Mr Edwin Jacobs > Timelex > Brussels, Belgium > Lawyer Profile

Timelex
JOSEPH STEVENSSTRAAT
7 RUE JOSEPH STEVENS
1000 BRUSSELS
Belgium

Work Department

Information Technology, Privacy & Data Protection, Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment.

Position

Partner. FinTech, E-payment, e-money, e-banking and e-invoicing; IT services, outsourcing, software, internet; privacy & data protection; copyright, trademarks, designs, patents, domain names; media & entertainment; distribution & franchising; unfair competition; litigation, arbitration and mediation.

Career

Partner at TMT & IP boutique law firm time.lex since 2008. Assistant Professor of Mediation and Negotiation at the University of Antwerp. Lecturer (practical course) at the Center for IT and IP (CITIP) of the University of Leuven (Belgium). Formerly head of TMT (2007-2008) and associate (1995-2001) at Monard-D’Hulst, and General Counsel at Isabel, a provider of e-services for the financial sector (2001-2007).

Languages

Dutch, English, French, German.

Memberships

Brussels Bar. Accredited mediator at the Belgian Centre for Mediation and Arbitration (CEPANI) and WIPO. Member of iTechlaw and IBA. Sympathising member of the Belgian Institute of Company Lawyers.

Education

Europaïsche Studien (Europa-Institut Saarbrücken, 1995). Law degree (University of Leuven and Namur, 1994). Postgrad in company management (Brussels university, 2003).

Lawyer Rankings

Belgium > EU regulatory: Privacy and data protection

The ‘outstanding legal team‘ at boutique Timelex is able to ‘navigate the complexities with ease‘. GDPR compliance projects and high-level privacy and data litigation are the core pillars of the practice, and the group is also regularly called on to assist European, national and regional governmental bodies with legislation preparation. Clients value the depth of the senior bench, which includes Jos Dumortier, Frederic Debusseré, Edwin Jacobs and Hans Graux. The firm also fields a strong roster of more junior experts; Ruben Roex is one such name.

Belgium > EU regulatory: Information technology

Valued by clients for its ‘exceptional in-depth expertise‘, boutique Timelex focuses almost exclusively on the technology, privacy, data protection and intellectual property spheres. The team regularly assists European, national and regional governmental bodies with the preparation of legislation, and is also instructed by technology companies of all sizes to advise on compliance issues. The group is also well versed in handling technology-related disputes. The firm fields a large bench of specialists, including ‘internationally renowned‘ senior practitioner Jos Dumortier, Hans Graux, Geert Somers, Edwin Jacobs, Frederic Debusseré and Ruben Roex.

Belgium > Fintech

Noted for its extensive regulatory expertise, the team at Timelex focuses on advising fintech companies on PSD2 licensing and on GDPR compliance, while also assisting with a growing volume of regulatory questions surrounding cryptocurrency, electronic money and payments, and e-commerce. The team is also capable of handling contentious matters and additionally provides project-supporting advice to a number of international clients seeking to enter the Belgian market. Data regulation expert Edwin Jacobs, who is increasingly active on blockchain and NFT matters, heads up the team.

Belgium > Intellectual property

The contentious and transactional IP practice at Timelex, praised for ‘handling disputes and procedures with finesse’, is active across areas including copyrights, trade marks, patents and trade secrets. Practice co-heads Frederic Debusseré and Edwin Jacobs are praised for their ‘deep understanding of IP and IT‘. Geert Somers and Hans Graux complete the leadership team, with the latter described as a ‘smart and very capable lawyer‘.

Belgium > Industry focus: IT and telecoms

Information technology regulatory work is the mainstay of Timelex‘s practice with the ‘exceptional experts and great minds’ at the firm frequently instructed by governments, governmental bodies, multinationals and SMEs in the IT space. IT-related litigation, assistance with the drafting of legislation in areas such as AI, and the creation of legal frameworks for electronic communication in the public sector stand out as areas of activity for the team. Jos Dumortier is well positioned to advise on cybersecurity and regulatory issues associated with technological platforms, while Hans Graux has in-depth knowledge of cloud services, e-identification issues and artificial intelligence. Geert Somers, Edwin Jacobs, Frederic Debusseré and Ruben Roex are further names to note.