Bruno Lebrun
Partner
Janson
janson.bejanson.beClient SatisfactionLawyers
Cédric Alter
PartnerCédric Alter joined Janson as a partner in September 2007 and co-leads the firm's Insolvency law team. Cédric has gained significant experience in insolvency law, business law and contract law working for both Belgian and foreign clients.He also regularly acts in judicial and arbitration proceedings (as counsel or arbitrator), and is a member of the Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation (CEPANI and CCI).Cédric is professor at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management at the ULB for the Business Law course. He is also co-president of the CAP Network, which brings together insolvency professionals, and secretary of the Insolvency section of the International Bar Association. He is the author or co-author of numerous publications and conferences in insolvency law, contract law, banking law and corporate law. References Mediator for the holding company of a major bakery and restaurant chain in order to negotiate an amicable agreement with the holding company's creditors to finance the restructuring, define the scope of a possible transfer, prepare a multi-jurisdictional data-room and search for candidates Acting as court appointed trustee for a judicial liquidation procedure of a group of companies with several million of assets in real estate in Belgium Advising Belgian directors and UK mother company on bankruptcy and closures of shops inBelgium Advising mother company on the closure of a Belgian entity of the group Representing two banks as creditor of a Belgian company in judicial restructuring, regarding inter alia the sale of two shopping center real estate projects and the restructuring plan to its creditors Advising and representing an outlet company with 200+ employees in Belgium and 23 shops for a procedure for judicial restructuring by transfer under judicial supervision with a view to maintaining all or part of the transferor or its activities. Advising also the directors in post-restructuring litigations Advising a Belgian director of a Belgian company for the nomination of a court appointed directors to protect the company against other (foreign) directors and shareholders. Advising the debtor in subsequent procedure for judicial restructuring by transfer under judicial supervision Representing the four majors banks in Belgium as creditors to safeguard their interests in the procedure for judicial restructuring by transfer under judicial supervision undertaken by the debtor Advising court appointed trustees for a Belgian subsidiary in a litigation against the (American) mother company regarding, inter alia, enforcement of a comfort letter
Céline Masschelein
Partner Céline Masschelein joined Janson as a partner in March 2016, after having been Counsel in the Litigation & Arbitration department of Allen & Overy. Céline has a special focus on white collar crime (such as imputations of fraud, forgery, corruption, money laundering, bankruptcy offences) on the one hand and all forms of corporate litigation on the other hand (such as post-acquisition disputes and all possible disputes between (and liabilities of) shareholders, board directors, auditors and other corporate actors). Céline has more than 20 years of experience in dealing with complex national and international disputes in both business and financial criminal law, with specific expertise in the interaction between the two areas. She has already assisted several international and Belgian companies involved in both civil and criminal proceedings. Céline also works within the framework of arbitration and mediation procedures (ADR) and also advises clients preventively. Her broad procedural experience provides added value in drawing up contracts, avoiding disputes and actively working towards amicable settlements. References Counsel to a Fortis bank employee (risk manager) involved as an indicted party in the criminal and civil proceedings following the collapse of Fortis Part of the team that represented SAirGroup in Belgian civil and criminal proceedings following the Sabena bankruptcy for almost fifteen years. The criminal investigation file consisted of 45,000 pages and led to a definitive acquittal of SAirGroup in 2015 Treatment of a Belgian satellite file of Portuguese proceedings following the liquidation of a large Portuguese bank which ran into severe financing difficulties after the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the ensuing severe crisis in the financial markets Representative of a Dutch public art funding organisation which was the victim of fraud and embezzlement by its former CFO Advisor on the risk associated with an asset acquisition of a virtually bankrupt company by the target company (including risk associated with the potential nullity of the transaction/shareholders’ decision (abuse of majority), actio pauliana and claim for gross negligence of the trustee and potential criminal liability)
