The Legal 500

Within Banking, finance and capital markets, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a first tier firm,

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is ‘proactive, on time, efficient and pragmatic’. The team has acted on some of Belgium’s most high-profile transactions of late, including advising Telenet on the largest debt capital markets deal of 2010/2011; and new client Truvo on its €1.4bn cross-border debt restructuring. Jan Meyers, Jacques Reding and Laurent Legein are recommended, along with of counsel Laurent Ruzette, who has the ‘necessary pragmatism, availability and business-oriented mind to adequately handle this kind of work’.

Within Competition, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a first tier firm,

‘Rock solid’ across all facets of competition law, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP fields an ‘unparalleled team of outstanding lawyers’ that strikes an effective ‘balance between academia and a corporate mindset’. An eventful year for merger work saw Francisco Enrique González-Díaz handle Western Digital’s $4.3bn acquisition of Hitachi’s hard drive business; Robbert Snelders act for Exxon Mobil on its $41bn acquisition of XTO Energy; and Nicholas Levy advise NYSE Euronext on the proposed merger with Deutsche Börse AG. Thomas Graf handled a number of abuse of dominance investigations for Google and IBM. In the cartels practice, Antoine Winckler represented Otis Elevator Company and United Technologies Corporation in an appeal against fines imposed by the European Commission (EC) in the elevators and escalators cartel case. Till Müller-Ibold – the team’s chief state aid lawyer – advised a number of financial services clients including BNP Paribas and Dexia. Maurits Dolmans relocated to the firm’s London office.

Within Corporate and M&A , Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a first tier firm,

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP represented BNP Paribas in the tender offer through its Fingen joint venture company for the outstanding stock of Compagnie Nationale à Portefeuille, which was the largest public M&A transaction in Belgium in recent years. The department’s key contacts are Jan Meyers, who is recommended for privatisations; Jacques Reding, who has a broad international focus; Laurent Legein, who is particularly knowledgeable in the areas of capital markets and private equity; and of counsel Deborah Janssens.

Within Customs, trade, WTO and anti-dumping, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a third tier firm,

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP’s trade practice recently attracted a number of new clients including BNP Paribas and Philip Morris, which the firm is advising on EU sanctions rules relating to Libya and the Ivory Coast. Till Müller-Ibold and James Modrall are the key contacts.

Within Financial services, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a first tier firm,

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP provides ‘outstanding service’ and is highly respected by EU authorities. Practice head Till Müller-Ibold and the team advise European banks including BNP Paribas and Dexia on state aid issues relating to recapitalisations and M&A. A busy year in 2011 saw the group advise Blackstone, Carlyle and several other prominent asset managers on the impact of the new Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFM), an area in which James Modrall is ‘well versed’.

Within Information technology, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a first tier firm,

Recognised for ‘extraordinary business acumen’ and ‘top value for money’, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP handles regulatory matters for technology firms including IBM, Lexmark and Hynix. Robbert Snelders is ‘smart, practical and not afraid to take a position’ on the key matters. Maurits Dolmans shows an ‘outstanding knowledge of the IT industry – legally, economically and technically’. Dolmans divides his time between London and Brussels.

Within Telecoms, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a first tier firm,

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is ‘one of the few firms that offers an integrated service for both EU and domestic regulatory telecoms matters’. The ‘outstanding’ Maurits Dolmans recently acted for the Fixed-Mobile Convergence Alliance (FMCA) and Icera. Other members of the team advised Nokia and Telefonica O2 Czech Republic on antitrust and other regulatory issues.

Within Information technology, tier 4

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP’s IT practice often interacts with the firm’s strong EU and competition practice. The team’s enviable client roster includes Sony, which the team is advising on its alliance with Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry for the production of LCD TVs, and Walt Disney, which it is advising on matters including 3D digital distribution.

Within Legal market overview,

Dexia Bank’s problems in 2011 provided Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick, Stibbe and Laga with key roles in restructuring the Franco-Belgian institution. Another major hit to the economy came from ArcelorMittal’s decision to partially close an east Belgian steel plant and lay off hundreds of workers, although this provided work for employment law practices.

Within Media and entertainment, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP is a first tier firm,

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP’s ‘absolutely top-rate’ group advises prestigious clients including Google, News Corp and Sky Italia on M&A, capital markets and antitrust matters. Recent highlights include representing Universal Pictures in a competition-related dispute, and advising Walt Disney on 3D/digital distribution issues. Maurits Dolmans is ‘quick to absorb legal rules and issues, and understands how they apply to businesses’.