particularly well-versed in advising both funds and innovative tech scale-ups on investments in the TMT and life sciences sectors. Practice head Thomas De Muynck is noted for advising on PE and VC investments in growth companies, while Jonas Van Den Bossche is a key contact for cross-border work.

Belgium > Customs, trade, WTO and anti-dumping Tier 4

Questions surrounding international trade regulations represent the focus area of Jones Day's team, which is knowledgeable on matters concerning EU sanctions, customs measures, and ESG supply chain regulations. The team, which also advises clients on the regulatory aspects of WTO rules and is capable of of acting in regulatory challenges and trade remedy proceedings, counts multinational companies as well as governmental entities in its client roster. Practice head Nadiya Nychay is vastly experienced with WTO matters as well as with trade compliance and dispute resolution.

Belgium > Employment Tier 4

Jones Day‘s employment practice is led by experienced labour and social security expert Chantal Biernaux, whose portfolio encompasses restructuring and collective bargaining matters as well as employment litigation related to termination and remuneration issues. The team has extensive cross-border expertise, frequently collaborating with the firm’s international offices to handle multi-jurisdictional contracting and harmonisation issues, and accordingly maintains a client base consisting of both Benelux-based corporations as well as large multinationals.

Belgium > Real estate and construction

Germany > Public sector > State aid

Jones Day's cross-location EU state aid practice counts large German and European companies as well as state ministries among its client base and regularly acts for them in state aid and notification proceedings before the European Commission. Due to ancillary antitrust competencies, the team is adept at examining various state aid cases on both the plaintiff and defendant side as well as in competitor lawsuits. In this context, practice head Philipp Werner's expertise is particularly valued, who, in addition to his litigation skills, also advises on state aid compliance pertaining to restructuring, public tenders and privatisation.

France > EU, competition and distribution

Jones Day fields a diverse EU and competition law practice which encompasses merger control, state aid, and antitrust investigations and litigation at the national and EU levels, with particularly significant experience in handling cases before the European courts. Leading French-based multinationals make up a key proportion of the team's client base, and it has notable strength in highly regulated sectors such as energy, pharmaceuticals, telecoms, banking and technology. Eric Barbier de la Serre is well regarded for his expertise in antitrust and state aid cases, particularly before the EU courts. Charlotte Breuvart (who is based in Brussels) and Eileen Lagathu are also noted.