Offices: Brussels, Belgium

Avenue Louise 250, bte 64 
1050 Brussels, Belgium

T: + 32 (0)2 629 42 11
F: + 32 (0)2 629 42 22

brussels.office@mcguirewoods.com  

Opened: 1990

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Introduction

  
McGuireWoods' Brussels office provides services to Belgian and international clients. As in the firm's other offices, the main focus here is efficiency-driven service associated with competitive legal fees. We have an established network of relationships with counsel in other countries that enables us to offer clients coordinated, reliable and effective representation throughout Europe and elsewhere.

  
Le bureau de Bruxelles de McGuireWoods rend des services à des clients belges et internationaux. Comme dans les autres bureaux de McGuireWoods, une attention particulière est ici portée à l'efficacité des services prestés et à des honoraires concurrentiels. Grâce à notre réseau de contacts avec des avocats d'autres pays, nous pouvons représenter nos clients dans toute l'Europe et ailleurs de manière coordonnée, fiable et efficace.

  
McGuireWoods Brussel verleent diensten aan zowel Belgische als internationale cliënten. Zoals in de overige McGuireWoods kantoren, wordt bijzondere aandacht besteed aan efficiënt optreden en aan concurrentiële honoraria. Dankzij ons netwerk met advocatenkantoren uit andere landen, kunnen we cliënten gecoördineerd, betrouwbaar en efficiënt vertegenwoordigen in geheel Europa en daarbuiten.


マグワイヤウッズ法律事務所のブリュッセル事務所はベルギー国内に限らず海外の依頼者の皆様にも法律サービスを提供しています。また、ブリュッセル事務所は、マグワイヤウッズ法律事務所の全ての事務所と同様、法曹界における他の法律事務所にも負けない魅力的な弁護士費用と効率性を重視したサービスを中心にしています。さらに、海外所在の弁護士との確立した連携ネットワークを持ち、ヨーロッパ中、また他の地域においても、依頼者の皆様に、組織的で、信頼できる、効率的な法律業務を遂行することが可能です。マグワイヤウッズではジャパン・プラクティスを専門とする法律部門を有しており、ブリュッセル事務所においても、15年以上にわたり日本企業に関する案件を取り扱っております。

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McGuireWoods Brussels

McGuireWoods LLP currently has 900 attorneys in 18 offices in the U.S., including offices in London, United Kingdom (opened in 1978), Brussels, Belgium (opened in 1990) and Almaty, Kazakhstan (opened in 1994). In Brussels, the legal staff currently consists of fifteen Belgian, one U.K. and two U.S. attorneys (of which seven are Belgian partners and two U.S. partners). All attorneys are fluent in two or more languages including English, French, Dutch and German. 

The Brussels office mainly focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate services (including commercial contracts, corporate finance, labor and corporate social responsibility), and dispute resolution (including in administrative courts). In addition, the office has developed special expertise in real estate and real estate finance, mining (with a focus on francophone Africa), aviation (including ground handling), competition and intellectual property (including copyright, trademarks, domain names, patents, design protection, software law), media and entertainment law (including gaming and gambling law) and information & communications technology (including IT contracts, e-commerce, data protection). The office also serves as a hub for the firm's work in other Western and Eastern European countries, as well as in Africa.

McGuireWoods' Brussels office has also developed, in addition to a traditional business law office in Brussels, a special expertise to serve clients in francophone Central and Western Africa, particularly with respect to mining law and corporate and financing legal matters for mining companies.

The office and its partners have been regularly mentioned as "recommended" by the yearbooks Which Lawyer (formerly Global Counsel 3000) and The European Legal 500 for their corporate/commercial, and mergers and acquisition practices.

 

MAIN AREAS OF PRACTICE

Mergers & Acquisitions
Xavier Van der Mersch, Hubert André-Dumont

Corporate Services (including commercial contracts, corporate finance, competition, labor and CSR)
Xavier Van der Mersch, Emmanuel de Cannart d'Hamale, Steven Ongena, Bénédicte Raevens,
Eva De Walsche

Dispute Resolution
Emmanuel de Cannart d'Hamale, Eva De Walsche, Bénédicte Raevens, Paul Van den Bulck

SPECIAL FOCUS

Real Estate and Real Estate Finance
 Hubert André-Dumont, Steven Ongena,
Xavier Van der Mersch

Aviation
 Steven Ongena

Mining
Hubert André-Dumont, Emmanuel de Cannart d'Hamale

Intellectual Property, Information &
Communications Technology
 Paul Van den Bulck, Eva De Walsche

Gaming & Gambling
 Paul Van den Bulck

Alternative Dispute Resolution
 Paul Van den Bulck

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Building a Local Presence

Over the past several years, the office has increased its visibility and activities on the Belgian and E.U. markets, serving Belgian-owned companies, foreign-owned Belgian companies, and foreign companies active mainly in Belgium, Western Europe and Africa. The foreign client base comes largely from Western Europe (mainly France, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, and the U.K.), North America (Canada and the United States), Eastern Europe (mainly Bulgaria, Poland and Romania), and Asia (Japan and Kazakhstan).

