Download - 3 Mo - pdf file - Portail du droit belge

nominees & winners
jury
interviews
photos
3d Edition of the Belgian Legal Awards
6 March 2008
Hotel Le Plaza, Brussels
Belgian
Legal Awards
2008
the official
magazine

editorial
The Belgian Legal Awards highlight trends
in the legal sector
For the third year in a row, the Legal
Awards ceremony was “sold out”. The
Legal Awards 2008 are an undeniable success.
There are various factors which make this
event such a success.
1. The quality of our official partners and
especially the patronage provided for
the European chapter by the President
of the European Commission, Mr Barroso.
2. The good work provided by our numerous
media partners at both local and international
levels;
3. Our sponsors who truly are committed to
offering the most adequate and up to
date products and services to the legal
industry.
4. The jury of the Legal Awards which is undoubtedly
the most prestigious jury ever
gathered in this country. Our judges provide
this event with great legitimacy.
5. Last but not least, the lawyers and inhouse
counsels who have done a tremendous
job in compiling memos for the
jury with professionalism.
The competition was tight in many categories
and sometimes unbalanced. The
Legal Bailiff can attest that for several
categories, the Category chairman had to
use his casting vote to ensure a decision.
The real winners are the ones who have
been nominated in the different categories.
Being nominated shows that they are a
major player and that one needs to count
with them for this specific area of practice.
Brussels: home of ‘glocalisation’
In recent years, a new concept has appeared.
“Glocal”: the alliance between
“global” and “local”. Brussels is the hub for
“glocalisation” The world’s legal capital reflects
the regional character as well as the
international aspects of the law. The exposure
for the participants is thus even
greater.
One of this year’s objectives was to stress
the “euro” importance of Brussels-Legal.
That is the reason why an award for international
trade and for regulatory have been
added to the competion and anti-trust
award.
Guarantees for the participants
and for the market
Lawyers are a demanding audience. They
have the right to be so. All year long, they
strive to provide precise and rigorous services
to their clients and colleagues. That is
the reason why, the organizers of the Legal
Awards have to perform above average.
In today’s business world, award ceremonies
have become the necessary part of
a professional life. Few events can claim to
offer as many guarantees as the Legal
Awards do:
• A large, diverse and independent panel of
judges
• Ad hoc jury judging in their area of expertise
• A jury changing every year
The Legal Awards in figures
3
• A vast survey conducted among Belgium’s
most representative business organisations
• A demanding process of submission to
enable objective assessment. Judges
stressed that quality of the submissions
was very high and allowed the jury to
make impartial decisions.
• A process supervised by a legal bailiff
A novelty was brought up this year in order
to ensure even more transparency. Although
stricter than for many other equivalent
events, the criteria to award a prize
have been made clearer and more transparent.
Judges were asked to motivate
their decision and vote. Efforts have been
done in communicating (on stage and in
this official magazine) why awards were allocated.
Although a great success, such an event
needs to evolve. There is a range of points
that we would like to improve for next
year’s edition. We will request opinions and
feedbacks from all partners and participants
to keep the event at the top !
We hope to see you on 19th March 2009 for
the fourth Edition.
Laurent Marlière, President
Potential for more than 600 participants at the Ceremony / A jury of 100 proeminent professionals /
More than 200 explanatory memos adressed to the jury / A consolidated amount of 2500
business lawyers involved via their participating law firms / 20 official and media partners /
More than 50 press covers, articles, adds, TV interviewes, radio interviewes at national and
international level / More than 20.000 hits on the official web site

in this issue
Table of content
3
The Belgian Legal Awards
highlight trends in the
legal sector
Laurent Marlière explains the success
of the third edition and indicates
how to improve.
5
The Gala
A summary of the evening
7
Impressions of
a great evening
The photos
13
Members of the Jury
The names of the members of
the Jury in alphabetical order
19
And the winners are…
The law firms and legal departments
of the year
31
Charity
34
Comments
Thanks and tributes from participants
4

formula
The Gala
High-end networking
The successful gala of the Belgian Legal
Awards at Le Plaza in Brussels constituted
hundreds of legal professionals from all
over Belgium and beyond.
Lawyers, in-house company lawyers and
counsels, as well as notaries, huissiers de
justice / gerechtsdeurwaarders, professors,
heads of institutions, consultants,
business professionals, members of the
press…etc were present. This gala provides
a unique opportunity for networking
in an informal and pleasant atmosphere.
It was the occasion for the Institute for
Company Lawyers to celebrate its 1,600th
member. President Jean Cattaruzza and
Director Anne De Wolf commented on the
relevancy for company lawyers and private
practitioners to meet in a less formal environment.
Recognition
The ceremony, overseen by Caroline De
Mey (huissier de justice/ gerechtsdeurwaarder)
and facilitators, Marlène de
Wouters & Patrick Vyvey, paid tribute to
the law firms, legal departments, lawyers
and in-house practitioners of the year.
A panel of judges consisting of more than
one hundred personalities from the worlds
of economics, law and the academics
awarded the prizes in 18 categories with
around ten nominees per category.
The attendance showed a good mix
among law firms. The majority of the big
players were vastly present with their
“heavy weights”. They saluted the fact
that it is important that the business legal
profession ensures recognition of its
peers. International and global firms, domestic
full service firms, niche firms attended
as well.
5
Exclusive and elegant
The option for this year’s edition was
rather more classical than last year,
judged too “hollywoodian”. Sobriety was
the keyword. The Art Deco theatre of 5
stars Le Plaza provided an exclusive venue
with enough space to gather this unique
concentration of business lawyers.
VIP desk, press & TV news interviews,
“mini-fair” with the latest products available,
orchestra, Lavazza coffee bars, sofas,…
The organizers have put forward a
professional organization likely to enhance
networking. After all, where else do you get
to meet all the big names of “Brussels legal”
?
Great location, nice music, champagne
and refined meal: this award ceremony
was definitely not just another boring academic
ceremony!
Pleasure for the eyes, pleasure for the
ears, pleasure for the taste buds, but also
pleasure to meet each other and to share
emotions, ideas, and business….

