Simont Braun

Béatrice Thieffry has a wide experience in the area of business law. She especially practises commercial law, including company law, contract law and real estate law. She also developed a major practice in business liability law. Béatrice Thieffry provides advice and assistance in the drafting and negotiation of contracts. She is also very active in the area of litigation.

Emmanuel Cornu

Partner specialised in Intellectual Property.

Eric De Gryse

Eric De Gryse is a specialist in intellectual property law. He mainly deals with matters of patent law, know-how and technology transfers in a number of technical areas, as well as trade mark law. On these points, he advises clients and acts in national and international litigation, particularly in the areas of pharmaceuticals and chemicals and in relation to food products and services. He also has in-depth experience and knowledge in certain specific branches of intellectual property law (such as plant varieties, origin names and other geographical indications) and in consumer law, trade practices, unfair competition and a number of other regulated areas (advertising in the pharmaceuticals sector, regulation in relation to human cell and skin banks, e-commerce, standardisation, certification, collective trades and labels, the labelling and regulation of food, the fight against piracy, etc.).

Fernand de Visscher

Partner specialised in patents, copyright, media and designs as well as transactional and competition law related aspects. As a specialist in intellectual property, Fernand de Visscher particularly deals with questions relating to patents, the protection of designs and artistic and literary works. Fernand also has in-depth experience in media law, distribution (dealerships, franchises, etc.), computer science, the Internet, domain names, agreements and competition questions in these various areas. He assists Belgian and international companies in these areas, in a range of structural and contractual operations and litigation needing resolution by negotiation, mediation or pleadings before any of the Belgian and European courts.

Jean-François Terlinden

Partner Jean-François Terlinden is a specialist in criminal law, financial law and tax law. He assists and represents Belgian and international companies as well as private individuals in both preventive strategy and litigation. He is the author of various publications, including several articles on the civil liability of legal entities.

Joan Carette

Partner

Joris Beckers

Joris joined Deloitte Legal in 2021. With over 15 years of experience, he assists and advises clients on most aspects of the real estate cycle, ranging from the structuring of real estate (re)developments and investments, the acquisition of real estate, the drafting of occupancy related contracts (lease, usufruct, long lease, right to build), advisor work on the full range of contractual issues and the sale of real estate. In addition, he has a specific focus on sustainability, affordable housing, retail and logistics. As a trusted business advisor, he assists both real estate companies such as real estate developers and investors, Belgian REITS, and public sector clients as well as operators of real estate such as retailers and logistic companies. Joris also represents clients both in court and arbitration proceedings in Belgium. In addition to his real estate expertise, Joris also has a significant background in commercial contracts, with a particular focus on distribution, franchising and unfair market practices.

Laurent de Brouwer

Of Counsel specialised in Marketing, Advertising, Consumer Rights and Unfair Competition. Laurent de Brouwer is a specialist in consumer law (trade practices, e-commerce, consumer credit, privacy, labelling), distribution law and competition law. He also has wide experience in the area of intellectual property law (designs, copyright and trade marks). He advises mail order companies, communication and marketing agencies, and major distribution and food industry companies. He assists them in court and in procedures before the administrative authorities. Laurent is the author of “Le droit des jeux publicitaires”, in 2016, “Le droit des promotions commerciales” and a number of other publications in his focus areas.

Manuela von Kuegelgen

Manuela von Kuegelgen is a specialist in real estate transactions and administrative law, town and country planning law, and environmental law. She assists Belgian and international clients in structuring complex real estate transactions, real estate development and related litigation. Manuela von Kuegelgen has drafted a complete recast of the Housing Code for the Bruxelles-Capitale Region (Brussels). The legislative ordinance has entered into force on 1 January 2018. She was a teaching assistant at ULB from 1989 to 2007 in the law of obligations and contracts, and in security interests. She is still regularly invited to speak at training courses and seminars on real estate law and town and country planning law, notably for public entities. Manuela von Kuegelgen is the author of various publications in French and English on the law of obligations and contracts and on administrative and environmental law.

Paul Alain Foriers

Lawyer at the Supreme Court and professor at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), where he teaches interalia contracts and torts and company law, amongst other subjects. Paul Alain Foriers divides his time between litigation and advisory work. He acts in complex litigation in civil, commercial, company and financial law, before all jurisdictions and arbitration venues. He also acts as an arbitrator. In addition, he assists listed and unlisted companies and family groups in relation to corporate reorganisations, public offerings and takeoverbids, financial regulations and the organization of shareholder relations. He also provides advice on complex questions on civil and commercial matters and on inheritance issues.Paul Alain Foriers was chosen by the Minister of Justice to be part of the group of experts appointed to modernise the Belgian Companies' Code.

