Quinz > Vilvoorde, Belgium > Firm Profile
Quinz Offices

MEDIALAAN 28B
1800 VILVOORDE
Belgium
Quinz > The Legal 500 Rankings
Belgium > Dispute resolution Tier 2
Quinz is particularly sought after by clients in the financial services, life sciences, energy and public sectors – including various sovereign states – for representation in high-profile litigation and arbitration proceedings. Co-practice head Benoît Allemeersch is a highly regarded arbitrator and mediator under various rulings, including CEPANI, ICC, NAI, and VIAC. Géraldine Scraeyen is noted for her formidable capabilities acting for energy and travel sector clients, while Stijn De Dier is experienced in insolvency matters and as counsel to creditors and debtors in restructuring mandates. Former fellow practice head Vincent Van Obberghen has now left the firm.Practice head(s):
Benoît Allemeersch
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The Quinz team is very knowledgeable and approachable, and the quality of their work is truly excellent.’
‘Benoît Allemeersch is a top-notch litigator who is trusted by clients and peers alike. He leads and trains his team of bright litigators expertly, and handles large domestic cases and arbitration files. The combination of his practice with his academic career and ties ensure that he can deliver stellar advice and is on top of legal developments in his field.’
‘Géraldine Scraeyen is an extremely capable lawyer, detail-oriented, strong writing and persuasive skills, multilingual, and hard working.’
‘Benoit Allemeersch is extremely talented. I think he is one of the best litigators in Belgium.’
‘Benoit Allemeersch is an exceptional counsel in court and in international arbitration.’
‘I rely on Quinz’s litigation team for all procedural and common-law issues because they’re the most reliable law firm I’ve worked with. The whole team is very responsive.’
‘Quinz’s litigation department is involved in the most important law suits in Belgium, they have a pragmatic approach when solving cases and are always very responsive.’
Key clients
Nyrstar
Belfius Bank
Danone Alpro
KPMG
Siemens Energy
Republic of Kazakhstan and the National Bank of Kazakhstan
Vossemeren
BNP Paribas Fortis
Recordati
Cordeel Group
Work highlights
- Represented Euronext-listed Nyrstar in the litigation fall-out from its 2019 restructuring.
- Acting as counsel to Vossemeren in a complex dispute with certain key investors.
- Representing BNP Paribas Fortis in the criminal proceedings initiated by a number of Fortis’ shareholders following the demise of Fortis, the largest financial group of the Low Countries, in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.
Belgium > Industry focus: Healthcare and life sciences Tier 2
The life sciences and technology team at Quinz works with a host of market-leading companies on high-value transactions, distribution agreements, regulatory matters and compliance questions. Cross-border licensing structures, strategic partnerships, and representation in competition authority investigations are further core competencies. Pharmaceutical compliance expert Olivier Van Obberghen and pharmaceutical regulatory specialist Pieter Wyckmans are both highly regarded for their 'intelligence and exceptional industry knowledge'. Marion Lapage is experienced in every element of the product lifecycle, ranging from R&D to supply chain establishment.
Practice head(s):
Olivier Van Obberghen; Pieter Wyckmans
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘We appreciate the direct contact with the different partners, their knowledge, open-minded, quick response and the time they take to help you and to solve the problems.’
‘The team is pragmatic and approachable. They are committed to act as your partner, thinking along with the in-house lawyers and supporting them towards the business where needed.’
‘Olivier Van Obberghen and Pieter Wyckmans are trustworthy, intelligent and they have exceptional industry knowledge.’
‘Each member of Quinz’s large life sciences team breathes a passion for life sciences. Quinz’s life sciences department is more than just a group of individuals, they really come as a team. Assignments are always allocated to the right individual or expert group.’
‘The two team leaders Olivier Van Obberghen and Pieter Wyckmans are both truly bright lawyers. It’s always a pleasure for me to see how much both respect, value and complement each other and this clearly inspires their team. Olivier Van Obberghen is the authority in pharma compliance and patient involvement and his level of pragmatism is truly stunning – his legal advice is always spot-on.’
‘Pieter Wyckmans has developed an unequalled expertise in regulatory and pricing and reimbursement matters and is one of the most creative lawyers I know – he is also a very gifted and poised negotiator.’