PATRONAGE
The European Legal Awards are placed under the Patronage of José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission.
OFFICIAL PARTNERS
MEDIA PARTNERS
MAIN SPONSORS
GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS
6

photo-reportage
Impressions of a great evening
7

8
in memoriam Patrick Vyvey

TRAVAILLER OUI, S’AMUSER AUSSI.
Lecteur multimédia (musique, vidéo)
Appareil photos (2 Mégapixels)
E-mails, qualité professionnelle
Lecture de pièces jointes
Navigateur web
Agenda, calendrier
Bluetooth
Écran couleur haute-résolution
blackberry.com/be
© 2008 Research In Motion Limited. Tous droits réservés. Research In Motion, le logo RIM, BlackBerry, le logo BlackBerry et SureType sont déposés auprès du bureau américain des
brevets et marques, et peuvent être en instance ou déposés dans d’autres pays. Ces marques ainsi que d’autres sont la propriété de Research In Motion Limited. Toutes les autres
marques, les noms de produits, les noms de sociétés, les marques déposées et marques de services sont la propriété de leurs détenteurs respectifs.

jury
Members of the Jury
JURY FOR THE AWARDS DEDICATED TO LAW FIRMS
FIRST NAME, NAME TITLE / POSITION, COMPANY / ORGANISATION
Nathalie Alen Human Resource Sr Mgr, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
J-Chr. André-Dumont Company Lawyer, AGF Belgium Insurance
Ben Appel Company Lawyer, Vlaamse Media Maatschappij
Zak Attar * Principal, Neumann International
Patrick Baeten * General Counsel, Electrabel
Henk Bataille General Counsel, Suez Energy Services
Ann Bataillie Legal Counsel, De Ceuninck
Pierre Bernard * Secretary General, Elia
Marc Beyens Chief Legal Officer, Electrabel
Chantal Cabuy Human Resources Manager, Cofinimmo
Gauthier Cachbach Company lawyer, Caterpillar
Guy Callebaut * Head of Human Resources, Sodexho Belgium
Isabel Carion Vice-President Human Resources, UCB Group
Françoise Carlier Company Lawyer, Studio 100
Jean Cattaruzza * Head of Legal, ING Bank
Marcel Claes * Chief Executive, AmCham Belgium
Bruno Colmant President, Euronext
André Culot Conseil Fiscal, IEC
Samuel De Gols bedrijfsjurist, Hocké
Emmanuel De Groote Chief Compliance Officer, Euroclear
Marc de Hauw Head of Legal, Carrefour
Ann De Roeck * Secretary General, Dexia
Jeroen De Wachter General Counsel, FRS Global
Michel De Wolf Vice President, Institute of Auditors
Anne De Wolf * Director, Institute of Company Lawyers
Martine Delierneux * Company Lawyer, ING Bank
France Delobbe Corporate Legal Officer, Cofinimmo
Philippe Dewez CEO, Ustaxabroad
Benoit Evrard * Head of Commercial, Pyramiq
Fabrice Fages Secretary General, Euroarbitrage
Paul Falaise Fondé de pouvoir, Banque Degroof
Denis-Bruno Floor Company Lawyer, Imtech Belgium
Jan Ghyssaert Secretary General, Euronext
Michael Gillis Head of Regulatory & Public Affairs, Distrigas NV
Alain Godfroid Executive Vice-President Legal and Environment, Umicore
Dominique Golsong Corp. Secr. & Chief Legal Off., Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe
Harold Grondel Director, Lexgo
Didier Hamann Directeur Général, Editions Sud Presse
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jury
JURY FOR THE AWARDS DEDICATED TO LAW FIRMS
FIRST NAME, NAME TITLE / POSITION, COMPANY / ORGANISATION
Dominique Hubart Managing Partner, Office Kirkpatrick
Nicolas Ide Senior Counsel, Swift
Christian Jacobs Managing Director, JP Morgan
Anne Jeswiet CEO, Gevers & partners
Kristien Kaelen Director, ACCE
Guy Keutgen President, CEPANI-CEPINA
Wolter Kymmel Director, ACCE
Philippe Lambrecht * Secretary General, FEB-VBO
Maxime Le Borne * Publisher, DroitBelge.net - BelgischRecht.net
Thierry Lintermans Legal Director, Accenture
Michel Looyens Legal Director, Coca-Cola Enterprises Services
Dirk Lybaert Secretary General, Belgacom
Alain Mahaux CEO, BFM
Philippe Marchandise Honorary President, Institute of Company Lawyers
Claudia Moschini Company Lawyer, Eurobus Holding
Pierre Nicaise * President, Royal Federation of Notaries
Tim Pashuyzen ir Arch., Stylelabs
Gerben Pauwels Senior legal Adviser, KBC
Didier Pissoort Legal Counsel, Marsh
Nathalie Ragheno * Legal Counsel, Febelfin
Françoise Roels Secretary General and Group Counsel, Cofinimmo
Philippe Sacré General Counsel, Generali
Els Steen Company Lawyer, Delhaize
David Szafran Secretary General, Institute of Auditors
Aniana Taelman Senior Manager, Ernst & Young Tax Consultants
Dirk Tirez General Counsel, La Poste/De Post
Karen Van Brabant Company Lawyer, De Persgroep
André Van Ecke Administrateur Délégué, Cercle de Wallonie
Marie van In General Counsel Europe, Cytec
Ch-Albert van Oldeneel Company Lawyer, Assuralia
Michel Vermaerke Administrateur délégué, Febelfin
Thierry Vermeire Senior Manager Social affairs, Delhaize
Claudine Weyn * Director Business Unit Legal, Wolters Kluwer
* Category Chairman
15