Placing great importance on integrating in the local market, the office and its members are active in local professional legal and non-legal associations such as the following bodies (in addition to membership of international bodies such as the International Bar Association, the London Court of International Arbitration, Lex Mundi, etc.):

  • Institut des Juristes d'Entreprises - Instituut voor Bedrijfsjuristen (Belgium). The office regularly sponsors or organizes workshops for the IJE-IBJ
  • British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium
  • American Chamber of Commerce in Belgium
  • Belgian-African Chamber of Commerce (Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture Belgium-Luxembourg-Africa-Caribbean-Pacific, "CBL-ACP")
  • Belgium-Japan Association and Chamber of Commerce

The Brussels office has also developed a special expertise in francophone Central and Western Africa, where its Belgian partners Hubert André-Dumont and Emmanuel de Cannart d'Hamale have been assisting clients, mainly metal mining companies, for more than 20 years, in particular in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritania, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Mali. The services primarily involve legal matters related to mining, corporate, real estate, project financing and related security, construction, environment and labor, generally in conjunction with local counsel and foreign specialized counsel.

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Conferences & Legal Authorship

The Brussels office regularly organizes conferences and seminars for clients and contacts.

In 2008, the following conferences were given:

  • “La brevetabilité des logiciels et des inventions biotechnologiques », Université Robert Schuman (Strasbourg), France, December 2, 2008, by Paul Van den Bulck
  • “La propriété industrielle”, Créawal, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium, November 19, 2008, by Paul Van den Bulck
  • “Ambush marketing”, Petit Recyclages, Brussels, Belgium, November 6, 2008, by Paul Van den Bulck
  • “Privacy and data protection under EU Law”, Charleston, United States, June 3, 2008, by Paul Van den Bulck
  • “Ambush marketing”, Fondation Marketing-Stichting Marketing, Brussels, Belgium, April 17, 2008, by Paul Van den Bulck
  • “Law in an international context : legal systems and legal sources”, “Protecting software & inventions trough intellectual property law”, “ICT-International contracts”, Telecom ParisTec, Paris, France, March 11, 2008, by Paul Van den Bulck
  • “Limitation of liability in contracts", Petits Recyclages, 14 February 2008, by Steven Ongena

The office’s lawyers regularly publish articles on various business law topics including the following in 2007 and 2008:

  • "The New European Directive on Mediation - Its Impact on Construction Disputes," International Construction Law Review, London, 2009, by Hubert André-Dumont
  • "Copyright in Space," ipFrontline.com (November 19, 2008) by Paul Van den Bulck
  • "EU–Free Movement of Goods: New Regulation to Improve Mutual Recognition Principle Enforcement," EuroWatch (October 31, 2008) by Bénédicte Raevens
  • Partner Hubert André-Dumont published in June 2008 the chapter "Mining Legislation in the Democratic Republic of Congo" in Getting the Deal Through 2008
  • Partner Bénédicte Raevens and associate Gilles Carbonez published in May 2008 a new chapter relating to Belgium in "International Agency and Distribution Agreements", Matthew Bender & Company, Inc. (LexisNexis Group)
  • "Le régime juridique des avatars crées dans le cadre des jeux vidéo," Revue Propriétés Intellectuelles, July 2007/ n° 24, pp. 279-284 by Paul Van den Bulck
  • In the spring of 2007, partner Emmanuel de Cannart d'Hamale published in the Journal des Tribunaux, the main Belgian law review published in French, an article entitled "La responsabilité sociale des entreprises, soft law ou hard law?" (J.T. 2007, p. 413 - 421) as a follow-up and update to the monograph written with Eva De Walsche together with associates Pol Cools and Nicolas Hachez, on La responsabilité sociale des entreprises (corporate social responsibility), Concept, pratiques et droit (Vanden Broele, 2006, 334 pp.)
  • "Copiepresse contre Google : les limites du « caching »" ? , Revue lamy Droit de l’immatériel, April 2007, n° 26 pp.67-70 by Paul Van den Bulck
  • "Cycling and Sponsorship: Belgium and France", Worldonline Gambling Law Report, April 2007, pp.11-13, by Paul Van den Bulck
  • "Quel régime juridique pour l'ambush marketing?", Revue de droit commercial belge, R.D.C/T.B.H 2007/ 3, pp. 221-226 by Paul Van den Bulck and Marie de Bellefroid
  • "Le droit à l'image des personnes publiques: Information ou exploitation commerciale?" Journal des tribunaux, 2007, pp. 141-143, by Paul Van den Bulck
  • Partner Hubert André-Dumont has contributed since 2005 to the Belgian chapter of the World Bank and IFC joint publication on Doing Business – Comparing Regulations in 181 Countries
  • Partner Bénédicte Raevens regularly publishes European law reports in the Journal des Tribunaux de Droit Européen
  • The Brussels office manages the competition section of www.droitbelge.be, where Partner Bénédicte Raevens and Associate Pol Cools regularly publish online articles on competition law issues.
  • The Brussels office manages the ICT section of www.droitbelge.be, where Partner Paul Van den Bulck and Associate Caroline Dubois and Marie de Bellefroid regularly publish online articles on ICT issues.