Dominique Blommaert
PartnerDominique Blommaert joined Janson in 1994 and has been partner at Janson since 1998. Dominique heads the Banking and finance department. He specialises in credit law, including consumer law, mortgage credit and all forms of regulated credit. He is a well-known author in the liability law of credit institutions. He advises his clients on the legal aspects related to the creation of new banking and financial products and assists them in asset management, financial structures (often linked to other guarantees) and the related contractual aspects. His department regularly publishes articles on these topics and many lawyers regularly speak before a specialised audience at scientific conferences. He has a strong track record in litigation. He gained extensive experience in the handling of disputes in banking and finance and has represented various financial institutions. He also has extensive experience in corporate litigation (including insolvency). Dominique also acts in arbitration proceedings (as a lawyer or arbitrator).References Three of the four leading Belgian banks belong to its clients, as a significant number of Belgian credit institutions Advisor to several international banks or financial conglomerates in their banking and credit activities in Belgium Counsel to ex-CEO of Fortis at the moment of the collapse of Fortis. Successful procedure against the financial regulatory authority. Several procedures against ex Fortis shareholders still pending Representing Belfius Bank in its defense against a class action of Arco shareholders Counsel to the target companies in a part of a larger procedure between Perrigo Holding and the former shareholders of the target company Successful intervention on behalf of a mortgage credit company in its issuing of “investment mortgage” financial instruments (the Spaarselect class action). Products were offered to the investors together with insurance products
Dominique Lagasse
Partner Dominique Lagasse specialises in advice and litigation in the fields of public and administrative law, environmental law, real estate law (including expropriation) and public procurement, in all sectors of the economy, such as public and private construction, State-owned companies, retailing and distribution industry and public authorities in general. He assists and advises his clients about building permits and planning permission, subdivision permits, environmental licences, socio-economic permits, street system permits, state concessions, environmental of urban planning audits of companies, environmental clauses in contracts, contracts with public authorities, orders for the appointment or promotion of public officials, employment contracts and disciplinary proceedings against public officials, public authority liability and applications for suspension or annulment before the Council of State. Dominique Lagasse is the author of numerous publications in public and administrative law as well as of the book « L'erreur manifeste d'appréciation en droit administratif. Essai sur les limites du pouvoir d'appréciation de l'administration » (Bruylant, 1986, 554 p.) and of two syllabuses published by the Presses universitaires de Bruxelles.
France Wilmet
Partner France Wilmet joined Janson as a partner in October 2017. She has been a member of the Brussels Bar since 1988 and of the Paris Bar since 1993. France has acquired significant experience in business law and contract law, both with Belgian and foreign clients. She is particularly specialised in financial law (acquisition finance, asset management, commodity finance, derivatives, regulatory finance, regulatory insurance...). References Advisor to a US corporation in the structuring of its Belgian securities to guarantee its financing Advisor to a US bank on the structuring of its security on commodities located in Belgium Drafting of loan documentation for the financing of a real estate acquisition Advisor to a leading US rigid packaging company in one of the largest ever acquisitions of the business unit of a parent company insolvent in Europe under the common European insolvency regulations Assistance to a consortium of lenders in the setting up of mortgages and floating charges by Belgian borrowers and guarantors
Frédéric Fosseur
Partner
Frédéric Fosseur specialises in tax law. He advises and represents his clients in the field of direct taxes (personal income tax, corporate tax, non-resident tax) and indirect taxes (VAT, registration and inheritance tax). He has also acquired experience in the non-profit sector.
Frédéric holds a Master of Laws as well as a Master in public and international affairs (Université catholique de Louvain). He also completed a Master of Tax Law at the Ecole Supérieure des Sciences fiscales in Brussels. He regularly gives lectures on trending tax topics.