jury
JURY FOR THE AWARDS DEDICATED TO LEGAL DEPARTMENTS
FIRST NAME, NAME TITLE / POSITION, COMPANY / ORGANISATION
Hubert Andre-Dumont Partner, McGuire Woods
Jean-Pierre Blumberg Managing Partner, Linklaters
Jean-Pierre Buyle Partner, Philippe & Partners
Olivier Clevenbergh Managing Partner, Stibbe
Bruno Colmant President, Euronext
Eric Cusas Managing Partner, Field Fisher Waterhouse
Johan De Bruycker Partner, Altius
Paul De Jonge Director, European Company Lawyers Association
Patrick De Wolf Partner, De Wolf & Partners
Anne De Wolf * Director, Institute of Company Lawyers
Xavier Dieux Managing Partner, Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Axel Haelterman Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Guy Horsmans Hon. Dean of Faculty, UCL
Kristien Kaelen * Director, ACCE
Wolter Kymmel Director, ACCE
Howard Liebman Partner, Jones Day
Bob Martens Managing Partner Belgium, DLA Piper
Didier Matray Managing Partner, Matray Matray Hallet
Carl Meyntjens Partner, Ashurst
Bernard Peeters Partner, Tiberghien
Denis Philippe Managing Partner, Philippe & Partners
Benoit Strowel Partner, Howrey
Pierre van Ommeslaghe Partner, DLA Piper
Stanislas van Wassenhove Managing Partner, CMS De Backer
* Category Chairman
© 2008 THE BELGIAN LEGAL AWARDS 2008
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law firm of the year >>>
Linklaters LLP
Jean Pierre Blumberg, Managing Partner
What do you think encouraged the jury to
give you the award for this category?
Our firm has been involved in a great many of
the high-end transactions in the Belgian
market since many years. We are somehow
fortunate to have been able to witness from
closeby many historical transactions that
have shaped and transformed part of Belgian
industry. We consider the Award to be a
recognition for the role we have been able to
play particularly in the field of M&A, public
takeovers and equity capital markets transactions
in a consistent manner for many
years.
law firm of the year >>>
Stibbe
Jean-Philippe Cordier, Partner
Which elements, you think, have encouraged
the jury to give you the Award for this
category?
The significant growth of Stibbe’s employment
law department was of course an
important factor. Such growth took place
around two partners, newcomer Jean-
Philippe Cordier (2005) and Herman Craeninckx,
who complement each other in many
respects. Stibbe made extraordinary efforts
during the last 2 years to become one of the
leading law firms in Belgium, amongst others
in employment law. The expansion of our
employment law department resulted in an
enlargement of our client base in 2006/7
with assignments from new clients considered
as “market leaders” or important players
in their field. This in turn led us to reflect on
the ways to provide an even better service to
our clients. It is so that a number of specializations
occurred in our team over the last
couple of years, e.g. outsourcing, trade union
delegations, well-being at work, psychosocial
power, etc.
Moreover, the team’s extraordinary results in
the field of employment law related litigation
CORPORATE
What are the main changes in Belgian law
firms?
The market for private M&A is a very dynamic
and competitive one. In recent years, the
demand for services in this field has been
more streamlined and became more professional
under the influence of the private
equity players. While current market conditions
are not very amenable to these type of
investers, they have certainly been able to
put their mark on the way legal services are
to be delivered. In the field of public
takeovers, market conditions are such that
we will see (and have already seen) a marked
increase in hostile takeovers which may put
our recently renewed regulatory framework to
a test.
What are the main objectives for the year to
come?
Our objectives are to maintain our market
position through a continued effort to deliver
a high quality service to our clients.
EMPLOYMENT
as well as the high level of availability of the
team have also probably convinced the jury.
Finally our ability to work out creative solutions
for clients faced with complex issues is
likely to be another element.
What are the main evolutions in that area of
practice?
Employment law is becoming an area where
more an more complex and technical legislation
is issued. Within that domain, it will thus
become necessary for labour lawyers to specialize.
This results in the need for an
employment law department to increase in
size. The trend is also to involve more and
more the workers in the life of their company.
At the same time, the economic outlook may
lead to companies deciding on redundancy
plans. Therefore, there might be much
restructuring work in the months to come.
What are your objectives for the year to
come?
Because of its full service strategy, Stibbe
will keep providing its clients with a personalised,
quick, quality service which is the key
to the firm’s success. Stibbe will maintain the
close collaboration of a great number of specialists
working as a team in order to provide
a customised service.
21
The nominees were:
Altius I Clifford Chance LLP I DLA Piper UK
LLP I Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer I Jones
Day I Linklaters LLP I Lydian I Stibbe I Verhaegen
Walravens I Mc Guire Woods LLP
Stefan Maes (Forward),
Jean-Pierre Blumberg (Linklaters),
Charles Relecom (Swisslife)
We will strive to continue to give an excellent
training to our lawyers internally, at all levels,
since it is on them that the quality of our services
is based. Furthermore, we find it very
important to share our knowledge with our
clients in an informal way and independently
of a specific matter, which also allows us to
be informed of their concerns, so that we will
continue our seminars and debates.
The nominees were:
CMS Debacker I Stibbe I Lydian
Jean-Philippe Cordier (Stibbe),
Herman Craeninckx (Stibbe),
Katrien Goosens (United Fund for Belgium)

