Eubelius > Brussels, Belgium > Firm Profile

Eubelius > The Legal 500 Rankings

Belgium > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 2

Eubelius is active in high-level Belgian public and private M&A, working with a number of major domestic businesses across sectors, as well as with quasi-public sector organisations, private equity investors and management teams. The firm also regularly acts as Belgian counsel on international deals, leveraging its independent status. Alongside its transactional offering, the firm also has active corporate advisory and commercial contracting teams. The practice is headed up by Lars Van Bever and Marieke Wyckaert, who focus on transactions and securities offerings, with notable expertise in real estate and takeover response respectively. Managing partner Matthias Wauters is active across M&A, capital transactions, and restructurings, while Ignace Claeys is the key name in the commercial contracting and disputes team, working across a variety of industry sectors. Joris De Wolf was promoted to partner in January 2022, and specialises in public takeovers and listed company obligations.

Belgium > Dispute resolution Tier 2

The sizeable dispute resolution team at Eubelius has a diverse caseload which includes practitioners appearing before various international arbitration bodies and Belgian courts, including the Constitutional Court and the Council of State. The practice is jointly headed up by three partners: Patrick Hofströssler, an experienced litigator who regularly represents the Belgian State; Ignace Claeys, who focuses on commercial disputes and tortious issues; and Svjatoslav Gnedasj, who spearheads the firm's tax litigation offering. Thijs Tanghe is experienced in contract and tort liability, and regularly participates in arbitrations at the ICC and SCC. Alexandre Rigolet specialises in multi-party litigation in various industries, most notably pertaining to construction and associated contracts.

Belgium > Employment Tier 2

Eubelius‘ broad employment and pensions practice works for a strong roster of public and private sector clients, both in Belgium and beyond. Headed up by veteran public sector employment and restructuring specialist Véronique Pertry, the team is routinely engaged on both advisory and contentious mandates, including appearances before the Constitutional Court, the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights. Liesbet Vandenplas is recommended for her strategic legal HR advice and capabilities in settlements and litigation, especially regarding pensions and cross-border labour flows. Sophie Vantomme is recommended for social elections and workplace discrimination matters.

Belgium > Environment Tier 2

Eubelius works with public and private sector clients on urban and environmental development issues including permits, zoning, and project development, alongside a notable litigation capability in the telecoms sector, with standout cases including issues relating to Belgium’s national and regional 5G networks. The practice is led by Barteld Schutyser, an experienced public law practitioner with a strong focus on PPPs and public procurement, alongside Bart Martel, who focuses on urban planning and environmental litigation.

Belgium > EU regulatory: Financial services Tier 2

With strong expertise in EU financial services regulations, including MiFID, AIFM, and AML, the team at Eubelius advises on insurance products, fund structuring, securities and alternative investments, alongside banking governance, with a broad range of clients within these fields. The team is led by Jean-Marc Gollier, a senior counsel focused on financial regulatory and transactional matters, primarily within the insurance industry, alongside Marieke Wyckaert, who advises a number of major international banking clients on governance and regulatory compliance.

Belgium > EU regulatory: Information technology Tier 2

Eubelius advises on regulatory aspects of major cross-border IT projects, including licence agreements, cloud and data processing matters, and outsourcing, with specific expertise within the healthcare and financial services space, most notably advising clients in the latter field on payment platforms. The practice also supports clients in litigation arising from regulatory disputes. Pieter Callens leads the team, specialising in IT and emerging technologies work in the public and private sector, alongside regulatory litigation specialist Anneleen Van De Meulebroucke.

Belgium > Fraud and white-collar crime Tier 2

Eubelius handles a variety of cases, including bribery, money laundering, financial fraud, and corporate criminal matters, and also works with corporate clients on due diligence and compliance programmes. Clients include individuals, multinational companies, and public institutions. The team is led by Tom Bauwens, an ‘excellent and driven‘ litigator with a successful record in criminal defence proceedings, with senior associate Monica Rodriguez also a key name for white-collar criminal law matters.

Belgium > Not-for-profit Tier 2

Eubelius' cross-disciplinary team is regularly sought out by numerous international NGOs and domestic organisations seeking assistance in strategic, corporate and employment-based matters. The team is particularly active in the healthcare sector, assisting various market players with strategic partnerships, new site developments and regulatory compliance questions. Marieke Wyckaert and Matthias Wauters are noted for their track record in NFP transactions. Barteld Schutyser specialises in public-private partnerships and administrative litigation, while Veronique Pertry focuses on public sector employment law.

Belgium > Competition: Belgian law Tier 3

Eubelius advises public and private sector clients on merger control, state aid, and wider competition regulatory issues, with a focus on regulated industries such as energy, telecoms, and broadcasting. The firm also represents clients in litigation before the Belgian courts and BCA, as well as handling informal negotiations with competition authorities. The team is led by Jan Bocken and Hans Gilliams, who are both active in litigation before the BCA, particularly relating to state aid.

Belgium > EU regulatory: Privacy and data protection Tier 3

Eubelius advises clients on GDPR compliance and the drafting of internal data policies, alongside representation in litigation before domestic and European courts relating to privacy and data protection issues. Other areas of strength include data transfers and transactional data issues. The team focuses on the healthcare and life sciences sectors, with a number of multinational clients. The practice is led by Pieter Callens and recently promoted counsel Anneleen Van De Meulebroucke, who is a leading specialist in privacy litigation.

Belgium > Private equity Tier 3

Eubelius advises private equity funds, including major international investors, portfolio companies, and the management teams of target companies on buyouts, exits, and spin-outs, as well as minority investments. Deals include domestic and cross-border transactions. The practice is led by Matthias Wauters, Erwin Destuyver, Filip Jenné, and Felix Dobbelaere.

Belgium > Real estate and construction Tier 3

Eubelius‘ strengths include real estate transactions, including straightforward acquisitions and more complex arrangements such as leasebacks, and fund formation and structuring advice to REITs and BE-REIFs, which form the bulk of the firm’s client base. The team has expertise in various asset classes, including residential property, healthcare, logistics, and industrial real estate, and works with sector-wide and sector-specific investors. The team is led by Lars Van Bever, an authority on Belgian REIT matters, including transactions, regulatory issues, and capital markets work. Wouter Claes has a successful record in handling real estate-related taxation matters.

Belgium > Tax Tier 3

Eubelius combines its traditional strength in transactional and real estate taxation with capabilities in tax litigation and indirect taxation issues. Clients include a number of mid-market Belgian players, most of whom are active within the real estate sector, including developers, REITs, and non-listed real estate funds. Co-practice head Wouter Claes takes the lead on transactional and real estate taxation, while Svjatoslav Gnedasj is a tax litigator with experience in tax investigations and criminal proceedings, and has argued up to Supreme Court level. Korneel Decroix specialises in indirect taxation work, primarily relating to VAT, and was promoted to partner in January 2022.

Belgium > Banking, finance and capital markets Tier 4

Belgium > Intellectual property Tier 4

Eubelius fields 'a sharp, responsive, and commercial' team and is noted for its capabilities in trademark litigation, injunction proceedings and strategic advisory issues. Patents, copyrights, and licensing are all further core competencies, with recent instructions for the team involving appearances before the Enterprise Court and the EUIPO. Practice head Pieter Callens, who divides his time Brussels and Kortrijk, is an experienced litigator and competition lawyer with niche capabilities in tech and IT contract work.

Belgium > Industry focus: Energy

Belgium > Industry focus: Transport