Arnaud Coibion > Linklaters > Brussels, Belgium > Lawyer Profile

Linklaters‘ corporate offering provides ‘excellent legal analysis, transactional drive, and top-notch negotiation support’ to its clients, which range from large corporates and financial institutions to private equity funds. The financial services sector is a particular area of strength for the team, which also offers infrastructure, energy, life sciences, and healthcare expertise. Arnaud Coibion, practice head, specialises in private and public M&A, joint ventures, and corporate law, and also boasts experience in equity offerings. Filip Lecoutre‘s transactional practice covers all types of entries into, and exits from, investments, while An-Sofie Van Hootegem ‘is a true deal-maker’ with notable private equity experience, which is also an area of expertise for Evita Bassot.

The team at Linklaters runs the gamut of private equity matters, advising on fund set up and structuring, acquisitions, financing, and portfolio management. It brings together team members from the corporate and finance group both within Belgium and internationally to combine tax, restructuring, and regulatory expertise. Department head Arnaud Coibion is noted for his M&A and equity capital markets experience, while ‘extremely efficient’ An-Sofie Van Hootegem is sought-after by funds, investment holdings and family offices for support throughout the entire buy-out lifecycle. For tax related matters, Caroline Borgers is the go-to.

Linklaters fields ‘outstanding knowledge, expertise and skills’ in its corporate and finance team, combining regulatory and transactional strength to support clients. Its specialist teams include acquisition and takeover financing, direct lending, project finance, and real estate finance. Debt and equity capital markets remain a mainstay of the practice. Team head Arnaud Coibion specialises in M&A, IPOs, and equity offerings, with particular knowledge of the energy sector. David Ballegeer is ‘solution minded’ in his approach to finance transactions, and Anne-Sophie Vankemmelbeke has experience of the full range of capital markets products, in addition to notable strength in general corporate lending and acquisition finance. Filip Lecoutre and Francis Wijnakker are also recommended.

At Linklaters, practice head Arnaud Coibion is sought after for his expertise in advising on energy-related M&A transactions, often involving renewable energy generation and energy storage matters. The group is well versed in assisting with energy-related corporate, tax and finance work. Other key practitioners include David Ballegeer, who regularly acts for energy distribution companies in matters involving project and acquisition finance. Lothar Van Driessche left the firm in June 2024.