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law firm of the year
>>> INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Mayer Brown LLP
The nominees were:
Mayer Brown LLP I Sidley Austin LLP I Hogan
& Hartson LLP
Kiran Desai (Mayer Brown Itl LLP),
Paul De Jonge (ECLA), Paulette Vander
Schueren (Mayer Brown Itl LLP),
Zak Attar (Neumann Itl)
law firm of the year >>>
Stibbe
Rudy Nauwelaerts, Partner
Which elements, you think, have encouraged
the jury to give you the Award for this
category?
We think that Stibbe’s unique multidisciplinary
approach has probably influenced the
jury: inside the firm, a strong collaboration
has built up over the years between the
lawyers from the different practice groups
and this no doubt represents one of Stibbe’s
greatest assets. In the case of Real Estate &
Construction, our team works closely with
our Administrative Law and Environment &
Permit practices, but also with our Tax Law,
Corporate & Finance Law and other groups.
This multi-specialism team combines in the
most efficient way all the various aspects
relating to real estate activities.
Another element is that Stibbe’s Real Estate
& Construction practice is one of the largest
in Belgium, with specialists active in all three
regions of the country. This allows us to cover
all aspects of real estate : not only the pure
transactional side, but also elements such as
litigation, permits, etc.
Finally, the prominent role our firm has
played in virtually every major PPP project in
law firm of the year
>>> TAX
Linklaters LLP
The nominees were:
De Wolf & Partners I Freshfields Bruckhaus
Deringer I Tiberghien I Afschrift I CEW &
Partners I Jones Day I Linklaters LLP
Olivier Van Ermengem (Linklaters LLP),
Jean Vandevelde (Bruylant)
23
law firm of the year
>>> LEGAL DEPARTMENT
Fedex
REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
Belgium last year, has probably contributed
to our success at the BLA as well.
What are the main evolutions in that area of
practice?
We believe that the practice of real estate
and construction will involve more and more
other areas of the law. The traditional transactions
are often replaced by complex structures
where financial, tax and corporate law
play a role at least as important as the principles
of civil law on which such transactions
used to be based.
What are your objectives for the year to
come?
As mentioned above, Stibbe considers this
Award to be a clear acknowledgement by the
market that its full service strategy is paying
off. Therefore, our law firm will continue to
encourage the close collaboration between
our specialist lawyers, completely in line with
our credo “Stibbe – specialists through and
through”. So as to meet our client’s needs, we
will keep building ad hoc teams in order to
develop tailor-made solutions.
Our firm also considers this Award as a challenge
to remain one of the market leaders in
the Belgian real estate & construction area.
That is why our partners will continue to
The nominees were:
Citibank I Inbev I Trane I Fedex
Roel Staes (Fedex),
Anne Dewolf (IBJ),
Wibo Rigter (DataCert)
make strenuous efforts to maximize their
knowledge in their area of specialisation.
Finally, our firm will put special emphasis on
developing its property finance activities, in
which our real estate and construction team
will work seamlessly together with our financial
law specialists.
The nominees were:
Clifford Chance LLP I Van Cutsem Wittamer
Marnef & Partners I Linklaters LLP I Stibbe I
Verhaegen Walravens I DLA Piper UK LLP
Olivier Clevenbergh (Stibbe),
Pierre Nicaise (Fednot),
Mélanie Di Giacomantonio (Servcorp),
Marlène de Wouters,
Christine De Mey (bailiff)

