DLA Piper‘s real estate team is recognised by both national and international clients for its full-service offering, with particular expertise in the tax, finance and public law aspects of real estate transactions. The practice also covers related environmental, planning and zoning law issues. Joseph Spinks heads the practice and specialises in cross-border and domestic real estate transactions, as well as in large-scale construction and development projects. Bob Martens stands out for his expertise in public law matters and is a pioneer in the development of PPP projects in Belgium. Counsel Bérénice Wathelet has over 15 years of experience in public and administrative law, particularly in the field of public procurement.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Joseph Spink's team is very well organised, ensuring that proper high-quality specialists are available in due time.’
‘Joseph Spinks is a very experienced professional who gives high-quality understandable legal advice. Always available on short notice, gives the client the feeling of being in very good hands.’
‘We are very satisfied with DLA Piper. They are always available in case of questions or urgent matters and they always deliver the requested outputs on time. The team has no problem to help discuss contracts in Dutch, French and English which is very helpful for us.’
‘We can always rely on the team with all kind of matters, from leasing to leasehold and vat cases; we have the feeling that DLA is capable of providing us with advice and guidance.’
‘Strong legal skills, combined with commercial acumen.’
‘DLA has specific knowledge of DBFM-agreements in combination with construction projects and litigation. This makes them an ideal partner for our case.’
‘Although we are working in a complex technical case where it is difficult to make progress, DLA is capable of staying on top of things and is readily available when an intervention on their behalf is required. They are aware of the context we are working in and give strategic advice to navigate through the complexities.’
Key clients
- Corum
- NH Hotels
- Ark Data Centres
- Fluvius
- Sligro
- Yays
- Deutsche Bank
- UREP
- IQEQ
- GLP
Work highlights
- Provided comprehensive legal counsel to Kuwait Petroleum Belgium (Q8) in a substantial initiative collaborating with renewable energy developer Storm.
- Assisted Syngenta with the sale and leaseback by Devgen, by way of asset transfer, of its office and R&D property located in Ghent.
- Assisted and advised Realterm in securing a €63m credit facility from PBB.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Joseph Spinks
Other key lawyers
Bob Martens; Christopher Thompson; Bérénice Wathelet