‘Olivier Van Obberghen is a very bright and creative lawyer. I never stop being impressed by his ability to immediately grasp and dissect the complexity of a problem, highlight its weaknesses and come up with an ingenious solution on the spot. He is available around the clock and is extremely congenial.’
‘Quinz’s main expertise is in contract negotiations in the area of biotechnology, pharma and in the life sciences, and it especially understands the challenges that small and medium sized companies are facing in this sector. No need for us to explain in detail the scientific background of the project as most of the Quinz employees have a profound scientific knowledge.’
Key clients
Priothera
Gates Ventures – EPND
ObsEva SA
Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd
UCB Pharma SA
ISA Pharmaceuticals
ExeVir
Abscint
Sciensano
SunshineSmile ()
Octimet
Johnson & Johnson
Takeda
Argenx
Galapagos
Vertex
Arvelle
Bayer
IPOPI
Precirix
ATB Therapeutics
Novo Nordisk
Merck KGaA
Biogazelle
BlueBirdBio
Grünenthal Pharma GmbH &Co. KG
Federal Knowledge Center
PhysIOL
Recordati
Yesse Technologies
Obseva
Avroxa
Pharma.be
CellPointBio
CleanBiologics
Roche
Eli Lily
Modis
Novartis
Oxyrane
Phonak
SOBI
Syndesi Therapeutics
Sinox
Zeussplus
Clinops
TwoBridge Pharma
EISAI Pharma
Materialise
Aimovig
Avroxa
F. Hoffman – La Roche AG
Work highlights
- Appointed by ObsEva as its exclusive partner for overseeing and giving advice on all marketing materials that will be elaborated in the framework of the launch, and to ensure compliance with the regulatory framework applicable within the EU.
- Assisted Sciensano with the drafting of the consortium agreement of the BelCoVac Consortium, which set out the overarching terms and conditions applicable to the research projects (including clinical trials and follow-up research).
- Assisted Octimet in out-licensing of its core compound under development to DeuterOncology and its investor Newton Biocapital.
Belgium > Insolvency and restructuring Tier 2
With a strong portfolio of creditor clients including international financial institutions, the ‘unique‘ team at Quinz represents in high-profile insolvency and restructuring proceedings, both enforcing and on occasion defending against creditor claims, as well as handling debt recovery and debtor protection, particularly in relation to Covid-19 related issues. Practice head Benoît Allemeersch is an accomplished litigator with a record in insolvency and corporate restructuring proceedings in a range of sectors. Former fellow practice head Vincent Van Obberghen has now left the firm.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Wim De Meester; Thijs Vancoppernolle; Gillis Lindemans; Stijn De Dier; Bart Lintermans
Testimonials
‘Quinz is a unique law firm that combines professionalism with accessibility, transparency, respect and a down to earth attitude.’
‘Quinz has become a law firm of choice for many clients when it comes to litigation and insolvency work. They have a highly specialised and very knowledgeable team.’
‘They continue to innovate as well with their outsourcing start-up.’
‘Quinz’ practitioners are very closely connected with the academic world and are very knowledgeable about the intricacies of insolvency law. They are able to explain complicated issues in a clear and understandable fashion. Aside from Benoît Allemeersch, who is a top-notch litigator, Wim De Meester, Thijs Vancoppernolle and Gillis Lindemans are all excellent practitioners.’
‘Quinz is a firm up and coming with stable partnership, eager to serve the clients. They have recruited excellent professionals and the firm has already made its place amongst their peers.’
‘Benoït and Gillis are capable to understand the problems that a client is facing and to search for a pragmatic solution. They are both hard working and very much available.’
‘Benoit Allemeersch and Bart Lintermans are both experts.’
‘The team at Quinz is extremely knowledgeable, pragmatic and sharp. Also, the team is able to clearly communicate complex and technical information.’
Key clients
BNP Paribas Fortis
Holding Communal
Belfius Bank
Intercommunale van de Woluwe
KPN
Nyrstar
Biomin
Piqueur family
Raben Group
PMV
Hema
Selecta
E.F. Parmentier
Yesse Technologies
Vossemeren
Work highlights
- Represented Euronext-listed Nyrstar in all Belgian procedures relating to its global restructuring.
- Advising alongside KPMG on the liquidation of of the Holding Communal.
- Representing BNP Paribas Fortis as creditor in the insolvency proceedings of E5-mode.