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law firm of the year >>>
Philippe & Partners
Jean-Pierre Buyle, Partner
Which elements, do you think, have encouraged
the jury to give you the Award for this
category?
Our law firm has been nominated in 2008 for
the first time in the Bank and Finance category.
However, the Bank and Finance team is
made up of several experts in the field. The
team has been working hard for many years
now. A lot of our lawyers are also active in the
academic world and regularly take a stand in
the field. We make it a point of honor to serve
our clients as best as we can. We always put
the quality of our work on the forefront. We act
in a diligent manner and so as to respect
deadlines. We also apply a moderate fee policy.
We assist our clients both on a national and
international level and in and out of court…
What are the main evolutions in that area of
practice?
When I started practicing as a lawyer, bank
and finance law was a very calm and serene
area of the law. Except for the law on cheques,
most of the field was governed by the Civil and
Commercial Codes and by general principles
of contract law. Today this area of law had
become a complex labyrinth of laws, codes of
conduct and regulations that intertwine in all
kinds of ways. We have to deal with texts that
are perfectly indigestible, that are forever
changing, with laws that do not have a defined
law firm of the year >>>
Linklaters
Johan Ysewyn, Partner
Which elements do you think have encouraged
the jury to give you the award for this
category?
During the award ceremony, we were told that
the jury admired our “can-do” attitude as well
as the links we have - and try to foster - with
the competition regulators around the world.
I think that is a fair summary. I would like to
add that Linklaters has - by far - the largest
Belgian competition team in Brussels and
has been supporting a large number of major
Belgian corporates and banks in dealing with
their most complex competition issues. For
example, this year our team continued to
advise Suez in the Suez/Gaz de France merger,
which had a substantial impact on the
Belgian market and for which we had to
assess - and deal with - a host of legal, political
and economic issues. Finally, the Linklaters
Belgian competition practice can rely
on over 100 antitrust experts around the
globe to support our clients.
BANKING & FINANCE
subject to apply to and with principles that are
sanctioned heavily on an administrative, civil
and penal level. This hyper-regulation has
however not prevented the markets and its
actors from being on the blink. We have seen
that recently… Too many rules are harmful in
every way.
Legal experts today are confronted more than
ever with having to keep their knowledge up to
date and not just in the legal field. Economy is
invading financial law a little more each day.
Just think about IAS rules, MiFid, Basle II or
competition law. Technical concepts have
become omnipresent. Those who have worked
on SEPA will not contradict this. There are also
financial products that few people understand
or that few can explain to others. This is worrying.
Mechanisms, products and structures
are becoming international which also makes
it harder for the legal expert to give an opinion.
Anglo-Saxon concepts (such as trusts, class
actions, compliance) and the English language
have « infiltrated » financial law. We forever
have to adapt which is an exciting challenge.
What are your objectives for the year to
come?
Our department has grown as new members
have joined it in the last months. We must now
stabilize this growth by working on the team’s
coherence and by trying to benefit at best
from each lawyers specific expertise.
On an international level, we have been
approached by quite a few law firms and net-
COMPETITION & ANTI-TRUST
What are the main evolutions in that area of
practice?
The Belgian Competition Authority now takes
a much stricter stance, both in relation to
mergers and anticompetitive behaviour. This
follows the so-called “modernisation” proposals
which have been adopted by the European
Commission and which result in the
national authorities now having a much
greater remit to deal with competition concerns.
In addition, there is a shift away from
merger control to a clear focus on anti-cartel
enforcement, with the Authority conducting a
number of dawn raids, notably in the consumer
sector.
What are the objectives for the year to come?
Now that the Belgian Competition Authority
has begun to use its enforcement powers
more vigorously, we believe that we will
increasingly be focusing on supporting our
clients in the area of cartels and abuse of
dominance investigations. This of course will
be in addition to the complex merger control
work which continues to be a key part of our
practice.
25
works. We must now make strategic choices.
We will consider each of our negotiating partners
by taking into account their professional
and human qualities first and foremost and we
will strongly bear in mind that we must preserve
our independence.
From the inside, our workshops and laboratories
will continue to investigate in order to be
able to anticipate the needs of our current and
future clients. We will concentrate specifically
on managing our documentation and on sharing
our knowledge with those who have trusted
us for so many years. Some of our skills, such
as corporate or patrimonial planification, will
be put forward more.
The nominees were:
Altius I Willkie Farr & Gallagher I Philippe &
Partners I Clifford Chance LLP I Freshfields
Bruckhaus Deringer I Linklaters LLP I Stibbe I
Ashurst I Modrikamen
Ann de Roeck (Dexia), Jean-Pierre Buyle
(Philippe & Partners), Marlène de Wouters
The nominees were:
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer I Howrey LLP
I Linklaters LLP I Ashurst I Sidley Austin LLP I
WilmerHale I Lovells LLP I Mayer Brown LLP I
Willkie Farr & Gallagher I Hogan & Hartson
LLP I O’Melveny & Myers LLP
Patrick Wilkins (The European Lawyer),
Yohan Ysewyn (Linklaters),
Zak Attar (Neumann International),
Marlène de Wouters

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law firm of the year >>>
Howrey LLP
Trevor Soames & Michael Schütte
co-managing partners
Which elements, you think, have encouraged
the jury to give you the Award for this
category?
Howrey is an international law firm focused
on IP, Antitrust/Competition and Litigation.
The spectacular growth of Howrey’s Brussels
office, within 5 years only, is illustrative of
Howrey’s strategy for growth across Europe.
In 2007, the Brussels office has grown from
41 to 55 professionals, not by merger but by
through consistent recruitment of leading
legal talent in our areas of focus. More importantly,
53 lawyers are of European nationality,
only two US lawyers are practicing in
Howrey's Brussels office. A combination of
steadily increasing talent and impressive
client wins has brought Howrey to the first
tier across Europe, undoubtedly forming the
leading US law firm in Brussels.
What are the main evolutions in your area of
practice?
Howrey continues to build its reputation in
the increasingly important area of law at the
interface between IP and competition law, an
law firm of the year
>>> REGULATORY
Freshfields Bruckhaus
Deringer
The nominees were:
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer I Stibbe I
LDR I Mayer Brown LLP I Monard D’Hulst I
DLA Piper UK LLP I WilmerHale
Laurent Garzaniti (Freshfields, Bruckhaus
Deringer), Florence Melchior (ELIA), Thomas
Janssens (Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer)
US LAW FIRM IN BRUSSELS
area in which Howrey is ideally positioned,
being a market leader in both Intellectual
Property and Competition. On another front,
as the market prepares for an expected
increase in corporate liability for private
damages, and a more contentious environment
overall, two of Howrey’s key strengths,
its litigation expertise and the use of its affiliate
economics consultancy CapAnalysis are
proving to be of much value to the firm’s
client base.
Howrey’s IP practice has seen a substantial
rise in the number of patent actions in Belgium
within the last several years and it is
predicted that there will be a gradual increase
in the number of European Patents. The presence
of insurers, an increase in legal and
technical assessments – resulting in more
investigations of patents, is likely to lead to
more settlements, mediation efforts and
speedier resolution of disputes. As regards to
the soft IP practice, we see that the trend of
clearly differentiated trade mark practices in
the US and the UK is coming to mainland
Europe.
What are the objectives for the year to come?
Howrey’s proven business model of focusing
on three business essential practice areas
law firm of the year
>>> LITIGATION & ARBITRATION
Praxislaw
The nominees were:
Verhaegen Walravens I Stibbe I Praxislaw I
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer I Philippe &
Partners I Racine & Vergels I Matray Matray &
Hallet I DLA Piper UK LLP I Tossens & Prioux I
Modrikamen I Linklaters LLP I Hanotiau & van
den Berg I CEW & Partners I WTT Law Firm I
Exelia
Emma van Campenhout (CEPANI-CEPINA),
Dirk De Maeseneer (Praxislaw), Jacqueline
Linsmau (Praxislaw), Robert Pierce (PWC)
27
has resulted in spectacular growth in Europe
and particularly in Brussels. Howrey’s Brussels
office is now a self-sustaining leading US
law firm that serves both European and US
clients with activities around the globe. Our
objective for this year is to consolidate that
extraordinary growth and to continue providing
our clients with the highest standard of
service and legal advice.
The nominees were:
Jones Day I Mayer Brown LLP I Howrey LLP I
Mc Guire Woods LLP I WilmerHale I Hogan &
Hartson LLP I O’Melveny & Myers LLP I Sidley
Austin LLP
Marcel Claes (AmCham),
Michael Schütte (Howrey LLP),
James Harley (Lexis-Nexis)
law firm of the year
>>> BEST FIRM TO WORK FOR
Van Cutsem Wittamer
Marnef & Partners
The nominees were:
Afschrift I Ashurst I McGuire Woods LLP I
Tiberghien I Van Cutsem Wittamer Marnef &
Partners I Verhaegen Walravens I Stibbe I
Tossens & Prioux I Field Fisher Waterhouse
LLP
Maxime Leborne (Lexgo), Sofie Storms
(Vialegis), Laurent Tainmont & Olivier d'ursel
(Van Cutsem Wittamer), Marlène de Wouters

