Benjamin Docquir > Osborne Clarke > Brussels, Belgium > Lawyer Profile

The ‘experts in IT law and data protection’ at Osborne Clarke are known for providing assistance to IT providers on strategic IT projects and handling regulatory work for major technology and streaming platforms. Benjamin Docquir – praised for his ‘deep knowledge of the industry and data-related issues in particular’ – co-leads the team alongside technology legislation and regulations expert Laurens Dauwe. Antitrust and trade law specialist Roderick Nieuwmeyer joined from CMS in September 2022; he notably advises on the intricacies of EU competition legislation.

Osborne Clarke is noted for its ‘combination of data and IP knowledge’, which ‘makes it exceptionally well positioned to advise medtech clients’. The practice centres on both advisory and contentious patent and trade secrets matters and has seen an increase in instructions relating to technology transfer deals to China. Benjamin Docquir co-heads the practice and frequently assists clients from the life sciences sector with IP transactional work. Fellow co-head Valentin De Le Court‘s practice has three core pillars: patent litigation, trade secrets issues and IP work involving China.

Practitioners at Osborne Clarke are ‘able to think out of the box‘ when advising on the gamut of issues in the IT field. The team is often instructed to assist with the negotiation of IT contracts and software licences, outsourcing deals and cloud computing agreements, as well as exits from global outsourcing set-ups and transfers to new suppliers. Benjamin Docquir oversees the firm’s IT and IP department in Belgium, which also includes Laurens Dauwe.

Working as part of Osborne Clarke‘s international network, the Brussels-based IP, IT and data group advises on the full gamut of interactions with the Belgian Data Protection Authority, including handling investigations, as well as drafting data protection and whistleblowing policies and carrying out audits. Recently, the firm has been particularly active in the data exchange and transfer space, and has assisted several major EU and US clients with complex international data transfer projects. Practice head Benjamin Docquir is noted for his ‘creative solutions‘.