Belgium > Competition: Belgian law Tier 3
Specialist competition litigators Quinz represent a wide range of domestic clients alongside multinationals in cartel, abuse of dominance, and sector investigation proceedings, playing a key role in investigations of multinationals by the Belgian Competition Authority. Sector focuses include the life sciences and medical devices space, with new clients in the financial services and logistics sector. Alongside its litigation capabilities, the team led by Wim De Meester also advises clients on merger control and state aid concerns.Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘Wim De Meester: very practical advice, high availability.’
‘Solution oriented.’
‘Wim De Meester is easy to work with and pragmatic.’
‘Quinz offers excellent legal advice, with good knowledge of business realities; all the while thinking with the client.’
‘Very accessible, knowledgeable, easy to work with and hands-on.’
‘It’s a young and energetic team that is growing in the market.’
‘Wim De Meester puts specific emphasis on client care and serves a solid client basis, especially in the life sciences sector.’
‘The team is very capable. Whenever you give them a dossier and or ask them for any advice, they analyse the issue in detail and provide a response that truly covers all eventualities so that you can make a truly informed decision on how to proceed.’
Key clients
AG Insurance
Roche
Febelco
Novartis
Johnson & Johnson
BNPPF
Ahooga
Boss Paints
Horeca Vlaanderen
Ethias
Recordati Group
Dyson
Work highlights
- Representing Roche in an investigation of the Belgian Competition Authority involving alleged anticompetitive practices towards biosimilars entering the Belgian market.
- Representing Febelco in a cartel investigation launched by the Belgian Competition Authority in 2016.
- Representing Spotahome in a cease and desist litigation initiated by the Belgian Professional Institute for Real Estate Agents. The case deals with the transposition of the ‘Airbnb’ ruling from the ECJ for the first time into Belgian national case law.
Belgium > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 4
Quinz advises a combination of domestic and international clients on acquisitions, divestitures, and investments, also handling distressed transactions, commercial deals, and corporate advisory work. Operating independently, the firm regularly collaborates with international firms on cross-border deals throughout Europe, and has capabilities in high-value transactions alongside its traditional mid-market strength. Of particular note is the firm's work on behalf of start-ups, primarily in the tech, healthcare, and life sciences spaces. The practice, which offers international expertise, is led by Bart Lintermans, who focuses on real estate and life sciences deals, alongside Klaas Thibaut, a specialist in private equity and corporate finance transactions.Practice head(s):
Bart Lintermans; Klaas Thibaut
Testimonials
‘Bart Lintermans is an expert in his field. He is a real dealmaker and always tries to find the best solution in the interest of his client.‘
‘Klaas Thibaut is a closer. We very much appreciate his pragmatic approach, his availability and his technical background.‘
‘Very customer oriented – very flexible – extremely responsive to clients needs and areas of support.‘
Key clients
Boss Paints
ExeVir Bio
Yogalive
AG Insurance
Downtown Real Estate
DPD
Dynamica
Ethias
Euroports
Foresco Packaging
Freshmen Fund
Gemeentelijke Holding / Holding Communal
Gimv
Green Park Investment Partners
Luminus
Novartis
PharmaLex
Pit & Pit
Ricoh
Triangle Factory
Umicore
Xcentric Hotels
Work highlights
- Advised the shareholders of Pit & Pit on their divestment to private equity fund We Are Jane.
- Advised Gimv on a number of transactions, including the acquisition of a minority stake in the Projective Group.
- Advised Ethias on a joint venture project with Weerts Group with the aim to jointly developing a logistic warehouse portfolio in Western and Eastern Europe.
Quinz > Firm Profile
The firm: Quinz was created in 2011 as an independent premier business law firm. Since then, the firm has considerably grown in size, to more or less 40 lawyers, but has retained its original focus. The firm does not aspire to be a full-service firm but prefers to concentrate on its four areas of practice, offering top legal quality and tailored service. Its client base is a mix of international and national corporate clients, from various business sectors. Quinz is well-recognised in the Belgian legal market, respected by its peers for the strength of its team, their legal expertise and the pragmatic approach. The firm is well-connected in most jurisdictions in Europe, Asia and the US through its close relationships with ‘best friends’ law firms. Many of its lawyers have also gained experience in international law firms or as in-house counsel in multinational companies.
