Laurius > Antwerp, Belgium > Firm Profile

Laurius
OUDELEEUWENRUI 19
2000 ANTWERP
Belgium

Belgium > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 4

Laurius has expanded its share of private equity, M&A, and corporate financing work, with notable focuses on real estate, manufacturing, and professional services sector advice. Acting primarily in the mid-market, the firm regularly handles cross-border transactions for domestic and international businesses as well as investment funds, and also offers support on commercial and fundraising matters. Key names in the team include Christina Trappeniers and Caroline Wildemeersch, who have notable expertise in the elderly care sector and distressed transactions respectively, alongside David Ryckaert, an experienced transactional adviser with a focus on advice to management teams, and private equity-focused managing partner Dirk Wellens.

Practice head(s):

Dirk Wellens; David Ryckaert; Christina Trappeniers; Caroline Wildemeersch

Other key lawyers:

Bert Luyten

Testimonials

‘Laurius is a well established law firm. Laurius is a firm that is very responsive and swift to act for their clients, the Senior Partners are also very approachable.

‘Dirk Wellens is a great leader for Laurius, he and Bert Luyten understand each other seamlessly which makes Laurius a very dynamic and efficient firm.

‘Dirk Wellens is very involved in his cases and has a great eye for detail. He knows better than anyone what his clients’ needs are and knows perfectly how to bring a deal to a successful end.

‘David Ryckaert really stands out when advising management in a PE-deal. Very pragmatic, and on the ball. He knows the ins and outs very well, providing a deal-driven solution.’

‘Persistent, knowledgeable, transparent and tough but courteous and polite negotiation style. Enjoyed working with them.’

‘When receiving first drafts of documentation they are (almost) always at a very high quality level illustrating good understanding of the transaction and the context. Furthermore, what really differentiates the Laurius team, is their deal MAKING capacities. They understand sensitivities and always keep the eye on the ball and try to facilitate a transaction rather than stubbornly sitting on a point of view.’

‘Dirk Wellens as managing partner most of the time is involved in our deals and seems to have an unlimited capability for absorbing deal knowledge.’

Key clients

Belga Films

Buysse & Partners Private Equity

Buysse & Partners Smart Assets

Circet Benelux

Copus Group

DEME Group

Fluitec NV

Gaming 1 shareholders & management

Inflexion Private Equity

KeBeK Private Equity

Le Pain Quotidien

Lunch Garden

M80 Capital (private equity)

Mainetti

My-Assist

NAES Corporation

Orelia

Polypreen management team

PPL Capital

Road Runner Concert Services

Vooruitzicht

Work highlights

  • Advised the reinvesting families and managers of Gaming 1 on their reinvestment alongside CVC in the LBO of Gaming 1.
  • Advised KeBeK Private Equity with the acquisition of an interest in Schelstraete Delacourt Associates, a leading organisation in executive search.
  • Advised Copus Group on the acquisition of Bennet Engineering.

Belgium > Dispute resolution Tier 4

Laurius‘ ‘skilful and dedicated‘ disputes practice is a key port of call for a host of domestic and international clients from the worlds of financial services, private equity, transport, real estate, agriculture, and telecoms. Practice co-chair Bert Luyten is praised for his ‘impressive cross-border disputes practice‘ – notably in transatlantic matters – while fellow co-chair Karen Vermaere‘s ‘sharp-minded’ approach sees her handling a range of litigations and mediations, including a number of public procurement proceedings. Associate Zeno Vanregemorter is recommended for his experience in company law disputes. All named lawyers are based in Antwerp.

Practice head(s):

Bert Luyten; Karen Vermaere

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘The lawyers we’ve worked with at Laurius are client-focused and collaborative. I admire their practical and commercial approach. We have worked with them repeatedly over the years, and I would not hesitate to call on them for any disputes involving Belgium.’

‘Bert Luyten has an impressive cross-border disputes practice, including substantial experience with US disputes.’

‘Zeno Vanregemorter is a very capable younger member of the team who handled many of the day-to-day aspects of the matter.’

‘Strong, skilled people who think two steps ahead.’

