Europe - Belgium
2

Dispute resolution

Strelia

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The practice at Strelia is commended for its ‘very broad experience and excellent legal knowledge’ with expertise across complex commercial litigation, along with knowledge of competition and regulatory, public procurement, and construction work. Post-M&A litigation and shareholder disputes are key focuses of the team, which also has a prominent arbitration practice. Jean-Pierre Fierens leads the team of ‘experienced and competent lawyers’, with specific expertise in disputes involving directors’ liability. Also of note are the ’very reliable’ Gaetano Jannone, and the ‘extraordinary and extremely intelligent’ Joanna Kolber.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘On top of extensive legal expertise, Gaetano Jannone is very reliable, always available, and has a great insight of his clients' needs. It is a pleasure to work with him.’

  • ‘As a company working in a very specific field, we appreciate that Strelia invested the time in getting to know our products in order to advise us accordingly. Strelia has always been a highly professional law firm on which we can count whenever we have a specific question. We appreciate their responsiveness and pragmatic hands-on approach.’

  • ‘Joanna Kolber is an extraordinary and extremely intelligent partner of Strelia, thinking out of the box, constantly seeking the right arguments and position in court cases. She sees connections where others don't see them, her communication is highly transparent and clear and she strives for perfection. She has a high IQ and EQ and is extremely engaged in going the extra mile for her clients.'

  • 'Sofie Onderbeke is a highly motivated associate of Strelia, genuinely interested, pleasant to work with, and motivated to deep dive into the documentation and additional information to strengthen our cases. She is the perfect tandem with Joanna Kolber.’

  • ‘Joanna Kolber was extremely responsive, proactive and helpful. Joanna provided very commercial and reasonable advice to a client in a sensitive commercial dispute.'

  • ‘Experienced and competent lawyers.’

Key clients

  • ABN Amro
  • ACER
  • Ansul
  • Becchetti
  • Belgian State
  • Canon Belgium
  • Carrefour
  • City of Brussels
  • Credendo
  • Eneco
  • Engie
  • Ethias
  • French Republic (Ministry of Culture)
  • Gunvor
  • ING Bank
  • Kone
  • Lineas
  • Lunch Garden
  • Neo
  • NSD
  • Optima Bank
  • PCS Innotec International
  • Rexel
  • TotalEnergies
  • Tractebel
  • Triumph Motorcycles
  • Vesalius Biocapital

Work highlights

  • Acted in landmark litigation concerning withdrawal by NSD on behalf of its clients of €22.5bn worth of securities from Euroclear in the aftermath of the European sanctions on Russia and of the Russian countermeasures.
  • Acted as co-counsel in a dispute concerning the enforcement of a multimillion ICSID award against Albania against Albanian assets held with an international organisation with a seat in Belgium.
  • Acted in litigation concerning the termination of surface right agreements on which a new landmark national football stadium was planned for the European soccer championships in 2020.

Lawyers

Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Jean-Pierre Fierens
Hall of fameStrelia
Jean-Pierre Fierens is a partner in our dispute resolution practice. He specialises in corporate and contract law and is one of Belgium’s most renowned litigators, especially in arbitration. Jean-Pierre acts on a range of domestic and international cases, covering both litigious and arbitral proceedings for clients in sectors including banking, food, and insurance. He also represents state entities. He is well-known for his roles in complex and highly mediatised disputes involving liability of directors. Over the last ten years, Jean-Pierre has been appointed numerous times as sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator, or chairman of an arbitral tribunal. He also acts as counsel in arbitration matters, and he is an accredited mediator (CEDR, London).
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Jean-Pierre Fierens

Other key lawyers

Gaetano Jannone, Joanna Kolber, Sofie Onderbeke

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