Areas of practice: Quinz concentrates on four areas of practice: litigation and arbitration, corporate M&A and commercial, life sciences, and competition law. The firm practises in English, Dutch and French.
Litigation and arbitration is an essential part of Quinz’s business. The experienced team of litigators fights for the interests of its clients in Belgian courts as well as in national and international arbitration and mediation proceedings. The firm assists companies in negotiations and delivers exceptionally reliable advice on litigation risks and strategy. The dispute resolution practice focuses on commercial and corporate disputes, creditor claims and insolvency, regulatory claims and white-collar defence.
The corporate M&A and commercial team works for both international corporations, private equity funds, investors, banks and financial institutions as well as entrepreneurs, start-ups and growing businesses – and advises on various types of M&A projects, equity financing and credit transactions and a variety of corporate counselling and business restructuring matters.
The life sciences team occupies a unique place in the Belgian and European legal markets. It is dedicated to providing expert advice (on both national and international matters) to companies active in pharmaceuticals, biotech, medical devices as well as innovative technologies (smart devices and ICT, key enabling technologies). The firm’s clients comprise pharma multinationals, SMEs, innovative start-ups and spin-offs. The life sciences team at Quinz advises on regulatory challenges, compliance issues and the preservation of its clients’ intellectual property, drafts and negotiates contracts for day-to-day operations, and assists its clients with corporate structuring, strategic projects, business development and financing needs.
The competition team has built solid expertise over the past years by assisting national and international clients in high profile cartel and abuse of dominance investigations, providing compliance and dawn raid trainings and advising on cooperation agreements and distribution strategies as well as state aid. Quinz’s clients seeking competition law assistance are often companies in the pharmaceutical sector. Through close collaboration with Quinz’s life sciences team, our team aims at giving tailor-made advice, taking into consideration the peculiarities of the pharmaceutical sector and its regulatory framework. In addition to the life sciences industry, the firm also generates interesting mandates from clients in other sectors such as retail wholesalers, insurance companies, telecom operators and public undertakings.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Dispute resolution (Litigation & Arbitration) | Benoît Allemeersch | benoit.allemeersch@quinz.be | +32 2 255 73 80 |
Corporate and M&A | Bart Lintermans | bart.lintermans@quinz.be | + 32 2 255 73 80 |
Corporate and M&A | Klaas Thibaut | klaas.thibaut@quinz.be | +32 2 255 73 80 |
Insolvency and restructuring | Benoît Allemeersch | benoit.allemeersch@quinz.be | +32 2 255 73 80 |
Insolvency and restructuring | Bart Lintermans | bart.lintermans@quinz.be | + 32 2 255 73 80 |
Healthcare & Life Sciences | Pieter Wyckmans | pieter.wyckmans@quinz.be | +32 2 255 73 80 |
Healthcare & Life Sciences | Olivier Van Obberghen | olivier.vanobberghen@quinz.be | +32 2 255 73 80 |
Competition & EU | Wim De Meester | wim.demeester@quinz.be | +32 2 255 73 80 |
EU regulation of digital technology and artificial intelligence | Nathalie Smuha | nathalie.smuha@quinz.be | +32 2 255 73 80 |
Lawyer Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Benoît Allemeersch | A respected litigator and negotiator, Benoît Allemeersch represents clients before civil and… | View Profile |
![]() | Stijn De Dier | Stijn focuses primarily on litigation, corporate finance, and M&A. His litigation practice… | View Profile |
![]() | Wim De Meester | Wim De Meester’s practice at Quinz focuses on national and international commercial… | View Profile |
![]() | Marion Lapage | Marion is a corporate lawyer with a main focus on the life… | View Profile |
![]() | Bart Lintermans | Bart Lintermans heads the Quinz M&A practice and, as such, is a… | View Profile |
![]() | Klaas Thibaut | Klaas Thibaut specializes in M&A (including PE), corporate and acquisition finance transactions,… | View Profile |
![]() | Olivier Van Obberghen | Olivier Van Obberghen is an R&D, commercial transactions and M&A lawyer with… | View Profile |
![]() | Joeri Vananroye | Joeri Vananroye specializes in the areas of arbitration and litigation, corporate finance,… | View Profile |
![]() | Pieter Wyckmans | Pieter Wyckmans provides expert advice to companies and organizations active in the… | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Number of lawyers : 40Languages
Dutch English French GermanClient Testimonials
CLIENT: Yves Ovelacq
COMPANY/FIRM: Addingvalue BVBA
TESTIMONIAL: Quinz is without any doubt a go-to firm for dispute resolution in Belgium. They have a rare combination of high-quality people with of course deep legal knowledge, but also highly talented to put the legal experience into concrete action with the complementary skills: communication, negotiation, creativity for alternative solutions and are very knowledgeable and very responsive, making always time when you need it. They put enormous amounts of care into preparing their cases. I have primarily been working with Benoît Allemeersch, who continuously shows superior legal and tactical skills. Benoît Allemeersch is an empathic but persistent lawyer, always quick on his feet and able to come up with pragmatic and commercial solutions to complex legal issues. Finally it is also pleasant to work with them.