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law firm of the year >>>
Altius
Paul Maeyaert, Partner
Which elements, you think, have encouraged
the jury to give you the Award for this
category?
We think that our IP/IT practice has been
rewarded for its pragmatic approach, its open
mind on how to best co-operate with clients
while keeping our fees at a reasonable level,
and its ability to assess the chances of success
of possible litigation. Also, our efforts to
keep on top of the latest developments have
probably contributed to our success. In addition,
the events of last year confirmed not
only the professionalism and expertise of our
IP/IT team, but also our department’s multidisciplinary
nature. For, in 2007, Altius’
clients entrusted us with the management of
complex, high-level cases, before Belgian
and European courts, in a wide variety of sectors.
The firm represented clients from a wide
variety of industries (sports goods, textile,
apparel, tobacco products, foodstuffs, wine
and spirits, video games and leisure, pharmaceutical
products, applied art, motor vehicles,
flowers, etc.). With 17 member lawyers,
our IP/IT team is one of the strongest in Belgium,
able to cope with the widest possible
diversity of cases, and expanding its specialist
knowledge to an enviable extent. The
number of IP/IT cases handled by Altius grew
rapidly in 2007, allowing us to occupy key
award winning >>>
De Wolf & Partners
Patrick De Wolf
Which elements, do you think, have encouraged
the jury to give you the Award for this
category?
It is said that the award for the Best Managing
Partner of the Year is linked with the personality
of the award winner rather than with
a department or a law firm.
We are however of the opinion that the award
2008 rewards the vitality of a professional
group (of lawyers and administrative staff)
which pushed the tough decision to integrate
into an interdisciplinary and international
environment, and led us in 2001 to become a
member of the Osborne Clarke Alliance.
This decision was put into practice with the
most extreme voluntarism and was continuously
supported by our clients. It ensured a
strong stability, offered us local focus and
international expertise, and extended our
reach towards international markets, in particular
in Asia and in Africa.
IP & IT
positions in all the most currently contentious
areas of IP and IT law. Finally, the
Altius IP/IT team’s profile was significantly
raised in 2007 by the promotion of two Associates,
Nicolas Clarembeaux and Gerrit Vandendriessche,
who became Partners, and the
recruitment of new team members. The large
increase in the number of requests received
by Altius to advise international public organisations
is evidence of the firm’s increased
reputation abroad.
What are the main evolutions in that area of
practice?
In IP, there has been much new legislation, at
all levels, which requires detailed daily monitoring.
The Belgian government has taken
measures to strengthen the specialist training
of the magistrates who hear and investigate
IP cases, which is encouraging. Belgium
also reviewed its Trade Practices Act following
the publication of EU Directive 2005/29
and plans to abolish the prohibition on joint
offers in the near future, which would boost
e-commerce and on-line advertising. Finally,
the law on on-line gambling and entertainment
is also under review.
What are your objectives for the year to
come?
In 2008, it is our ambition to consolidate
Altius’ position as Belgium’s leading IP/IT law
firm. We can already count on the in-depth
specialist knowledge and experience of Paul
MANAGING PARTNER of the year
What are your objectives for the year to
come?
We expect 2008, a year in which we moved to
a new and surprising premises and will celebrate
our 10th anniversary, to be a year of
consolidation of what we have achieved and
described here above.
Furthermore, we shall focus on the domestic
market, particularly in Kortrijk, where we
opened an office early this year. The fast
developments of our Kortrijk’s office are
already visible and more than promising.
Hence, an unstaffed halt, not a point of
arrival. What the poet utters “être du bond, ne
pas être du festin, son epilogue” (René Char)
summarizes the state of mind of this award
winner 2008.
29
Maeyaert, Christophe Ronse, Nicolas Clarembeaux,
Gerrit Vandendriessche and Olivier
Vrins. Senior Associate Philippe de Jong’s
expertise in plant variety rights and life sciences
is increasingly in demand. Altius’ top
priority is to jealously guard its independence
and its ability to provide top-quality legal
services at competitive prices, while favouring
a solution-minded and flexible attitude.
The nominees were:
Stibbe I Altius I Bird & Bird I DLA Piper UK LLP
I Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP I Howrey LLP I
Ulys I De Wolf & Partners I Olswang I Linklaters
LLP
Altius IP team, Jean-Marc Lauwers (ELSA),
Stijn Merks (Kroll Ontrack),
Marlène de Wouters
The nominees were:
Alexander Vandenbergen - Lydian I Carine
Van Regenmortel - Altius I Denis Philippe –
Philippe & Partners I Eric Cusas - Field Fisher
Waterhouse LLP I Jean-Pierre Blumberg -
Linklaters LLP I Luc Houben - Jones Day I
Olivier Clevenbergh - Stibbe I Patrick De Wolf
– De Wolf & Partners I Trevor Soames -
Michael Schütte - Howrey LLP
Philippe Lambrecht (FEB-VBO),
Patrick de Wolf (De Wolf & Partners),
Pierre Bury (Blackberry),
Marlène de Wouters

