McDermott Will & Emery Belgium LLP > Brussels, Belgium > Firm Profile

McDermott Will & Emery Belgium LLP > Firm Profile

The firm: McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices, industries and more than 20 locations to deliver highly effective—and often unexpected—solutions that propel success. More than 1,400+ lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve..

Brussels office: Operating at the heart of the EU, the firm’s Brussels team supports McDermott’s global client base and provides sophisticated counsel in all aspects of competition and international trade law. The Brussels office has lawyers of many different nationalities, the majority of whom are bilingual, if not multilingual. Some of the firm’s lawyers are admitted to practice in several EU jurisdictions, as well as the US. This international environment not only provides a wealth of different viewpoints and approaches to the cases the firm works on, but has also built up an excellent network of contacts internationally over the years.

The team advises clients across several areas of law, including corporate transactions, merger control notification, state aid, public procurement, cartel investigations, technology licensing, and pricing and distribution arrangements. The dispute resolution team represents clients in EU and member state litigation, arbitration and mediation, risk arbitrage, sector inquiries and agency complaints. The EU trade team counsels exporters, complainants and importers in EU anti-dumping investigations, and advises international investors on customs, export controls and trade-related matters, notably origin, preferential tariffs and anti-circumvention measures. The EU regulatory lawyers are uniquely positioned to offer co-ordinated regulatory advice on international and cross-border issues of clients operating in a diverse range of industries.

The Brussels team and individual lawyers are recognised for the quality, consistency and creativity of their legal counsel. As part of a global, full-service law firm, the lawyers of the Brussels office are prepared to help clients wherever their business interests take them.

Main areas of practice
Corporate and transactions: Our seasoned lawyers represent the full spectrum of corporate interests around the world, from global corporations to family-owned businesses to privately held companies. Our lawyers thrive on solving the most complex business problems facing their clients today and mapping out strategies to drive clients’ success tomorrow. Our broad capabilities include seamless transactional services, such as negotiating cross-border acquisitions or outsourcing deals, representing issuers in public offerings, securing preferred financial credit arrangements for borrowers or navigating a business restructuring.

Employment: We pair deep resources with broad geographic coverage, to meet the rapidly evolving needs of employers in virtually every sector, including manufacturing, financial services, health care, education and construction. Our lawyers help clients attract and retain workers at every level, enter and exit markets as business conditions warrant, develop and implement effective employment policies, identify and protect trade secrets and other confidential information, and negotiate and enforce employment contracts.

Global privacy and cybersecurity: Our lawyers advise clients on the statutory, regulatory and enforcement regimes that govern the collection, use and disclosure of data in the United States, Europe, Asia and elsewhere. With extensive experience advising on the full range of data privacy and protection laws, industry standards and issues, our lawyers regularly counsel clients on US and international data-use issues and conduct in-depth privacy/cybersecurity risk assessments, often in the context of mergers, acquisitions and other domestic and cross border transactions.

Employee benefits and executive compensation: Our lawyers help clients maximise the value of and return on their investments in human capital while avoiding exposure to liability. The team provides strategic day-to-day counsel on matters such as executive compensation, health/welfare plan compliance, qualified retirement plans, privacy and data protection, executive employment and severance, cultural diversity, full compliance with relevant laws, including ERISA legislation, among other general employee-relations matters.

Healthcare and life sciences: Our team provides unparalleled legal acumen rooted in decades of experience and forward growth powered by unconventional thinking. With a deep bench that includes lawyers at the cutting edge of digital health, the firm partners with clients on the full range of health-care-related issues, including physician practice management, health care litigation and the evolving regulatory landscape — both in the United States and internationally. As a top-ranked law firm for health and a leader in life sciences, we help clients navigate the issues that matter when it comes to achieving missions and solidifying positions in the market.

Intellectual property: Our top-notch team of IP lawyers, partners with clients to identify and secure their creative assets, maximize the value of their IP portfolios, and enforce or defend their rights in courts and tribunals virtually everywhere their products are made, distributed and sold. Whether you’re building the next iconic brand, protecting game-changing new technology or creating new revenue streams from your established IP assets, our team can help you achieve your business goals at every stage of the IP lifecycle. We are business savvy, technically skilled and steeped in high-stakes experience. We speak fluent CFO, CSO, CPO, CMO and Tax—skills honed over decades and maintained by understanding and embracing diverse perspectives. We are fearless and relentless advocates for your business, always pursuing a return on your IP investments. Our lawyers prioritize our partnership with you and believe service is a 24×7 proposition. We help our clients respond quickly and offer actionable solutions designed to mitigate risk and capitalize on opportunity.

Litigation and dispute resolution: Our litigation and dispute resolution lawyers are always ready to roll up their sleeves and deliver the sound, practical legal strategies necessary for both short- and long-term success. Based internationally, our nimble and creative lawyers are dedicated to providing passionate client advocacy through superior trial skills and incisive industry knowledge. The synthesis of skill and experience, flexibility and strength — plus track record of success in high-stakes controversies — makes McDermott a go-to firm for large-scale, complex litigation. Our white-collar team has tried hundreds of cases in courts throughout the United States and internationally, and draws on the unmatched insights of its lawyers who previously served as senior federal prosecutors.

Private client and wealth management: From the global to the personal, the firm brings its full-service network to bear in helping closely held business owners and high-net-worth individuals effectively structure their assets, meet their wealth transfer and planning goals, and make their mark philanthropically. As clients make the critical decisions that shape their personal, business, tax, civic and charitable concerns around the world, we will be at their side with creative, customized solutions.

Regulatory: Our lawyers marry legal skill with political savvy to turn regulatory risks into forward-looking business solutions. Based in government and trade capitals around the world, our lawyers support companies traversing the increasingly complex international trade landscape, and tackle rising global antitrust activity in all major US and international forums. Wherever the business reaches, our talented regulatory lawyers can help position the your organization for success.

Tax: Our lawyers advise some of the world’s most successful companies on tax matters, including more than 60 percent of the Fortune 100. With a unique combination of tax practitioners, strategists and creative thinkers who can validate sound strategies and offer innovative solutions it helps clients advance their organization’s growth plan — with senior partners involved at every step — 365 days a year with a 360-degree view of the evolving tax landscape.

Lawyer Profiles

Photo	Name	Position	Profile
	Ms Rosa Barcelo	Rosa Barcelo focuses her practice on global data privacy and cyber security.…	View Profile
	Mr Jacques Buhart	Jacques Buhart is a partner, he focuses his practice on cross-border mergers…	View Profile
	Mr Stéphane Dionnet	Stéphane Dionnet has over 20 years of experience practicing international competition law,…	View Profile
	Herr Axel Schulz	Axel Schulz focuses his practice on European competition law and has a…	View Profile
	Mr Hendrik Viaene	Hendrik Viaene focuses his practice on competition law, regulated markets and regulatory…	View Profile

Comparative Guides

• Belgium: Merger Control

  Published: October 2023

  Authors: Hendrik Viaene

  This country-specific Q&A provides an overview of Merger Control laws and regulations applicable in Belgium.

• Cross-Border Financing Trends in Middle Market Transactions

  Published: April 2022

  Authors: Aymen Mahmoud Stephanie S. McCann