In addition, the Brussels office publishes its quarterly newsletter European Business Law Update (see our international publications).

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European Activities

The office actively supports the Brussels-based monthly European law review "Journal des Tribunaux de Droit Européen," for which partner Bénédicte Raevens is assistant publisher (secrétaire de rédaction). Partner Hubert André-Dumont is correspondent in Brussels (EU) for the London-based quarterly "International Construction Law Review." He is also a member of the "European Association for Banking and Financial Law." The office also sponsors functions of ACC Europe – the European chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel in the United States.

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Key Recent Transactions

Recent key transactions include those for clients active in the areas of real estate and real estate finance, mining, leisure, manufacturing, advertising, insurance, high tech, storage, aviation, and distribution. McGuireWoods LLP, Brussels office represented in 2007 and 2008 the following clients in representative cases, and continues to represent them in 2009 for on-going matters:

Real Estate and Real Estate Financing

  • a Dutch bank specializing in real estate development finance, as lender, for the re-financing of two of the largest shopping centers in Belgium, worth more than EUR 100,000,000 and EUR 265,000,000 respectively; for the financing of the acquisition of real estate in view of the development at the Belgian coast of a residential complex worth over EUR 80,000,000; as lender, for the financing over EUR 100,000,000 of the acquisition and renovation by a Luxembourg based real estate fund of three sets of office buildings in Brussels; as lender, for the financing some EUR 40,000,000 of the acquisition and redevelopment of a shopping center combined with offices and dwelling in the historical centre of Ghent
  • a Belgian State owned real estate agency for the follow-up and implementation pursuant to the earlier signature of an MOU for the projected construction of the new seat for an international organization, for an amount over EUR 240,000,000
  • a U.K. listed real estate company for the acquisition of an office building in the centre of Brussels
  • another U.K. listed real estate company for the final closing agreement and breakdown upon the termination of a letting and renovation guarantee period in respect of the prior sale of a landmark office tower situated in Brussels; for the acquisition of a landmark research centre with laboratories, research facilities and offices situated nearby the University of Louvain-la-Neuve

Corporate

  • a US multinational with operating entities throughout Europe in connection with the securitization of the European entities' receivables in an aggregate amount of approximately EUR 210,000,000
  • a U.S. world leading manufacturer of foam products for the acquisition of a Belgian producer of polyurethane foam
  • a U.K. leading fashion retailer for the rolling out of its Belgian retail network; for the acquisition of retail outlets and businesses of sitting tenants; the work includes insurance matters and fair trade practices
  • a Belgian operator of entertainment parks for corporate matters and assistance in obtaining and renewing operational / environmental / building permits for individual attractions and for the extension of the parks

Mining - Africa

  • a Democratic Republic of Congo mining company, in cooperation with its main shareholder, a U.S. listed major mining company, in the implementation of a USD 2,000,000,000 mine construction and development, involving complex legal issues relating to corporate matters, contracts, real estate, mining, environment, labor, resettlement of villages, enforcement of corruption, etc.
  • a Canadian listed mining company for the acquisition of a gold mine in Mauritania for a total of USD 278,000,000 and for assistance in on-going financing and corporate related matters

Litigation

  • a Belgian producer and reseller of potato seeds and plants for the production of French fries, in a multi-party products liability litigation relating to the contamination of the potatoes by a bacteria, involving potato producers, seed sellers, potato buyers and sellers, an insurance company, and public authorities
  • a Belgian operator of entertainment parks litigation issues involving contractual matters and defense against judicial and administrative actions of neighbors
  • a leading UK based casino operator in a number of litigation matters involving disputes concerning the interpretation of the legislation and regulations on operation of electronic gaming machines and the enforcement of gaming fraud
  • an international UK based gambling operator in Belgium and France in a dozen litigation matters opposing the client to sportsmen, sport teams and national sports federations in relation to the use of the name, trademark and image of the aforementioned for the organization of betting activities

Information Technology

  • a German company, one of the world leaders in software for the consumer products industry, in the negotiation of the worldwide license/maintenance/service agreements with a Belgian listed multinational, world leader in its category
  • various parties in litigation regarding domain names; one of the Brussels partners is also a third party decider for litigations concerning “.eu” domain names and “.be” domain names
  • a satellite operator in various matters relating to copyright and in meetings gathering other satellite operators in the defense of their common interest via-à-vis regulators

Media and Entertainment

  • please see the "Litigation" and "Corporate" sections above

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