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award winning >>>
ING Bank
Jean Cattruzza, Head of Legal Department
Which elements, you think, have encouraged
the jury to give you the Award for this
category?
The depth and complexity of this transaction
has certainly influenced jury members. A
transaction in relation to splitting the company,
followed by selling of one of the companies
split off by a third, and acute timing, it
was a great challenge to fulfil and our law
department has excelled at it with the utmost
professionalism.
award winning
>>> REGIONAL - FLANDERS
LDR
The nominees were:
LDR I De Schrijver van Gehuchte Messiaen I
Van Gompel & Renette I Belexa I Monard
D’Hulst
Benoit Evrard (D-Lex Pyramiq),
Bert Roelandts (LDR),
Peter De Smedt (LDR),
Isabelle Larmuseau (LDR)
PROMINENT TRANSACTION
What are the main evolutions in that area of
practice?
When issues are dealt with from a quality
legal department, it is not only an issue for
our department but also other businesses.
Thus it is crucial to trust colleagues, despite
the difficulty and depth of the issue at hand.
Therefore I think it is normal to treat this type
of issue internally; for our people, it is a great
deal more satisfying.
What are your objectives for the year to
come?
To carry on working day by day to get the best
out of business by still hoping to have the
chance to deal with other interesting issues
which has allowed us to win the 2008 Legal
Award.
charity
United Fund for Belgium
Avenue Adèlelaan 1
B-1310 La Hulpe/Ter Hulpen
tel. +32 (0)2 655 49 33
fax +32 (0)2 655 37 09
info@ufb.be
www.ufb.be
Bank account:
Citibank 953-0000003-69
IBAN: BE71 9530 0000 0369
SWIFT code: CTBK BEBX
31
The nominees were:
ING I Cofinimmo
Lien Thijs (ING),
Janice Derveaux (ING),
Tanguy Pollet (Swisslife),
Kristien Kaelen (ACCE)
The Belgian Legal Awards support the following charities
and invite you to make a donation.

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award winning >>>
Elegis –
Hannequart & Rasir
Jean-François Henrotte, Partner
Which elements, you think, have encouraged
the jury to give you the Award for this
category?
The jury recognised the outstanding way in
which the members of elegis – Hannequart &
Rasir exercise the legal profession on the
regional market. They rewarded the academic
reputation and the investment of the
members of the association in a bar currently
undergoing modernisation (Patrick Henry
is the current president of the Bar of Liège
and André Delvaux is approaching the end of
his term as a director of the Bar Association
(OBFG)). The firm’s interest in the issues
affecting the region (I won’t go into detail
here, given the importance I attach to professional
secrecy) and the sophisticated use it
makes of information and communication
technologies (such as our e-services module
or our secured extranet at the service of our
clients, for instance) seem to have convinced
the jury, which also highlighted its individualities.
As regards the latter point, however, I
prefer to draw attention to the excellence of
the association as a whole rather than cer-
award winning >>>
DLA Piper
Bob Martens, Managing Partner
What do you think encouraged the jury to
give you the award for this category?
I believe the jury recognized DLA Piper
because we are known for our in-depth
knowledge in various fields of law. In addition,
we have succeeded in gaining a leading
market position on the global scene (Asia,
Europe, the Middle East and the US) as well
as in Belgium (over 100 lawyers working
across offices in Brussels and Antwerp)
which makes us very attractive to work with,
especially for those Belgian companies with
international ambitions or operations. How
we work might also have played a role: we are
known for our hands-on approach, our pragmatic
and to-the-point and business-driven
perspective on legal issues is appreciated by
in-house counsels. Clients value the lengths
we go to in our involvement in their business
and our drive to achieve results.
What are the main changes in Belgian law
firms?
The Belgian legal market has changed rapidly
in the past decade. Ten years ago, it was
still dominated by local firms with no real
REGIONAL - WALLONIA
tain of its members, as we are convinced of
the abilities and the complementarity of
each of the lawyers in our firm, which would
not be what it is without each of its members
(from the trainee to the experienced partner).
What are the main evolutions in that area of
practice?
Companies and public authorities are
increasingly coming to realise that reliable
and competent lawyers can be found in
Antwerp, in Namur or in Liège and can be less
expensive that some Brussels-based
lawyers. This is not, of course, to denigrate
my esteemed colleagues (not least because I
am myself registered at the Bar in Brussels),
but to stress and to be very pleased to note
that certain clients appreciate the ability or
independence of lawyers in more concrete
terms.
What are your objectives for the year to
come?
We are selected every year in the category of
the best association of lawyers in the Walloon
Region and we have been elected this
year, but we would like to be perceived for
what we are: elegis is one of the biggest independent
national associations, present in all
three regions. We would like existing clients
to continue to look at us in this way, new
BELGIAN LAWFIRM OF THE YEAR
integrated international partnerships. Today
the market is dominated by international or
global firms. The global economy will evolve
further and firms that genuinely embrace
this fact will become global players capable
of tending to the full spectrum of business
needs anywhere. Niche firms will also do well,
because they are highly specialized. These
will be the winning models for the next
decade.
The legal profession is also changing from a
strict procedural role to a more strategic one:
that is, lawyers are having to come off their
legal fence to provide real strategic advice.
The establishment of the Belgian Institute of
Legal Counsels and the rise in numbers of inhouse
counsels will result in a more need of
specialized legal expertise and assistance
with multi-tasking and complex projects.
What are the main objectives for the year to
come?
Being recognized as “best law firm of the
year” has, as a consequence, that DLA Piper,
has from now on, to concentrate all efforts to
become “better then best”. We do believe
that we can achieve this ambition by concentrating
our energy on the client interests.
These interests are at the very heart of our
business, and we strive to achieve excellence
33
clients to find this out and to call upon our
abilities to assist them in their projects or
their litigation at national or international
level and, why not, to be selected or even
elected in the category of the Belgian association
for the year 2009!
The nominees were:
Geradin I Bours & Associés I Matray Matray &
Hallet I Proesmans & Henry I Celes I Maréchal
Wenric Vito & Rosu I Elegis - Hannequart &
Rasir
Jean-François Henrotte (Elegis),
Nathalie Van Damme (Elegis),
Benoit Evrard (D-Lex Pyramiq),
Marlène de Wouters
in everything we do for them. We do believe in
long-term relationships with our clients
based on openness and honesty and will continue
to built out these relationships. In order
to be able to even better serve the clients
needs, we will also further invest in our firm.
We will develop in several practices, like
finance law and corporate law and are open
for discussion with lawyers in all practices
that our willing to be part of our challenging
future.
The nominees were:
Altius I De Wolf & Partners I DLA Piper UK LLP
I Stibbe I Linklaters LLP
Ann de Roeck (Dexia),
Bob Martens (DLA Piper LLP),
Marlène de Wouters

