K&L Gates GP > Brussels, Belgium > Firm Profile

K&L Gates GP
THE VIEW BUILDING
RUE DE I'INDUSTRIE 26/38
BRUSSELS 1040
Belgium

Visit website 32 2 336 1900 32 2 336 1901

Belgium > Aviation Tier 3

K&L Gates GP has an offering that includes particular expertise in matters relating to air ticket distribution, airports, ground handling, and regulatory. The group is headed by Mélanie Bruneau, whose expertise includes regulatory compliance. Philip Torbøl departed the firm in January 2024.

Practice head(s):

Mélanie Bruneau

Key clients

World Fuel Services

Amadeus

Multi Service Tolls

Belgium > Industry focus: Transport Tier 3

K&L Gates GP is noted for providing advice on international and European transport legislation, incorporating aviation, rail, road and maritime transport issues. Practice co-head Mélanie Bruneau has in-depth knowledge of the commercial issues faced by logistics companies, while co-lead Antoine de Rohan Chabot frequently advises on EU regulatory issues faced by transport and aviation companies. Fomer co-head Philip Torbøl left the firm in 2024, shortly before publication.

Practice head(s):

Mélanie Bruneau; Antoine de Rohan Chabot

Key clients

World Fuel Services

Amadeus

Formula 1

Belgium > Customs, trade, WTO and anti-dumping Tier 4

K&L Gates GP‘s Brussels team maintains close relationships with the firm’s international offices, which it routinely leverages to act for commercial clients in EU anti-dumping investigations and in trade measure reviews. The team also regularly advises on the FDI aspects of global M&A and advises a growing number of clients on EU sanctions compliance. Petr Bartoš frequently handles FDI and export control matters. Alessandro Di Mario left the team in September 2022, and former practice head Philip Torbøl left the firm in 2024, shortly before publication.

Other key lawyers:

Petr Bartoš; Nikolaos Peristerakis

Key clients

LG Chem Ltd.

TABC

Jota Aviation Ltd.

Amadeus IT Group SA

Securitas

FMI

EMM

Lummus Technologies LLC

Arconic Corporation

Ontex

Attindas

Essity

ATI, Inc.

FujiFilm Europe GmbH

Lacy Distribution, Inc.

E.ON SE

Kaman Corporation

Birdeye, Inc.

Entersekt Proprietary Limited

Google Inc.

Tight Co SL

Dorian LPG LLC

Macquarie Capital (Europe) Limited

Chemnav Shipmanagement Ltd.

Navitramp Freight Agency Ltd.

Ball Horticultural Company

Federated Hermes, Inc.

Dimensional Fund Advisors

Sinch Holding AB

Quest Software Inc.

Julius Bär Group

Inner Mongolia Dazhong Mining Co., Ltd

JP Lease Products and Services

Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd

Coty, Inc.

Votorantim Cement

Prvo Plinarsko Drustvo (“PPD”)

Church & Co. Ltd

Xempus AG

Repligen Corporation

ACM Research Inc.

Ermenegildo Zegna Holditalia S.p.A (“Zegna”)

Prada S.p.A.

NIO Gmbh

James Hardie Industries plc

Work highlights

Assisted Julius Bär, a Swiss private banking corporation, with EU sanctions compliance related to the transfer of certain funds between two major financial cities in Europe.
Advised FMI on the removal of a duty suspension for imports into the EU on products currently produced by FMI in the EU.

Belgium > Competition: EU and global Tier 5

The ‘very skilled, prepared and reactive‘ team at K&L Gates GP maintains its stellar reputation for assisting with global merger control and foreign direct investments matters, and is increasingly attracting attention for its proficiency in handling international cartel investigations. Verticals agreements and distribution issues are also areas of strength. Francesco Carloni, Mélanie Bruneau, Nikolaos Peristerakis are the key senior names to note.

Practice head(s):

Mélanie Bruneau; Francesco Carloni; Nikolaos Peristerakis

Testimonials

‘This practice is not only technically competent and always up to date, it has also demonstrated a strong link between practitioners working on different matters and in different countries, enabling it to provide fast, sound and seamless advice. The business acumen of the partners is also of great value, allowing clients to be supported with a cross-matter approach which is extremely effective.’

‘My impression has been extremely good, especially due to the constant availability (even with very short deadlines), the high level of competency and the ability to be able to provide short summaries when that is needed and to provide more context around a topic/question when that is needed.’