Guy Block
Partner With more than thirty years of experience in energy and transport law, Guy Block heads Janson's Energy, climate change and mobility Department. Among other things, Guy has been involved in the liberalization of the electricity and gas markets in European Union member states, including Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Romania as well as Turkey, Iran, Morocco, Qatar, Madagascar and Tajikistan. He is the author of various legislative and regulatory texts. He has also participated in several international conferences and published a large number of articles and books on energy law. His main areas of activity are the liberalisation of the energy (electricity and gas) and transport (rail, air and road) markets. Guy regularly acts before the civil and administrative courts, as well as before the Court of Justice of the European Union. He has extensive experience in assessing, drafting and interpreting legislation relating to the liberalisation of energy markets, drafting energy supply contracts, B.O.T contracts for power plants (gas turbines, wind farms, nuclear, coal), LNG, pipeline cases, as well as in drafting financial contracts. Guy acts as a national and international arbitrator before the ICC, LCIA, IAI and ASA. Guy is born in 1959 and obtained the degrees of Doctor of Laws (PHD), Master of Laws (LLM), Master Degree in Transport and Certificate of English Law after having obtained a Licence en Droit at the University of Liège. References Assistance to Belgian federal and regional governments with the implementation of the Protocol of Kyoto and the transposition into federal and regional law of multiple European Directives Assistance to the government of Tajikistan with reforming its energy sector with financing from the Asian Development Bank Assistance to the Belgian regulator with tariff structures in the electricity and gas sectors Advice on close market issues to new entrants in the Belgian energy markets (access and access responsible contracts, contacts with regulatory authorities) Advice to a major gas supplier on access to and participation in the Zeebrugge Hub Assistance to a gas and electricity supplier with obtaining purchased green certificates Advice to major Belgian industrials on the acquisition of a significant share of electricity production capacity output (approximately 14 TWh/year) in return for a 20-year investment, and on the possible erection of an 800 MW clean coal power plant Assistance and strategic advice to a foreign investor on the construction of a high-efficiency cogeneration unit in Romania Assistance with the drafting of contracts and general conditions for supply of gas and electricity to industrial, small and medium sized and residential consumers at the Belgian federal and regional levels Assistance to major gas actors with due diligence on up-stream LNG installation financing Drafting of legislation relating to the phasing out of nuclear power plants and to funding for decommissioning Litigation on behalf of a major electricity producer and supplier relating to electricity tariffs Litigation relating to renewable support in the Flemish Region (green and cogeneration certificates) Litigation before state courts, the Council of State and arbitration bodies relating to the opening up of the electricity market, including competition issues, green certificates, right of access, obligations of TSO... Establishment of a European consortium for rail transport by means of high speed lines (including financial, technical and legal issues) Creation of a joint venture for the establishment of a multimodal road and rail company Numerous legal cases relating to air transport and the CMR and Warsaw conventions (including parcel transport)
Hans Dhondt
PartnerHans Dhondt is partner at Janson since 2012 en co-heads the IP, IT and Trade practices department. Hans has over 20 years of experience in advising and assisting clients in all aspects of IP protection (advise, (cross-border) litigation, contracts, protection strategies, IP audits...), in drafting and negotiating complex agreements (license, SaaS, technology transfer, IT outsourcing, software development...), and in all aspects of data protection (GDPR compliance) and trade practices (advertising, distant sales, pricing, consumer protection...). He also represents clients in (national and international) dispute resolution and is an arbitrator and a third-party decider in domain name disputes.His clients are active in various industries, including luxury, fashion, banking and finance, retail, engineering and food.Hans has published, has lectured and held seminars on various subjects relating to intellectual property, fair trade practices, media and entertainment law and privacy.References Advising and representing a UK based multinational active in the production and distribution of vitamins and food supplements in a trademark conflict with a direct competitor before the General Court of the European Union Advising and assisting HomeSend, a money remittance HUB and licensed payment institution in Belgium (a subsidiary of MasterCard) in its negotiations and contracting with various IT suppliers Assisting and representing a very well-known fashion company (one of the global market leaders) in a multijurisdictional copyright and trademark conflict with an Italian, a French, an American and a Belgian company that all sell the same products that constitute an infringement upon the copyrights and trademark rights of our client Advising and assisting a very well-known multinational large-scale non-food retailer, specialized in the distribution of consumer products and services (with at the time nearly 1,000 stores spread over The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom) in drafting and negotiating a complex IT agreement (and multiple ancillary agreements) with a leading global end-to-end provider of services, software and hardware for the financial and retail industries. The contract negotiations took several months and took place in Belgium, in Germany and in The Netherlands. The agreements relate amongst to GAP analyses, software license and development, hardware supply, implementation services and maintenance services
Johan Kerremans
Partner Johan Kerremans joined Janson as a partner in 2013. He assists and defends foreign and Belgian companies in various areas of individual employment law (such as recruitment, dismissals, employee benefits, health and safety issues and privacy) and collective labour law (transfer of undertaking, outsourcing, collective dismissals, etc). Johan specialises in international labour law, including immigration, outsourcing of workers and subcontracting. He also deals with special statutes (athletes, health professionals, protected employees). Furthermore, Johan is a scientific collaborator in labour law at the University of Antwerp and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Johan regularly publishes in the field of labour law and is a frequent speaker at seminars.