Philippe De Prez

Senior Financial law & FinTech lawyer with a strong focus on financial regulatory law, Philippe De Prez assists on a daily basis domestic and foreign credit and financial institutions, investment firms, payment service providers, e-money issuers and technical services providers. As a member of Simont Braun’s Digital Finance Team, he follows closely and works on all FinTech, InsurTech, RegTech and other disruptive initiatives such as mobile payments, virtual currencies, crowdfunding, peer to peer / alternative lending, third-party payment service providers, big data ventures, ICOs and blockchain applications. Philippe De Prez is a multilingual conference speaker and author of various finance and FinTech-related contributions. He is recognised as a Next Generation Lawyer by the Legal 500 in Banking, Finance and Capital Markets. Philippe also has specific experience in corporate & commercial law, M&A, due diligence surveys, restructuring & liquidation of companies, real estate transactions, lease law and town planning.

Rafaël Jafferali

Partner Rafaël Jafferali is a specialist in litigation (including arbitration and proceedings before the Supreme Court), contract law and tort law, and private international law. He mainly acts in important dispute resolution and arbitration cases and provides advice on complex legal questions in those different areas. Rafaël Jafferali is the author of several publications in the areas of contract law, company law and private international law, including a PhD thesis on the theme of retrospectivity in contract law. The majority of these publications can be downloaded on the website DI-Fusion of the ULB. He is associate professor and holder of the Chair of Law of Obligations at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) where he teaches Law of Obligations and International Litigation and Arbitration. Rafaël Jafferali has successfully completed the professional training of the bar of Cassation (2011-2015). He is a member of the group of experts appointed by the Minister of Justice to recodify the law of obligations.

Sandrine Hirsch

Sandrine Hirsch has a wide experience in the field of business law at large, with a specific focus on corporate law, capital markets and banking and finance. She interalia advises banks, investment companies, insurance companies and corporate groups in connection with M&A transactions, issues of securities and takeoverbids. She also assists family shareholders of large listed and unlisted companies in relation with all corporate and finance issues such as corporate governance, structuring of shareholdings, shareholders agreements… She acts regularly in collaboration with investment banks and other professional advisors. In addition, she handles litigation and arbitration proceedings relating to the areas of company law and financial law. Sandrine Hirsch has published various contributions on company law and financial law. She is notably co-author of the book “Les offres publiques d’acquisition, 10 ans d’application de la réglementation” (Larcier, 2018). She is often invited to speak at seminars in those areas. She recently participated as speaker to several seminars on the upcoming reform of the Belgian Companies Code.

Steven Callens

Steven Callens specialises in M&A, corporate law, corporate governance and dispute resolution. Steven has extensive experience in national and international corporate transactions. He focuses on mergers and acquisitions and private equity investments in a wide variety of economic sectors including marketing, e-commerce and retail, automotive and transport, holdings, the luxury sector, as well as renewable energy and manufacturing. He also represents clients in litigation and arbitration proceedings primarily in post-acquisition, director’s liability and shareholder disputes. Steven is regularly appointed as an arbitrator. Steven regularly speaks at conferences on matters of corporate law and arbitration. He is recognised as a “Future Leader” in litigation by Who’s Who Legal.

Thomas Braun

Partner specialised in Construction Law and Real Estate. Mediator in civil and commercial law registered on a permanent basis at the Federal Mediation Committee; former chair and an accredited mediator of the “Chambre de conciliation et d’arbitrage en matière immobilière” (C.C.A.I.). Thomas Braun regularly represents caregivers in the construction sector and private individuals in relation to real estate and construction litigation and mediation. He is also an arbitrator in these practice areas.He contributed to the “Guide de droit immobilier” and is also the author of “Le contrat de sous-traitance”. He regularly publishes in the “Cahiers de droit immobilier”.Thomas Braun is a former member of Brussels Bar Council.

Tom Swinnen

Tom Swinnen specialises in corporate and M&A (incl. venture capital and private equity). Tom advises both international and national (incl. family-owned) clients on corporate and M&A matters. He and his team regularly act as lead legal counsel in complex inbound or outbound cross-border deals and reorganisations. Tom also acts as a ‘trusted advisor’ for a number of key Belgian clients and families, and is highly regarded for his service-minded and client-oriented style. He regularly speaks at conferences on matters of corporate law and M&A, and is a teaching assistant at the Ghent University in company law. Tom is recommended for Corporate and M&A by Legal 500: he is appreciated by clients for the added value he brings to the negotiation table « due to his competence and emphatic behaviour » and is praised as a « pro-active and good listening partner for international M&A deals ». He is rated as “Highly regarded” by IFLR1000 for M&A in Belgium. In addition to his practice as Corporate M&A lawyer, Tom has developed a niche practice focusing on equine law, representing the world’s leading equestrians and equine entrepreneurs established in Belgium.

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