Legal500

Mayer Brown

AVENUE DES ARTS 52, 1000 BRUXELLES, BELGIUM

Washington DC, Singapore, Shanghai, São Paulo, Paris, Palo Alto , and 17 more

What we say about this firm…
What the firm says…

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

Competition

Within Competition, Mayer Brown is a third tier firm,

Mayer Brown continues its excellent track record in complex Commission proceedings, where it is ‘able to translate legal constraints into business reality’. It represented Eurofer in its complaint against the multi-billion iron ore joint venture between BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, and has given state aid advice to German “bad bank” SoFFin, which saw €85bn transferred from WestLB. Kiran Desai is ‘responsive, knowledgeable, friendly and practical’; his team ‘has a strong grasp of substantive law and also a good practical sense for what is commercially reasonable’. Andres Font Galarza left for Gibson Dunn.

Customs, trade, WTO and anti-dumping

Within Customs, trade, WTO and anti-dumping, Mayer Brown is a third tier firm,

Mayer Brown’s Paulette Vander Schueren ’delivers an excellent job’, and is the chief contact at the firm, recognised for her strong customs practice, as well as a broad geographical spread of work. Clients include manufacturers and trade associations. Edward Borovikov and his team left to set up the Brussels office of Salans.

EU regulatory

Within EU regulatory: Chemicals (REACH), Mayer Brown is a first tier firm,

Mayer Brown’s Jean-Philippe Montfort is noted for his technical acumen in advising cosmetics companies, large corporates such as GE, and REACH consortia across the chemicals industry.

Within EU regulatory: Food , Mayer Brown is a first tier firm,

Mayer Brown’s practice focuses on food safety, packaging and labelling issues, for clients such as TetraPak, as well as advising on recycling. Clients say the team has a ‘very good understanding of technical issues’.

Tax

Within Tax, Mayer Brown is a third tier firm,

Mayer Brown is ‘really proactive, it helped us to realize a project in good time against expected objectives’, and it is ‘much focused on international tax’, say satisfied clients. Astrid Pieron is ‘very proactive with very long experience’, and can handle Benelux tax controversy/litigation cases, if needed. Innovative transactions included the tax impacts of restructuring of bank debts, and the corporate structuring of REACH-related activities. Transfer pricing advice is also a speciality, as Brussels is home to the firm’s European transfer pricing centre. Clients include Numéricâble and LBO France.

What we say worldwide

Please choose another Mayer Brown 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.

Belgium

Offices in Brussels

China

Offices in Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing

Germany

Offices in Frankfurt, Berlin, and Cologne

France

Offices in Paris

Hong Kong

Offices in Hong Kong

London

Offices in London EC2M and London EC3A

Thailand

Offices in Bangkok

United States

Offices in Washington DC, New York, Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Charlotte, and Palo Alto

Vietnam

Offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi

Search News and Articles

Legal Developments in Belgium

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

Employment in more than one country - place where the employee habitually carries out his work

place of business through which the employee was engaged

- Claeys & Engels, member of Ius Laboris
No social security contributions due on a 'premium for drinks'

A 'premium for drinks' that is paid by the employer to comply with its obligation to put the appropriate drinks at the disposal of its employees is not subjected to social security contributions.

- Claeys & Engels, member of Ius Laboris
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