International & Cross-Border Capabilities | Global

A premier international law firm, A&O Shearman in Belgium is identified as a standout choice in the market for handling cross-border matters. Based in Brussels and Antwerp, the law firm has established a strong presence in the market and routinely collaborates with the firm's wider global network, acting on Belgium law aspects of inbound deals. The law firm is also recognised for its ability to lead multi-jurisdictional outbound deals, coordinating with the law firm's global offices as well as with local co-counsel. The team is particularly strong in the European context, aided by its close links with its UK hub.

The firm offers a full service of transactional and contentious capabilities, often acting on high-end, complex and international matters. The law firm excels across a range of sectors, and its stellar practices include corporate/M&A, banking and finance, capital markets and dispute resolution. The law firm is much sought after by a diverse list of Belgian and international clients, ranging from financial services providers to manufacturers and large corporates.

Offering a distinguished full-service practice, the Linklaters team is renowned for its robust strengths in complex transactions and disputes relating to banking and finance, corporate/M&A, capital markets, tax and TMT. These are practice areas in which the legal team takes on significant international roles, acting for large multinationals on cross-border mandates. Clients also turn to Linklaters for its excellent capacity to handle multi-jurisdictional disputes and adeptness in competition matters.

Clifford Chance's Brussels office has developed a respected full-service offering and is a popular choice among clients for handling cross-border matters. The team collaborates regularly with the law firm's international network and offers a well-coordinated, seamless service. The Brussels legal practice plays an important strategic role in the firm's European operations, through its capacity both to advise on Belgium law aspects of inbound matters and to lead cross-border files.

The Loyens & Loeff team offers transactional and contentious capabilities, with particularly strong proficiency in tax, energy, dispute resolution and project finance. These areas drive a large amount of the team's cross-border work, where it represents an impressive array of Belgian and international clients. The team is also adept when it comes to handling cross-border banking and finance and corporate/M&A matters.

Baker McKenzie has respected teams across a number of transactional areas, and the key pillars include banking and finance, corporate/M&A, capital markets and tax. These areas drive a high quantity of international work for an impressive array of Belgian and international financial institutions and corporations, including clients from the life sciences and consumer goods industries. The teams in Antwerp and Brussels act both as co-counsel on inbound deals and as lead counsel on outbound mandates, providing solid insight on EU law and competition matters.

Freshfields in Belgium particularly excels in corporate/M&A, tax and competition matters, with particular expertise in complex EU competition law issues, where it maintains a terrific reputation for handling major cross-border merger clearance mandates. Other strength areas include banking and finance and capital markets, which also drive a sizeable portion of the law firm's cross-border mandates, advising both domestic and international clients.

Cleary Gottlieb's team in Brussels is well embedded in the market and plays a key part of the law firm's wider European strength. Legal practitioners in Belgium work closely with colleagues in Paris on cross-border finance matters, and banking and finance clients benefit from the law firm's integrated and coordinated service with French colleagues. Cleary Gottlieb's legal team is well versed in acting on behalf of Belgian financing and corporate aspects of cross-border transactions and it is able to lead multi-jurisdictional deals, making use of the law firm's expansive international network.

Jones Day's office in Brussels is known to coordinate cross-border matters, utilising the law firm's expansive international network that spans North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. The international law firm has competent teams across disputes, corporate/M&A, and banking and finance areas, and Jones Day's capacity to manage complex multi-jurisdictional matters is an attractive proposition. The team frequently advises on Belgian law aspects for a diverse range of multinational clients and is known to leverage its international network by collaborating with colleagues across the globe.

Well established in the local market, Liedekerke maintains an excellent reputation and provides a full-service offering in transactional and contentious areas. The law firm has particular strength in dispute resolution, an area in which teams serve an increasing demand of cross-border matters. Liedekerke is also well regarded for its corporate/M&A, capital markets, and banking and finance capabilities, often providing guidance on multi-jurisdictional matters. The team has the capacity to lead international mandates for domestic clients wishing to expand their operations abroad and advises international clients who have business interests in the local market on local law.