Practice Areas

Practice Areas

 

I. International and EU Trade law

This practice consists of:

  • Advising clients on EU trade regulations and policy, and representing them before the Community institutions in anti-dumping, anti-subsidy, and safeguard investigations, EU trade barriers cases and counterfeit issues. In addition, the firm’s lawyers advise governments and corporations on trade matters arising in other parts of the world.  This includes intellectual property rights’ issues such as trademark counterfeiting and copyright infringement and compulsory patent licensing.
  • Advising clients on legal and practical options with respect to EU import restrictions and EU regulations that may affect exports or imports (e.g. export controls, standards and health requirements).
  • Representing governments in WTO dispute settlement proceedings and advising clients on all aspects of WTO law and practice. In fact the firm probably has the widest experience with GATT/WTO litigation of any EU law firm.
  • Advising clients on EU customs law, including classification, valuation, rules of origin and REM/REC, both at the EU and at Member State level.

II. EU Competition and State Aid law

This practice consists of:

  • Representing and advising clients on various EU and National cartel investigations including, leniency applications.
  • Advising clients on EU and multi-jurisdictional merger filings.
  • Representing clients in abuse of dominance cases (e.g. regarding refusals to license intellectual property).
  • Advising EU-based companies and foreign governments on the implications of subsidies provided by Member States or the EU.
  • Advising EU and foreign-based companies and federations on the implications under EU competition law of their commercial arrangements.

III. EU Regulatory Law

This practice consists of:

  • Being on the vanguard of regulatory issues arising under the EU climate change initiatives; on cap and trade systems, we have challenged national allocation plans, both Phase I and Phase II, and are advising on border remedies. In addition, we have also been involved in the development of the EU regulatory framework promoting the use of biofuels.
  • We have advised companies and governments on the new EU chemicals legislation (REACH), since the drafting stages in 2003. We are advising clients on data protection issues arising under this legislation and the possibilities for registering companies to obtain legal redress against decisions taken under REACH and EU biocides legislation.
  • Advising clients on EU trademark legislation and representing them before the Office for Harmonisation of the Internal Market (Alicante).
  • Advising clients on legislative initiatives regarding consumer protection, media and telecom, health standards and environmental law at the Community level and the Member States' implementing measures.
  • Advising clients on EU public procurement law.

IV. Corporate and Corporate Finance

This practice consists of:

  • Advising and assisting clients in local and cross-border joint ventures, mergers & acquisitions, corporate restructurings as well as with direct investments, distributorship and agency agreements, government procurement contracts, transfer of technology agreements and other similar matters.
  • Advising and assisting clients in their financing needs, including assisting clients in their dealings with commercial and investment banks and with accessing the national and international capital markets, including IPO's, secondary equity offerings, all kinds of debt offerings, private placements, structured finance and securitisation work.
  • Advising and assisting clients, and in particular international finance institutions and commercial and investment banks on project finance and privatisation projects.
  • Advising and assisting clients in real estate development, investment and finance matters.
  • Advising and assisting clients on a variety of corporate and corporate finance issues including but not limited to directors liability, conflicts of interest, insider trading, shareholders agreements, corporate governance, management buy-outs, leveraged buy-outs, al kinds of stock related compensation including but not limited to stock option plans etc.
  • Advising and assisting clients in the biotech, pharmaceutical, telecom  and media industry with respect to their intellectual property rights, negotiation of national and international license, collaboration and joint venture  agreements, representation before the competent authorities

V. Tax

This practice consists of:

  • Advising and assisting corporate clients with respect to the international and Belgian income tax, value added tax, registration tax, and other tax aspects of local and cross-border joint ventures, mergers & acquisitions, corporate restructurings as well as direct investments, the location of corporate headquarters, group finance, treasury, distribution and service centers, as well as of distributorship and agency agreements, transfer pricing and corporate finance structures.
  • Advising and assisting corporate clients with respect to the relocation of expat employees to and from Belgium and in general advising and assisting corporate clients with respect to tax effective compensation techniques for employees and contractors.
  • Advising and assisting clients with respect to estate tax planning.
  • Tax litigation before the competent courts in Belgium

VI. Commercial litigation and arbitration

This practice consists of:

  • Advising and representing clients in commercial litigation before the Belgian courts and advising, assisting and representing clients in international commercial and trade arbitration proceedings.

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