The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Belgium > Real estate and construction

Clifford Chance fields a 'very knowledgeable, innovative and business-minded' real estate team, which is highly regarded for its 'deep knowledge of the industry'. It handles high-value transactions for clients such as financial institutions, multinational corporates and investment companies. Practice head Henri D’Ursel is 'outstanding, very talented and very commercial'. Alexandre Ooms provides 'outstanding tax advice with respect to real estate transactions'. Counsel Pieter De Bock is 'very communicative and responsive'.

Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick's 'dynamic' real estate team is 'very dedicated, experienced and responsive'. It is also 'highly skilled and gives incomparably valuable advice in any real estate matter'. The group handles transactional work - which is a core pillar of the practice - for clients such as prominent hotel, retail, public sector and financial services entities. Department head Yves Delacroix is 'totally solution-oriented' and 'an outstanding, very experienced negotiator and dealmaker'. Alexandre Emond is very experienced in handling transactional mandates. Counsel Julie De Bonnet, 'proactive and pragmatic' associate Marie Heyvaert and 'very talented associate Augustin Paternostre are also key figures.

In the words of a client, Stibbe's real estate and construction practice 'covers the full range of expertise required in this field and is comprised of highly skilled, well-known and established experts and upcoming talents'. The 'fast, pragmatic, sharp and deal-oriented' team leverages the expertise of the corporate, banking and public law departments to provide a multidisciplinary service to clients. Key areas of expertise for the group include high-profile financings, transactions and PPP projects. Matthias Maselis, Rudy Nauwelaerts and Rony Vermeersch are the joint heads of the practice, in which senior associate Anneleen Quirynen is a name to note.

DLA Piper's department is led by 'no-nonsense and straightforward legal expert' Dirk Caestecker. Under his leadership, the team of 'excellent professionals' has recently been advising clients such as REIT companies and investors on financing and development matters, notably in the office and affordable housing arenas.

Christophe Laurent leads the 'excellent' team at Loyens & Loeff, whose recent highlights included advising a real estate investment company on the high-profile sale of the Finance Tower in Brussels to the Valesco Group. Ariane Brohez and counsel Julien Lecler are key contacts.

Lydian's 'strong, deep, diverse' team is 'very approachable'. It demonstrates strong capabilities advising national and international clients on developer and investor-side matters. Department head Wouter Neven is a 'strong strategic thinker' who provides 'commercially and technically excellent, realistic advice'. Counsel Bruno Stroobants is 'attentive to complicated matters and is very willing to work hard'. Senior associate Anne-Victoire Vandekerckhove is 'an accurate, commercially-minded and results-focused lawyer with a can-do attitude'.

The real estate team at NautaDutilh has 'thorough knowledge of PPP and project finance, making them very efficient'. It also excels in contentious real estate work and lease agreement matters. Didier De Vliegher, who heads up the practice, works with senior associate Julie Salteur and associate Sabri Berisha.

Schoups is a 'go-to firm for construction' and its 'exceptionally committed' team is 'very knowledgeable of the Belgian construction sector'. Construction projects form a key pillar of the practice, and the firm is also strong in contentious and non-contentious public procurement work, as well as development disputes. The 'outstanding' and 'very professional' Marco Schoups leads the team, which includes 'very skilled negotiator' Kris Lemmens, PPP expert Maarten Somers and Siegfried Busscher, who is 'a highly responsive specialist in private construction law matters and a keen litigator'.

Simont Braun's team 'reacts quickly and provides excellent and practically oriented advice in very technical matters'. The department draws upon the firm's strength in public and administrative law to cover a wide range of real estate work. Practice head Manuela von Kuegelgen is leading the advice to the Urban Development Corporation in Brussels on the ongoing implementation of the Contemporary and Modern Art Museum and Architecture Museum development project. Associate Laura Grauer is also recommended.

ALTIUS' 'very responsive' team attracts praise for 'clearly understanding its clients' needs in depth, and coupled with its vast market knowledge, it helps clients get the best possible result in any endeavour'. Market entry mandates, lease matters and high-profile transactions are among the team's recent areas of activity. Lieven Peeters is 'accessible and willing to think out of the box'; he jointly leads the department with William Timmermans, who has established expertise in real estate regulatory work.

Filip De Schouwer leads Cresco Advocaten's real estate team, which is acting for the Belgian federal government in litigation over the Belgian Princess Elisabeth base in Antarctica. Litigation expert Natalie Lemense and senior associate Steven Daems are names to note at the firm.

Deloitte Legal's 'pragmatic' team undertakes a broad cross-section of real estate work for clients; recent mandates included high-value transactions, as well as development projects. The group has a strong profile among investors, developers and public institutions. Maximillien van de Werve ('a real dealmaker') heads up the department. Kathleen De hornois is a key name for PPP matters.

KPMG Law in Belgium has 'a very well-balanced practice in real estate and real estate regulatory', according to one of its clients. The team has notable experience of advising investor and developer-side clients on redevelopment projects, high-value acquisitions and lease matters. Practice head Gerald Van Walle 'knows the law, but also the market and is a deal maker'. Another key figure is Jim Bauwens, who is 'very pragmatic and hands-on'. Senior associate Valerie Dhooghe is also recommended.

AKD has a strong track record handling large-scale relocation projects for clients, as well as excelling in contentious and transactional work. It has had a notable increase in mandates with a nexus to the logistics sector. The client base includes investment entities and international retail companies. The 'knowledgeable' Steven Ongena and Simon Ceulemans (who 'knows all aspects of commercial real estate') jointly lead the department, in which counsel Pol Cools is another key contact.

Eubelius is best known for its strength in advising BE-REITS and real estate investment funds on a broad spectrum of real estate matters, including acquisition mandates. Its recent work spanned areas such as elderly care accommodation, student housing and retail projects. Practice head Lars Van Bever is 'very involved' and 'hands-on', while Wouter Claes is the key name for real estate tax matters. In January 2020 senior attorney Tim Van Moorhem left the firm to join Skyline Europe.

At Eversheds Sutherland (Belgium) CVBA (a member of Eversheds Sutherland), the real estate team is assisting industrial company Bontexgeo with a sale and leaseback transaction, involving the sale of part of its industrial site and office building in Flanders. Johan Joos is the key contact.

Laurius' real estate team is 'always available' and has 'very strong knowledge', particularly in relation to transactional matters. Its recent work included handling high-value acquisitions for investor-side clients, focused mainly on office buildings and student accommodation. Practice head Michael Bollen stands out for his 'profound market knowledge'.

At Monard Law, the team is assisting contractor Jan De Nul with a tender concerning the construction of a prison facility, and in addition, it is also advising the client on the construction of six schools. Contentious work is also a core pillar of strength for the department. Luc Linders heads up the group, which includes PPP expert Benoit Samyn and the 'very professional' Stefaan Van Dyck. Gregory Grouwels is experienced in handling construction disputes.