‘ I want to mentioned Francesco Carloni who I would recommend to anyone.’

‘Francesco Carloni and his EU team provided outstanding leadership and guidance to help us.’

‘The K&L Gates EU competition team offered exceptional legal expertise and navigated the transaction seamlessly across multiple European and non-European jurisdictions. Great teamwork.’

‘Francesco Carloni is a true and trusted business partner and exceptional leader. His expertise, unwavering support and responsiveness are outstanding. He is a great advisor and person to work with.’

‘K&L Gates’ partners and team are very skilled, prepared and reactive. One of the most important characteristic that makes this law firm different from the competitors is that the client has a sole partner as a point of contact at worldwide level. This characteristic is priceless in case of international project which involve many countries and subsidiaries.’

‘Francesco Carloni is a long-term, trusted advisor on everything from day-to-day to the most complex matters. He is knowledgeable, responsive, pragmatic and ensures reasonable billing for all work done. Without doubt, my first choice.’

Key clients

Zegna

The Washington Family

Silicon Motion Technology

Prada

Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana; Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode

Fujifilm

World Fuel Services

Multi Service Tolls

OTB and its brands (Diesel, Maison Margiela, Marni, Jil Sander, Staff International)

Ferring

PlasticsEurope

Reata Pharmaceuticals

Salvatore Ferragamo

Giorgio Armani

FIATA

Work highlights

Advising Fujifilm on merger control issues relating to its $700m acquisition of semiconductor high purity process chemicals business, CMC Materials KMG Corporation from Entegris.
Advising The Washington Family – a member of the Poseidon consortium – on its acquisition of Atlas in an all-cash transaction for an enterprise value of approximately $10.9bn.
Representing a major fashion brand before the European Commission and the US Department of State in an investigation into alleged cartel conduct in the fashion sector.

Belgium > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 6

The team at K&L Gates GP is capable of handling both domestic real estate and corporate transactions for Belgian clients as well as working with the firm’s international offices to advise on the Belgian aspects of multi-jurisdictional transactions. The practice is co-led by corporate and private equity expert Jeroen Smets and Patrice Corbiau, whose advice encompasses transactional matters as well as commercial agreements and disputes.

Practice head(s):

Patrice Corbiau; Jeroen Smets

Testimonials

‘Excellent value for money.’

‘We particularly appreciate the human quality of the people involved and their constant willingness to come up with constructive proposals.’

Key clients

3D Systems Corporation

AB Alternative Fund

Hill-Rom

Microfocus

II-VI Incorporated

Solvay

Christie’s Mansion & Woods Limited

Securitas AB

Cipla Limited

Irvine Scientific Sales Company, Inc

Mölnlycke Health Care AB

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Haas Automation Europe

LX Hausys

Fujifilm Corporation

MotorK Italia

Sealed Air Corporation

PR Promotion

FMC Corporation

PR Promotion

Wella International Operations

Oracle Corporation

The Nickel Institute

Trianchor Capital Management

Veden Dental

Laboratory Corporation of America

Bin Hamoodah Ltd

GN Store Nord A/S GN

A.N.S. Benelux

Work highlights

Advised Securitas AB on the Belgian aspects of the acquisition of Stanley Security, the electronic security solutions business from Stanley Black & Decker Inc.
Advised AB Alternative Fund SICAV-SIF, European Real Estate Sub-Fund, on the acquisition of AGC’s Glass’s European HQ in Louvain-la-Neuve.
Advised MotorK Italia on the acquisition of the digital automotive retail company Carflow.

Hong Kong > Investment funds

Hall of Fame

Scott Peterman - K&L Gates

The Firm: K&L Gates’ Brussels office is multilingual, is qualified in several jurisdictions, and brings together significant international experience. The office’s practices have both an international and national focus on European Union (EU) competition, EU regulation across a variety of sectors, public policy and market access issues, and corporate and commercial matters. The firm provides comprehensive international, domestic, and cross-border advice across a broad range of areas, often involving a combination of practice areas, bespoke to the needs of clients and the particular matter at hand.

K&L Gates is one of the largest law firms in the world with more than 45 offices located in key capital cities and world commercial and financial centres spanning five continents. Its many offices operate as one firm, offering clients local market knowledge and access to both national and international capabilities.

