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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