LITIGATION

As one of the largest practices in Belgium with 8 partners and more than 25 associates, and one of the few covering the whole spectrum of dispute resolution clients’ needs in one stop shop, our litigation team advises and represents clients in commercial contracts litigation, banking, finance, corporate and insolvency litigation, as well as intellectual property, competition disputes, and tax disputes. Our team enjoys a strong reputation for complex litigation and has an excellent track record of dealing with highly complex, high-stake cross-border disputes.

Our Offer

Our practice is dedicated to the prevention and resolution of complex and/ or international disputes, representing clients or assisting the firm’s other practices in their litigation. Our specialists are highly recognised in these matters, as they do focus not only on litigation but also on national substantive laws: they combine an in depth knowledge of Belgian and international business law with a strong litigation experience.

We have a deep sectorial knowledge to support our expertise.

We understand the importance of keeping our clients up-to-date and informed of key legal developments, so we publish newsletters and Legal Insights on a regular basis. We also organise dedicated information and training sessions on specific legal topics, and recently launched our LegalLie legal podcasts to continue addressing our clients’ questions.

We assist clients in numerous sectors to determine the most appropriate business scheme, to deal with business-critical situations and to prevent or resolve disputes.

Awards & Recognition

‘A strong team with extended competencies in various areas. Very good internal and external communication when additional expertise is required by the customer.’

‘Lead contacts Olivier Vanden Berghe and Roel Francis are experts in their respective fields, and supporting contact Thijs Vermeulen is a high level right-hand man.’

“Olivier Vanden Berghe leads the commercial contracts and litigation practice, and is particularly experienced in disputes related to business to business transactions in energy and pharmaceuticals.”

‘‘Roel Fransis: very knowledgeable, excellent follow up and excels in expertise (up to date of case law, in depth knowledge of th e law) warm personality and great to work with.’

‘The team is very communicative, interactive and very responsive. They reply, explain the legal jargon, implications and make reasonable expectations. They established a shared platform, a WhatsApp group for quick feedback.’

‘Great team, well streamlined and available, good follow-up’

Legal 500, Dispute Resolution, Tier 2, 2022

One source describes the team as "very pragmatic and considered," as well as being "very patient in working through the issues, readily open to discussions about points of law and testing theories and very collaborative” Another stresses the team's "high ability in analytical thinking," and notes that "the lawyers are always ready to promptly answer all our questions."

Chambers Europe and Global, dispute resolution, 2022, Band 2

"Stefaan Raes knows exactly how to manoeuvre between the authorities involved, the courts and even the political aspects of cases ," says one source.