Mr Pierre Berger > DLA Piper > Antwerp, Belgium > Lawyer Profile

DLA Piper‘s practice, praised for its ‘unrivalled’ sector knowledge, pairs a transactional banking and finance team with its financial services regulatory offering to support domestic and international clients, with experience in the insurance, fintech, technology, and energy sectors. Caroline Hoste, highlighted for her ‘very broad expertise‘, heads the finance and projects team, while Pierre Berger takes the lead on regulatory and fintech matters. Orestis Omran leads the Brussels-based Greece country group: ‘the service level he provides is incomparably high’, often advising on transactions including Greek, US, and UK law.

DLA Piper’s insurance team acts for a number of leading players in the insurance market, related to coverage advice, dispute resolution, and transactional work. Clients including traditional insurers, re-insurance companies, and intermediaries rely on the expertise of the practice, which often represents them in high-profile litigation. Pierre Berger leads the practice which has continued to grow with the arrivals of Virginie Frémat and Julie De Pauw from CMS, Joris Latui from KPMG Law in Belgium, and Delphine Goens from an in-house role, all in September 2024. Another key contact is Alexander Hamels, who ‘combines in-depth knowledge of insurance law and regulation with an excellent understanding of the market’.

DLA Piper‘s finance services and insurance sector team draws on expertise from the firm’s finance, projects, litigation, corporate, and IP teams to support clients in the fintech sector. Its workload spans authorisation and compliance matters, transactional and product advice, as well as investigations and enforcement. Pierre Berger heads the team, specialising in fintech innovation and advising on blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and digital transformation for financial services clients. Michaël Heene is a key name from the corporate M&A team, while Nicolas Kalokyris brings financial services experience, often assisting financial actors looking to offer new products. For financial regulatory advice, Marie Goossens is a go-to.

DLA Piper’s private equity practice provides ‘precise support’ on matters from fund formation to venture capital investments, also providing advice on tax planning and management. Michaël Heene co-heads the team in Antwerp with Pierre Berger; Heene often advises private equity houses and their portfolio companies while Berger is a go-to for regulatory issues and regulatory-driven strategic projects. In Brussels, finance and projects head Caroline Hoste leads the team alongside tax specialist Chris Thompson.

The ‘highly experienced and innovative‘ practice at DLA Piper advises clients on the gamut of financial regulatory matters, with expertise spanning authorisation and compliance matters, transactional advice, and investigations and enforcement. Clients turning to the team include major Belgian financial institutions, European banks, and fintech companies. Members of the team rely on the technological expertise of the corporate, financial markets, financial services, and tax practices of the firm, and collaborate closely with offices in other jurisdictions, to act on cross-jurisdictional matters. Pierre Berger leads the team, and is noted for being ‘very experienced and having insight on financial regulatory practices across the European Union’. Marie Goossens is ‘one of the true rising stars in the financial regulatory segment’, and has particular expertise in banking, payment services, asset management, and investment services.