‘I have known the team now for over five years, referring various cases to them with great satisfaction for the clients. Their feedback is always positive. Laurius and in particular their DR practice for me therefore stands out for the total comfort you have in referring a case to them. They are knowledgeable, have the resources and have the profile in the market to handle similar complex cases as we handle ourselves in the Netherlands. They also know the Belgian market really well.’

‘Bert Luyten is experienced, with a very sharp sense for strategy.’

‘Karen Vermaere is  sharp-minded and great with clients.’

‘Karen Vermaere stands out for her involvement and dedication.’

Belgium > Real estate and construction Tier 4

Institutional investors seek out the real estate team at Laurius for assistance on major transactions. Michael Bollen heads the team with Christina Trappeniers, who has significant experience in the healthcare sector, where she advises clients on the development of care and assisted living homes.

Practice head(s):

Michael Bollen; Christina Trappeniers

Testimonials

‘The team works together well, enabling a variety of questions from various fields to be answered quickly and efficiently.’

‘Good legal knowledge of the sector, very responsive and available.’

‘Professional approach, ready to tackle challenges together with the client.’

‘Dedicated hands-on support.’

‘Michael Bollen has very good legal and practical knowledge of the sector. Fast and responsive. Reasonable fees. Calm and friendly person.’

‘Christina Trappeniers has the rare gift of being able to explain legally complex files to opposing parties in clear, plain language, which always enables difficult negotiations to be brought to a successful conclusion.’

‘Michael Bollen is a perfect sounding board and legal support on all of our real estate transactions.’

Key clients

Quares Student Housing

Buysse & Partners

Buysse & Partners Smart Assets

My-Assist BV

QJD Developments SRL

Quares Residential Investment

Whitewood Capital

Tristan Capital Partners

B&R NV

Bruvaco

AGP Glass

XYZ Invest NV

Vooruitzicht

Orelia

Dockx

Atalian

Work highlights

  • Co-advised Quares Student Housing in the context of the successful public bid by Euronext-listed REIT Xior Student Housing of €156m for the entirety of the shares of Quares Student Housing.
  • Advised Tristan Capital Partners and Whitewood Capital on the acquisition of a logistics complex in Genk from Immo Genk-Zuid, managed by KBC Bank, for €32m, and on re-financing the acquisition through a KBC credit facility.

Belgium > Employment

Laurius established its employment department with the June 2021 hire of Damien Stas de Richelle from Ambos, and the team provides broad advice on matters including drafting agreements, implementing working policies, and transfer of personnel.

The firm: Laurius is a premier business law firm with offices in Antwerp and Brussels, assisting both domestic and international clients across a variety of industry sectors.

The team is best known for its proactive and creative approach and shows high personal commitment, knowhow and client service.

Corporate, M&A & Private Equity: Laurius assists domestic and international clients, offering local expertise on all aspects of public and private corporate transactions.

The corporate lawyers have acted in a wide range of transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buy-outs, private equity, venture capital transactions, corporate restructuring, divestitures, joint ventures and strategic alliances.

Management Counselling: Laurius has market-leading experience and has developed specific know-how on the negotiation and implementation of management incentive schemes in prominent LBO transactions.

Litigation, Arbitration, Dispute Resolution:  Laurius handles business to business litigation for both domestic and international clients across a variety of industry sectors, including IT, precious metals, healthcare, dredging and marine engineering, chemicals, manufacturing and food and beverage, energy, as well as work for individuals. The firm has specific and extensive expertise in shareholders’ disputes, post-acquisition disputes, asset recovery, banking and financial law disputes, commercial disputes related to agency, distribution, supply, logistics and IT agreements and complex litigation in general.

Real Estate: Laurius has comprehensive experience, expertise and market knowledge in transactions involving retail property, warehouses and industrial real estate, student accommodation, senior care real estate, offices, hotels, car parks and residential properties.

Laurius assists clients in negotiating and drafting agreements for the transfer of real estate and of real estate companies and also ensures real estate due diligence. Laurius takes care of the redaction of lease contracts and provides advice with respect to real estate structuring and property rights, regarding joint ventures and real estate financing and represents client’s interests in real estate litigation.

