The firm represents clients in all major industry sectors, including real estate, financial services, manufacturing, energy and infrastructure, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, consumer products and retail, food and beverage, media and marketing communications, and telecommunications.
Our corporate practice covers the whole range of legal services that sellers or purchasers of Belgian companies (whether listed or not) or assets may require. Our role thus typically includes providing the following services: (i) classical M&A work (due diligence, preparation and negotiation of the sale documentation) in asset and share deals; (ii) organization of joint ventures; (iii) acquisition/sale of equity participations by private equity and venture capital funds; (iv) minority investments; (v) corporate restructurings; (vi) preparation and negotiation of shareholder agreements; (vii) initial public offerings; and (viii) takeover bids and de-listings.
Our corporate practice also includes the assistance to companies, shareholders and directors with respect to a variety of issues arising under company law (e.g., compliance issues for listed companies, stock options programs, conflicts among shareholders, and corporate governance issues), and provides corporate housekeeping services to a significant number of Belgian subsidiaries of foreign groups.
We finally represent corporate clients in commercial transactions and disputes, mainly in relation to distribution agreements and real estate transactions.
The majority of the corporate work undertaken by the firm includes a cross-border component.
Representative Matters*
- Acting as counsel to a Japanese listed company in its public takeover bid on a Belgian company listed on NYSE Euronext Brussels
- Acting as counsel to a Japanese listed company in its USD 850.000.000 acquisition of the point-of-sale solutions business division of a US listed company
- Acting as Belgian counsel to a US listed company on the Belgian aspects regarding its acquisition of a leading manufacturer and supplier of adult incontinence care products in Europe
- Acting as Belgian counsel to a US listed company on the Belgian aspects regarding its acquisition of a European leader in patient support systems
- Acting as Belgian counsel to a US listed company in the acquisition of the sensor business unit from another US listed company
- Acting as Belgian counsel to a Japanese listed company in its acquisition of the ink and adhesive resins business of a US company
- Acting as Belgian counsel to a US industrial company in the acquisition of the thermoplastic elastomers business unit of a European listed company
- Acting as Belgian counsel to a US listed company in the acquisition of assets of a Belgian company active in the electronic test equipment business
*The rules of the Brussels Bar forbid the public disclosure of the identity of clients either directly or through the disclosure of the details of a matter. As a result, the examples of recent representations above are provided in general terms only.