The disputes practice at NautaDutilh is ‘knowledgeable and practical, with a breadth of competencies’, and particular expertise handling complex disputes across an array sectors. Key areas of focus include insolvency litigation, foreign judgment and arbitral awards enforcement, cartel damages litigation, and complex commercial disputes. The team is recognised for its work in disputes involving sovereign states. Stan Brijs leads the team with Sophie Jacmain, whose ‘broad experience helps to solve any kind of problem’. Karel De Smet is highly commended, and is ’not only a highly skilled lawyer but also remarkably mature and professional'.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The way they understood our needs and how they always made sure we got clear and straightforward feedback is exceptional. They immediately understood the challenges of our industry and contract and made sure that the actions they took were accordingly. As we're a start-up, we never felt like a start-up how they treated us.'

  • ‘The service Stan Brijs offered was exceptional. Our Dispute started at the end of November and had a crucial phase during the Christmas and New Years Eve Holidays. Although it was that time of the year, he was always available for advice or actions.'

  • The entire team were very dedicated, open and transparent about our case. Especially the honest feedback and the calming phone calls were much appreciated and were a real lifesaver during the case.’
  • ‘Sophie Jacmain has an impressive experience in litigation files and perfectly knows how the Belgian legal environment works in order to anticipate the coming steps of your litigation. Her team is perfectly trained to support her on all various aspects of any litigation files.’

  • ‘Sophie Jacmain's broad experience helps to solve any kind of problems and, most of the time, avoid litigation. This experience is very pragmatic and results-driven, and thus far from purely theoretical.'

  • ‘Karel De Smet of Nauta Dutilh is not only a highly skilled lawyer but also remarkably mature and professional. His experience and ingenuity are far beyond his years, which consistently shows in the quality of his work and thinking out of the box. The desire to move forward and seek amicable solutions is immense.'

  • 'Karel De Smet is always approachable and easily accessible, whether for major matters or small details. His availability is incredible, and his work ethic unmatched from our point of view. Karel is also an excellent strategic thinker who is able to find solutions quickly, even in complicated situations.'

  • ‘Karel De Smet is adept at breaking down complex legal issues and explaining them in clear terms that non-lawyers, like myself, can understand the issues and cases, making him an invaluable resource for any team. If he weren’t bound to his firm, we would want to hire him in-house. He is an asset to any team.'

Key clients

  • Kingdom of Spain
  • Republic of Albania
  • Engie
  • Euroclear
  • ABN AMRO Bank
  • FedEx
  • UTC Otis
  • Schneider Electric
  • Easyfairs
  • Ghelamco
  • Ascom – Stati
  • Lycops – De Beurme
  • AOTEB

Work highlights

  • Representing the Kingdom of Spain to challenge the enforcement of a USD32m ECT award.
  • Defending Triodos Bank in a high-stakes mass claim initiated by nearly 400 depositary receipt holders.
  • Representing the republic of Albania to challenge the enforcement of various ICC and ICSID awards against this state.

Lawyers

Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Charlotte Van Themsche
NautaDutilh
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Stan Brijs, Sophie Jacmain

Other key lawyers

Karel De Smets