Employment: Laurius helps with all aspects of employment (including dismissals and redundancies, welfare policy, restructuring, transfers of undertakings, new start-ups, management companies, etc…)

Commercial:  Laurius has market-leading experience in drafting commercial and partnership agreements including sales, agency, distribution, licensing, IT, logistics and construction agreements. Laurius’ services include regulatory and compliance advice.

Estate Planning: Laurius advises on the structuring, management and transfer of family assets and assists in the context of inheritance planning and succession disputes.

 

 

Department Name Email Telephone
Corporate and M&A, Private Equity, Management Counselling, Estate Planning Dirk Wellens dirk.wellens@laurius.be +32 3 260 88 00
Litigation, Arbitration, Dispute Resolution Bert Luyten bert.luyten@laurius.be +32 3 260 88 00
Corporate and M&A, Private Equity, Management Counselling, Venture Capital David Ryckaert david.ryckaert@laurius.be +32 2 313 87 87
Real Estate Michael Bollen michael.bollen@laurius.be +32 2 313 87 87
Litigation, Arbitration, Dispute Resolution, Commercial Karen Vermaere karen.vermaere@laurius.be +32 3 260 88 00
Employment Damien Stas de Richelle damien.stasderichelle@laurius.be +32 2 313 87 87
Corporate and M&A, Private Equity, Management Counselling, Real Estate Christina Trappeniers christina.trappeniers@laurius.be +32 2 313 87 87
Corporate and M&A, Private Equity, Management Counselling Caroline Wildemeersch caroline.wildemeersch@laurius.be +32 2 313 87 87
Photo Name Position Profile
Gerrit Hendrikx photo Mr Gerrit Hendrikx Gerrit Hendrikx, master in law and sociology, started his career as a…
Quinten Hermans photo Mr Quinten Hermans Quinten Hermans has been a permanent member of Laurius’ commercial and litigation…
Stephanie Joris photo Mrs Stephanie Joris As a senior associate at Laurius, she puts her shoulders to the…
Philippe Loix photo Mr Philippe Loix Philippe Loix focuses on cases in corporate law, real estate law and…
Bert Luyten photo Mr Bert Luyten Bert Luyten is co-founder of Laurius. With more than 25 years’ experience,…
Ayse Özkan photo Ms Ayse Özkan Ayse Özkan has been reinforcing the ranks of the Laurius corporate department…
Bob Roels photo Mr Bob Roels Bob Roels knows the transaction practice through and through. As a Laurius…
Sam Spranghers photo Mr Sam Spranghers That corporate law is a branch of law that suits Sam Spranghers…
Christina Trappeniers photo Mrs Christina Trappeniers With a passion for corporate and real estate law, senior partner Christina…
Lucas Van Geel photo Mr Lucas Van Geel Since 2020, Lucas Van Geel has strengthened the Laurius law firm. He…
Rainier Van Ghyseghem photo Mr Rainier Van Ghyseghem Rainier Van Ghyseghem has a highly qualitative knowledge of company law, private…
Zeno Vanregemorter photo Mr Zeno Vanregemorter Zeno Vanregemorter has outstanding experience in corporate litigation, both in financial and…
Eline Verelst photo Mrs Eline Verelst Eline Verelst has been an established member of the dispute resolution team…
Karen Vermaere photo Mrs Karen Vermaere Karen Vermaere is a senior partner and has been a lawyer at…
Matthias Verschaffel photo Mr Matthias Verschaffel Matthias Verschaffel obtained a master’s degree in law and corporate law and…
Dirk Wellens photo Mr Dirk Wellens Dirk Wellens is managing partner and founder of Laurius. With more than…
Caroline Wildemeersch photo Mrs Caroline Wildemeersch Caroline Wildemeersch is a senior partner at Laurius and specialises in the…
Number of lawyers : 30
Number of senior partners : 8
Number of partners : 2
Dutch
English
French
Spanisch
Turkish
IBA
Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation (Cepani)
First Law International (FLI)
AIJA
2 offices : Antwerp & Brussels