Johannes Cassiman
Senior AssociateJohannes Cassiman advises and assists clients in all aspects of IP protection and enforcement (advise, national and international litigation, contracts, protection strategies, etc.). He has gained valuable experience in drafting and negotiating IT-agreements (license, hosting, SaaS, IT outsourcing, software development, etc.), as well as in all aspects of data protection (GDPR compliance) and market practices (advertising, distant sales, pricing, consumer protection, etc.).References Advising and assisting a major group of Belgian Hospitals in its negotiations and contracting with a multinational IT company, regarding a multi-million contract on the hosting of its critical IT-systems and providing continuous advice on cross-border personal data transfers Advising and representing the Dutch subsidiary of a Canadian stock-listed company in litigation regarding a failed IT/e-commerce project Advising and assisting a multinational in the field of imaging solutions on obtaining digital signature certificates to participate to Belgian government tenders Advising and assisting a cloud-based accounting software provider in drafting general terms of use, privacy policy and data processing agreements and drafting and negotiating contracts with various IT-suppliers and software resellers Drafting of intra-group license agreements for proprietary CRM-software for various clients, including one of the largest Belgian HR and recruitment companies and a multinational company active in the sector of high-end design products and services Advising and representing a UK based multinational active in the production and distribution of vitamins and food supplements in a trademark conflict with a direct competitor before the General Court of the European Union Representing a major Belgian stock listed company in the recovery of its domain names before the WIPO UDRP Centre
Kris Wauters
Counsel Kris Wauters has been a lawyer since 1993 and specialises in public and administrative law. He became Counsel at Janson in 2012. He mainly deals with cases concerning economic public law (accreditations, mobility, state aid), public procurement, other government contracts (concessions, PPP,...), government liability, environmental law and energy law. Kris is professor at the Université catholique de Louvain since 2010, where he is a member of the public law sector and where he teaches various courses in administrative law, including public procurement law, energy law, public economic law and local authorities. Kris is also editor-in-chief of the only Belgian Review on public procurement and other government contracts (Marchés et contrats publics). He is moreover member of the Law Committee of het National Building Organisation giving advice on public procurement to the Federal Government. References Conducting the negotiation between a governmental institution and companies and reaching a settlement agreement Assisting companies before the council of state for a public contract signed with another tenderer and conducting the proceedings before the civil court to claim damages Advising and representing the Flemish government (roads and traffic agency) in a procedure introduced in extreme urgency by a tenderer to gain the suspension of the public contract Assisting a company in a claim for damages for a (annulled) law imposing a public burden for companies active in real estate Assisting the European Commission in a procedure of a tenderer for a claim of damages for a public contract Advising and representing the Flemish government (roads and traffic agency) in a procedure introduced by a tenderer to annul a public contract signed with another tenderer Providing advice to companies on litigation procedures and alternative solutions Assisting companies in negotiations with governmental institutions on PPP-contracts
Lydie Van Muylem
Counsel Lydie Van Muylem joined Janson in 2010 and has been appointed Counsel in 2020. Through her thoroughness and capacity to adapt, Lydie quickly earned the opportunity to work in complex and high profile litigations involving various areas of business law, such as banking and finance law. She currently represents Banque Degroof Petercam (together with Dominique Blommaert) in proceedings regarding the public bid on the shares of Banimmo SA, a Euronext listed company, and regularly acts on behalf of several Belgian Banks in “funding loss” - litigation matters. The clients highly value her responsiveness, the precision of her work and her genuine concern for their best interest.
Martine Berwette
Partner Martine Berwette is specialised in intellectual property as well as in personal data protection with a broad experience in civil procedure, trade practices and commercial law in general. For several years, Martine has been assisting companies in all matters related to the protection of personal data of their clients, contacts, suppliers and employees (video surveillance cameras, cookies policy, privacy policy, etc.). She has assisted many companies in complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Martine is also specialised in all aspects of judicial law related to these matters, including enforcement measures (seizures) and exequatur. She has been teaching private judicial law for several years at the Brussels Bar in the framework of the courses of aptitude for the profession of lawyer. She is also an assistant lecturer in private judicial law at ULB Mons since 2011. She also has a long experience in Congolese law (DRC), in particular in contract law and labour law (especially for expatriate contracts).