Main areas of practice

EU Competition and Regulatory: The Brussels Competition team advises on the full range of EU competition law and national competition law, including merger control, cartel investigations, anticompetitive behavior, sector inquiries, and state aid. The team, which works closely with lawyers in our other European offices, has a wealth of experience handling cases before the European Commission and national competition authorities. Their clients include private equity funds, industrial and conglomerate groups, financial institutions, and iconic brands. The EU Regulatory practice offers strategic legal advice across a variety of sectors, assisting companies not only in operating effectively through the maze of regulatory obligations while ensuring compliance, but also on how to influence and take advantage of the regulatory framework.

Public Policy and Market Access: The European Public Policy and Market Access group advises clients on how to better understand and shape regulatory and legislative actions affecting their businesses. They have an in-depth understanding of the regulatory and policy procedures of the EU and access to EU and national decision-makers. The team assists clients in a variety of sectors, including financial services, digital services, international trade, transportation, and fashion and luxury.

Corporate and Transactional: The Corporate and M&A practice of the Brussels office advises companies on the full range of corporate and commercial transactional matters. The practice is fully integrated with the firm’s international Corporate and Transactional practice, one of the most substantial in the world with more than 500 lawyers. The Transactional practice advises multinational and Belgian corporations on a wide range of corporate and commercial transactions and related matters, including cross-border, private, and public M&A deals; commercial contracts; capital markets; private equity; venture capital; joint ventures; corporate restructurings; general corporate law; and dispute resolutions.

Commercial: The Transactional team provides general contract support and handles major projects and business critical contracts for companies across many sectors. We draft and negotiate a wide spectrum of contracts ranging from routine to highly complex strategic contracts, including terms and conditions of sale and purchase, supply, lease, leasing, services, outsourcing, licensing, real estate transactions, collaboration, and consortium agreements across many different sectors. We also frequently provide advisory services on legal matters relevant to our clients’ businesses, such as competition law, fair trade practices, consumer protection, advertisements, product safety, Internet sales and e-commerce, data protection, and anticorruption issues.

Distribution: Lawyers in our Brussels office have deep experience advising on national and international distribution matters, including the drafting of complex distribution, commercial agency, and franchise agreements; the reorganization of distribution networks; and the potential risks and liabilities related to the termination of distributors, commercial agents, or franchisees. We also have experience representing companies before the courts regarding disputes related to distribution issues.

Litigation: The Litigation practice represents companies in a wide range of commercial litigation and arbitration cases. The team has extensive experience in Belgian domestic and international procedures. Clients include international private and public sector entities across a range of industries.

Transport and Logistics: The EU Transport and Logistics team provides sophisticated and practical advice and support for all aspects of international and European transport legislation, including air, rail, road, and maritime transport business; ground handling; logistics; and express transport. They handle major projects and critical business contracts for companies. The team has a strong sector-specific focus in transport, aviation, and airport matters.

Finance: The Finance practice advises Belgian and international financial institutions on acquisition and real estate finance, structured finance, security packages, and regulatory and general banking law. Our clients include investment funds and companies in the high-technology, logistics, textile, automobile, and pharmaceutical sectors. The practice also helps international clients navigate the European and global financial services policy and regulatory landscape with all banking and capital markets regulation.

Brussels Managing Partner: Tony Griffiths (Managing Partner, London, Brussels, Dubai, and Doha Offices and Managing Partner, Europe and Middle East)

Offices

Europe: Berlin, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Milan, Munich, Paris. Middle East: Doha, Dubai. United States: Austin, Boston, Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Harrisburg, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York, Newark, Orange County, Palo Alto, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh, Research Triangle Park, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC, Wilmington. South America: Sao Paulo. Asia: Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo. Australia: Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney.

Name	Position	Profile
Petr Bartoš	Petr Bartoš is an associate in the firm’s Brussels office. He is…	View Profile
Mélanie Bruneau	Mélanie Bruneau is a partner in the firm’s Brussels office. She advises…	View Profile
Francesco Carloni	Francesco Carloni is a partner in the firm’s Brussels and Milan offices where he…	View Profile
Antoine de Rohan Chabot	Antoine de Rohan Chabot is counsel in the Brussels office and is…	View Profile
Patrice Corbiau	Patrice Corbiau is a founding partner in the firm’s Brussels office. His…	View Profile
Nikolaos Peristerakis	Nikolaos Peristerakis is a partner in the firm’s Brussels office. He is…	View Profile
Jeroen Smets	Jeroen Smets is a partner in the firm’s Brussels office. He concentrates…	View Profile