CLIENT: Peter Verplancke
COMPANY/FIRM: UCB
TESTIMONIAL: As an associate general counsel at the pharma multinational UCB, I often appeal on the excellent legal services of Quinz’ life sciences department. Like all law firms that we work with, Quinz offers high-quality and punctual legal support. What really makes Quinz’ life sciences department stand out however is its very personalized approach. You can clearly notice how much effort all its team members make to understand our needs and profile and provide their services accordingly, how much care they put in ensuring that their assistance meets our expectations, how focused they are on improving their support.
I generally work with partners Olivier Van Obberghen and Pieter Wyckmans. They manage their team with great care and distinction, and are -most notably- very agreeable to work with.
CLIENT: Hendrik Winkelmans
COMPANY/FIRM: Freshmen Fund
TESTIMONIAL: As CEO/founder of an investment fund in the B2C space we have had excellent experiences with Quinz. We work with them on various aspects of our legal business with an emphasis on corporate & M&A work. Besides their triple-A legal skills, the team excels in its pragmatic, commercial approach as well as in responsiveness.
We have been working mainly with the team under responsibility of Bart Lintermans. We have come to appreciate their boutique approach to servicing their clients. For us as a client that approach comes with benefits such as very hands-on issue handling with high partner involvement. Quinz has also proven to be able to access a very strong and responsive network of law firms. This has allowed us to leverage Quinz for international deals as well as for legal challenges in the tax & labor law area.
CLIENT: Wim Souverijns
COMPANY/FIRM: ObsEva SA
TESTIMONIAL: The Quinz team that supported our launch preparation perfectly managed to provide high quality, to the point and practical legal advice while recognizing the resource constraints of a biotech startup.
They integrated so well in the team that they nearly became part of us without losing their role as external advisor. Never felt like we were working with ‘lawyers’!
CLIENT: Jan Froyman
TESTIMONIAL: After many years of experience with different top tier law firms in Belgium, we settled on working exclusively with Quinz for the past couple of years now. Not only do we find the blended fee rates more competitive compared to other top tier law firms, we appreciate the hands-on no nonsense approach from juniors all the way up to senior partners, combined with the quality of work being on par with Magic Circle firms. Whereas many law firms will engage in endless theoretical negotiations with their counterparts, driving up the bill for their clients and sometimes compromising transactions, Quinz knows exactly the red flags for Green Park and will negotiate accordingly and thus efficiently.
For all our M&A contractual agreements, we work predominantly with Klaas Thibaut and Wout Hooyberghs, who are both extremely professional and available whenever last minute advice is needed.
CLIENT: Birger Jespers
COMPANY/FIRM: Emmaus Group
TESTIMONIAL: The reactivity of the lawyers of Quinz is exceptionally fast. They are able to rapidly analyse a case and propose a realistic procedural strategy. There is no limit to their commitment and dedication to the business and the way in which they handle business creates a tremendous confidence with the clients.
Partner Vincent Van Obberghen is our key contact in litigation matters. During court hearings and expert sessions, one can feel that he is held in very high regard by the court and his opponents. There is also no doubt that he has a very large control over the procedure. He has a very strong understanding of the needs and expectations of his client.
CLIENT: Justine Verbeke
COMPANY/FIRM: AG Insurance
TESTIMONIAL: We appreciate Wim De Meester’s pragmatic and business-oriented approach as well as his very high level of involvement in the file.