Mireille Buydens
PartnerMireille Buydens heads the IP, IT and Trade Practices department of Janson with Hans Dhondt. She is particularly recognised for her expertise in the field of patents, trademarks and copyright, with extensive experience in complex IP transactions.She ranks amongst the leading IP lawyers in Belgium and she regularly acts for international chemical and oil companies, as well as major multinationals in the food sector. Mireille is highly regarded for her advice and is also well known for her litigating experience and skills.Mireille is a professor at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and at the University of Liège and is a lecturer at the CEIPI (Centre d'Études Internationales de la Propriété Intellectuelle). She is the author and co-author of several books on intellectual property.Mireille was admitted to the Brussels Bar in 1992 and to the Paris Bar in 2001. After practising within other large Brussels and US business law firms, she joined Janson as a Partner in 2013.
Muriel Baudoncq
Partner Muriel Baudoncq joined Janson as a partner in November 2017. She is an expert in complex issues of financial regulation, both in Belgian and European law. She regularly advises her Belgian and international clients on the licences and authorisations required to carry out, offer or market regulated activities in Belgium such as deposit taking, lending, leasing, renting, factoring, MiFID investment services, asset management, insurance activities... She also acts for intermediaries (brokers, agents, tied agents, business providers). Muriel's work includes assisting clients in obtaining and maintaining the required authorisations from the NBB or the FSMA as well as advising on governance compliance (fit & proper, internal control, outsourcing, cloud computing...), rules of conduct and regulation of financial products. She also has specific expertise in international issues and assists clients established in other European countries or outside Europe who wish to provide their services in Belgium on a cross-border basis or by establishing a branch. Due to her previous position in a British law firm, she has also acquired specific expertise in the Brexit context. Muriel is also a recognised expert in the asset management sector where she advises and assists asset management companies, distributors and other intermediaries in the commercialisation of funds to both professional and retail investors. She has also assisted clients in the creation of Belgian funds (institutional SICAV, Pricaf). Her expertise covers both UCITS and alternative funds. In the field of capital markets, she has experience in public and private offerings of financial instruments and structured products, particularly with regard to the protection of consumers and retail clients. Muriel is also involved in financing and taking security on Belgian guarantors or assets located in Belgium. Part of Muriel's activity also involves assisting clients in mergers and acquisitions, restructuring operations subject to corporate law and stock option or warrant plans. References Advisor to many EU and non-EU financial institutions operating in Belgium on a crossborder basis and recently in light of Brexit Advisor to a leading US rigid packaging company in one of the largest ever acquisitions of the business unit of a parent company insolvent in Europe under the common European insolvency regulations Advisor to a Dutch company on the rules applicable where granting or extending credit to small and medium size enterprises Assistance to a consortium of lenders in the setting up of mortgages and floating charges by Belgian borrowers and guarantors
Prescillia Algrain
Counsel Prescillia Algrain joined Janson's Banking and Finance department in 2012, after a LL.M. degree in European law. She specializes in credit law, with a specific focus on consumer credit and mortgage credit. Her practice covers both litigation and advisory work. In the past two years, she has litigated high profile cases on behalf of various banks relating to the financing of solar panels, in which a large number of consumers had challenged the validity of the loans granted by the lenders. Clients praise her ability to deliver robust advice, thorough analytical capabilities and on point attitude. She is responsive to, and concerned with, her clients’ needs.
Stijn Verbeke
Partner Stijn Verbeke is lawyer at the Brussels Bar and started his career as a trainee and associate at Janson where he became partner in 2013. Together with Jan Ghysels, he leads the Dutch-speaking part of the Public and administrative law department. Stijn advises clients on various matters from general administrative and public law to environmental law and real estate law. He also has extensive experience in dealing with these matters in the context of mergers and acquisitions and real estate agreements and projects. He has also built up special expertise in the field of soil law and in the field of take-back obligations and environmental policy agreements, in particular with regard to waste electrical and electronic equipment. He has also built up extensive experience in the drafting of agreements with public authorities and private companies concerning the execution of take-back obligations.