Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick

Chairman of the Board: François Tulkens

Managing Partner: Vincent Busschaert

Number of partners worldwide: 31

Number of other lawyers worldwide: 130

Languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish

Firm Overview:

Liedekerke is one of Belgium’s foremost full-service business law firms. Based in Brussels, with a London representative office since 2007, it is also present in Africa through its offices in Kinshasa (DRC) and in Kigali (Rwanda). Independent since its creation in 1965, the firm has established an international reputation upon an unchallenged expertise.

Our clients are active in a broad range of industries including financial services and financial institutions, energy, real estate and construction, environment, retail, consumer goods and trade, public authorities and government agencies, automotive, funds and asset management amongst others.

The firm has a strong advisory practice based on sector expertise and an in-depth knowledge of Belgian and European law. As an essential complement to its advisory activities, it represents clients in complex litigation before national, European and international courts, both judicial and arbitral, the Court of Cassation, the Council of State and the Belgian Constitutional Courts.

With over 130 lawyers, including 31 partners, Liedekerke is recognised for its ability to quickly mobilise competent, flexible and multidisciplinary teams anywhere.

Main Areas of Practice:

Administrative and Public

Aviation and Transport

Banking and Insolvency

Capital Markets

Commercial Contracts

Competition and European Law

Corporate and M&A

Energy

Environment

Finance

Fraud and White-collar Crime

IT and Telecommunications

Insurance and Liability

Intellectual Property

Labour and Employment

Litigation and Arbitration

Public International Law

Public Procurement and Public Private Partnerships

Real Estate

Restructuring and Insolvency

Tax

Trade Practices and Consumer Law

Zoning and Planning

Administrative & Public:

Co-operation between public authorities and private companies; privatisations; contracts with government bodies; outsourcing of public services; administrative appeals; staff regulations.

Banking & Finance:

Credit transactions; guarantees and securities; issues of bonds; securitisation; derivative financial products; stockmarket transactions; national and international systems for clearing securities; domestic and cross-border asset funding; accounting and tax aspects of financial transactions. Regulation of banking activities and other financial services; regulation of investment firms; regulation of mutual funds.

Commercial Contracts:

Contract drafting and negotiation; business scheme development; standard terms and conditions; creation of franchising or distribution networks, contract litigation, antitrust law.

Corporate:

Creation of undertakings, operation of companies, transfer of shares and assets, co-operation between undertakings.

Energy:

Market access regulations at federal and regional levels; renewable energy regulations; price regulations; distribution agreements; environmental and planning regulations for production facilities and transport infrastructure.

Environment:

Covering the full range of environmental and planning work, in advisory, transactional and litigation matters all over Belgium. Dealing with international, European, federal, regional and local regulations.

EU & Competition:

European Union competition rules; merger control; estate aids; public procurement; regulations relating to the internal market and the basic freedoms of movement.

Insurance & Liability:

Implementation of regulations related to insurance and reinsurance activities and the prior approval of insurance or reinsurance companies and insurance intermediaries; portfolio transfers; tax aspects of insurance and reinsurance; drafting and wording of insurance or reinsurance contracts; claims monitoring and insurance litigation (life and non life, marine and non marine insurance).

Intellectual Property & Information Technology:

Patents and know-how, trademarks, copyright, media, IT contracts, e-commerce, databases and data protection.

Labour & Employment:

Negotiating and drafting of employment contracts; deferred compensation; termination of employment relations; individual dismissals, collective dismissals, early retirement, restructuring, closure; secondments; workforce elections, collective negotiations, strikes, transfers of undertakings.

Litigation & Arbitration:

Assisting international clients and firms in front of all national, judicial and administrative jurisdictions as well as arbitral bodies; acting as counsels or servicing as arbitrators. This includes a practice dedicated to complex and international litigation in line with the Anglo-Saxon model and in order to respond to the needs of international clients: handling litigation issues according to international standards and dealing with litigation in an international context (foreign client, foreign opponent, litigation or arbitration abroad, securing enforcement abroad, resisting enforcement in Belgium of foreign judgments and awards, organising multi-country claims or defence strategies, etc.).

Mergers & Acquisitions:

Choice of the most appropriate form of reorganisation from commercial, tax, labour and social security points of view; negotiating and drafting documents; domestic and European Union merger control units.

Public International Law:

Regulation of international trade and international investments; public international law aspects of business transactions generally.

Real Estate:

Purchases and transfers of property; town and country planning rules and building permits; environment; compulsory purchases; contracts for architects and property construction and development; public procurement; financial leases of property; property related bonds.

Tax:

Advice on all tax matters and appeals before the tax authorities and the courts, including corporate taxation and personal taxation; tax aspects of commercial and financial transactions; inheritance tax planning.

Trade Practices & Consumer Law:

Rules of access to business sectors; operating and environmental permits; trade practices; price regulation; subsidies.

Transport & Aviation:

Carriage contracts, regulations of transport activities; carriers’ liability; purchase, leasing and financing of aircraft and other means of transport.