Osborne Clarke

The firm: Osborne Clarke is a fast-growing international legal practice, with more than 800 lawyers working across Europe, Asia and the US. The team offers a high-quality integrated service for multi-jurisdiction work, focused on achieving commercial results for the client. Osborne Clarke’s legal expertise is underpinned by its in-depth knowledge of seven key industry sectors: digital business; energy and utilities; financial services; life sciences and healthcare; real estate and infrastructure; retail; and transport and automotive. For businesses in these sectors, Osborne Clarke not only offers a full range of legal services, but uses its sector knowledge to provide insights that help clients take effective action at the right time.

Osborne Clarke is recognised for its welcoming culture, which means that clients experience strong relationships and a consistently approachable, easy-to-understand style regardless of where they are based.

Osborne Clarke’s Brussels-based team regularly advises domestic and international clients on a range of business law matters. With expertise across a broad range of legal disciplines, it has particular experience in advising clients in the digital business, life sciences, real estate and retail sectors. Brussels also provides a base for OC’s multi-jurisdictional EU regulatory team, which advises clients on crucial EU-wide issues such as competition, procurement and state aid.

Areas of practice
Commercial: the team advises clients on the contracts that underpin their business as well as day-to-day issues, from outsourcing, expanding sales networks, procuring goods and services to checking advertising compliance.

Corporate: Osborne Clarke advises at every stage of company development across all corporate issues, from equity and debt fundraisings, to M&A, IPOs and JVs. OC also advises on the establishment of compliant and efficient governance structures.

Employment: practical, day-to-day support covers the full range of employment issues from recruitment and employee incentive schemes to dismissal, risk management and reputational issues. The team is an acknowledged leader in defending employers on high-profile litigation claims, outsourcing (transfer of undertakings) and reorganisation issues.

Energy: Our specialized team advises clients on all aspects of energy and climate law, focussing both on the contracts (EPC, O&M and PPA), the regulatory aspects, and energy and climate litigation. We have a particular focus on renewables, nuclear, offshore, heat districts, energy efficiency, charging infrastructure, CCSU and EU ETS. Our team covers all three regions in Belgium and advises in English, Dutch or French.

Environment: Our specialized team advises clients on all aspects of environmental law, assisting clients in obtaining or challenging permits, advising on legal obligations in environmental law and drafting environmental clauses, contracts or settlements. We have a particular focus on air, water and soil related matters, ESG, health & safety, heritage protection, public and private nature, product regulation, and waste. Our team covers all three regions in Belgium and advises in English, Dutch or French.

Data protection: the team handles substantial and complex data protection and exploitation projects. Much of the data protection work involves working across borders, so clients can expect seamless international service.

Dispute resolution: Osborne Clarke’s disputes team resolves complex, high-value disputes across a wide range of jurisdictions. Services include early-stage strategic input, representing clients in court proceedings, international arbitration, mediations and regulatory investigations.

Intellectual property: from new patents to licence negotiations to IP portfolio sales, Osborne Clarke has the experience to get valuable commercial results. In IP disputes, the team can help prevent misuse of IPRs, or defend against allegations of infringement, wherever in the world they occur.

Information technology: Osborne Clarke’s IT team advises on all aspects of technology and its impact on businesses. Particular areas of focus include data protection, IT contracts and outsourcing.

Not-for-profit: Osborne Clarke understands the seriousness of the challenges facing not-for-profit groups and the team is passionate about supporting, advocating for and advising trade and lobbying associations, charities, hospitals, foundations and other national or international not-for-profit organisations.

Payments: the team specialises in banking and financial law, with a particular focus on fintech, payment services and e-money, banking and financial services, and the prudential supervision of financial institutions.

Real Estate: Our experienced team provides the full lifecycle of service to clients across various industries. We assist with domestic or international issues, including cross-border property investments, real estate portfolio management, infrastructure assets, and construction disputes. Thanks to our international real estate practice, clients benefit from expert insight on Europe and the UK's property trends and cutting edge legal and financial models for investment and development.

Tax: the team of tax specialists can help resolve all manner of taxation issues, from investment funds, corporate transactions and property tax, to employee and expatriate services, private client needs, disputes and VAT. Osborne Clarke’s simple aim is to help our clients pay their fair share, in a compliant way.

Regulatory and compliance: Osborne Clarke advises businesses on their EU, cross-border and domestic regulatory and compliance issues, with a focus on two key sectors: life sciences and healthcare and retail and consumer. The team assists clients throughout the full lifecycle of their regulated products from research and pre-marketing to distribution, advertising and product liability issues.