comments book
I want to thank you for the excellent organization of this great
event and the invitation. I think everyone was impressed with the
venue and organization.
Wolter Kymmell, Director ACCE
_____
Encore bravo pour les Legal Awards! Très bien organisés!
Emmanuel Plasschaert, Président Conférence du Jeune Barreau
_____
Encore bravo pour cette édition très réussie.
Cécile Louchard, Senior Manager, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
_____
Met aanmerkelijk meer bezoekers dan vorig jaar blijkt dat de
Belgian Legal Awards in een behoefte voorziet voor een jaarlijks
‘networking event’ in de juridische hoofdstad van Europa.
Michel Klompmaker, Publisher
_____
Félicitations pour le succès. A la prochaine édition. Amitiés.
Christian Miroir, BFM
_____
Many thanks for an excellent evening team. Bravo.
Zak Attar, Principal, Neumann International AG
_____
Mes félicitations pour cette soirée qui fut à nouveau un beau
succès.
Olivier Clevenbergh, Managing Partner, Stibbe
_____
It means a lot to our lawfirm to receive the award ‘Law Firm of the
Year (Flanders)’. Many thanks for the organisation of the event!!
Isabelle Larmuseau, LDR Milieuadvocaten
_____
Nos félicitations pour l'organisation de la cérémonie d'hier soir.
Nous n'avons pas gagné, mais nous nous sommes bien amusés.
Jean-Luc Wenric, Maréchal, Wenric & Associés
_____
Nous tenions à vous féliciter pour votre évènement qui était,
selon notre responsable sur place, magnifique.
Danielle Braff, Importateur Exclusif, Lavazza
_____
I just want to quickly congratulates you on the big success. Even
the food and the service were excellent (especially considering
how many people had to be served).
Howard M. Liebman, Partner, Jones Day
_____
Congratulations for this success!
_____
Patrick Wilkins, Publisher and Chairman The European Lawyer Ltd.
Encore une fois toutes nos félicitations pour la brillante soirée
d’hier. Vous êtes parvenus à faire des Belgian Legal Awards un
événement incontournable du monde juridique belge. Encore
bravo et poursuivez sur votre lancée.
Pascal Hollander, Partner, Hanotiau & van den Berg
_____
All the Freshfields partners and associates present yesterday
would like to thank you for the evening last night. The pleasant
dinner and the perfect organisation charmed everyone. The partners
and associates who participated to the gala had a beautiful
evening and a good opportunity for them to meet their colleagues.
We look forward to the next edition of the Legal Awards.
Gisèle Trauscht, Business Development & Communications
_____
Encore toutes nos félicitations pour la magnifique soirée des
Legal Awards, l'organisation était vraiment impressionnante!
Benoît EVRARD, Pyramiq SA
_____
34
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special thanks to
Zak Attar, Derek Benton, Piet Bourgeois, Philippe Brack,
Mr & Mme Braff, Jean Cattaruzza, Benoit Evrard,
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Katia Homerin, Guy Keutgen, Philippe Lambrecht,
Maxime Leborne, Lorraine Legros, Cécile Louchard,
Christophe Marfoutine, Jean-François Marlière,
Solange Marlière, Pierre-Alexandre Marlière,
Christian Miroir, Pierre Nicaise, Tanguy Polet, Wibo Rigter,
Alison Sharp, Jean Vandeveld, Patrick et Elsi Vyvey,
Patrick Wilkins, Claudine Weyn and many others.

Belgian
Legal Awards
2008
Thank you all for coming
and see you next year!
Merci à tous et
à l’année prochaine!
Hartelijk dank voor uw komst
en tot volgend jaar!
Belgian
Legal Awards
2009
Thursday
19 March 2009
Hotel Le Plaza Brussels
Bd Adolphe Max 118-126 - 1000 Brussels
large parking available
THE BELGIAN LEGAL AWARDS
Bastion Tower, level 20 I Place du Champs de Mars 5 Marsveldplein I B-1050 Brussels
tel. +32 (0)2 550 38 20 I fax +32 (0)2 550 35 35
info@legal-awards.com I www.legal-awards.com