Clifford Chance

We are a market-leading firm in Belgium. Our reputation is built on high-profile work in the Belgian market, multi-jurisdiction transactions, antitrust and regulatory matters.

Domestic strength and international know-how

Our Belgian track record goes back to 1968, and today there are 11 partners and over 40 lawyers in our full-service Brussels office. We work with clients on a range of complex questions and have particular expertise in cross-border M&A, private equity, real estate, banking, finance and capital markets.

Our work regularly makes Belgian headlines, with recent examples including:

• Advising Corialis on its acquisition by Astorg from CVC Capital Partners Fund VI.
• Advising AXA Belgium on the transfer of a EUR 2.6 billion closed book of life insurances to Monument Re.
• Advising the lenders of Hamon & Cie (International) SA in connection with the insolvency proceedings opened in relation to Hamon & Cie (International) SA and certain of its subsidiaries in various jurisdictions.
• Advising PATRIZIA, on behalf of a South Korean consortium, with the sale of Astro Tower, the tallest passive building in Brussels, to Union Investment.
• Advising Highbridge Capital Management, LLC and Whitebox Advisors, LLC on the negotiation of a EUR 100m senior secured convertible facility for Belgian biotech company Mithra Pharmaceuticals.
• Advising Azelis and its majority shareholder EQT on EUR 1.8 billion IPO, marking the third largest IPO ever on Euronext Brussels.
• Advising Deliverect, the latest Belgian Unicorn, on its USD 150 million Series D financing.
• Advised the lenders on Traxys’s flagship multi-currency syndicated revolving credit facility of US$1.570 billion.
• Advising Kingspan on its acquisition of Derbigum, a sustainable Belgian manufacturer.

The high-calibre work of our talented lawyers on these and other key transactions is recognised in consistent top-tier rankings by major legal directories such as Chambers, Legal 500 and IFLR.

Experts in antitrust, state aid and regulatory matters

Our practice group specialising in merger control, behavioural antitrust, state aid and regulatory matters is the go-to team for high-profile, bet-the-company antitrust work in Brussels. We have excellent relationships with the key EU institutions and in-depth knowledge of the technical and practical aspects of the relevant EU laws, which allows us to provide our clients with practical, comprehensive advice that covers all jurisdictions in which they have business interests.

We give clients industry-focused insights and tailored advice across a wide range of sectors, but we are particularly well-known for our track record and expertise in information technology, pharmaceuticals and industrials.

Recent examples of our work include:

• Representing FairSearch, an industry coalition that is the main complainant in the EU's Google Android investigation and a leading intervener in the EU's Google Search case, as their external counsel before the European Commission. Both cases resulted in the imposition of record-breaking fines, and these investigations are undoubtedly among the most significant antitrust cases of recent years
• Advising GE on over 100 acquisitions and joint ventures, including in relation to its merger with Baker Hughes, involving approximately 20 merger filings across the world, and in relation to its €3.2 billion sale of GE Water and Process Technologies to Suez
• Advising a number of pharmaceutical clients in the context of investigations by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). For example, we advised Zoetis and Xellia Pharmaceuticals in their appeal against the CMA's infringement decision in relation to the reverse patent settlement of GSK with a generic company called Alpharma, the so-called 'pay for delay' case. We are also advised Pfizer on its defence in a high-profile excessive pricing investigation by the CMA and in its appeal against the CMA's infringement decision
• Advising KONE on the landmark damages claim brought by the European Commission before the Brussels Commercial Court against KONE and three other lift manufacturers in relation to a cartel infringement, established pursuant to a decision of the EU Commission

An approach our clients value as highly as our capabilities

We combine the flexibility of a close-knit domestic team with the sophisticated resources of an international firm. We are well-used to building cross-practice teams of lawyers from our 23-country network, and our clients’ comments suggest that they like our way of working just as much as the results we deliver:

• "The team is praised for its detailed knowledge of the market, quick turnaround time and straightforward, to-the-point communication, as well as its good depth of resources and excellent cross-border capabilities."
  Chambers Europe 2019