PwC Legal recognised once again amongst the leading Belgian law firms in the latest Legal 500 EMEA rankings published
02 Apr 2024
The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 edition published on 27 March recommends PwC Legal Belgium in 5 practice areas, namely Environment with a Tier 3, and Commercial, Corporate and M&A, Employment, Tax and Real estate with each a Tier 4.
Consistent and highly positive feedback from clients gets the firm’s Employment practice into the rankings and the group moves from the “Firms to watch” category to Tier 4. The employment team which frequently works with global clients to provide domestic compliance advice in connection with market entries and operation set-ups, and is additionally capable of advising its clients on major restructuring operations, social inspections and disputes with employees is described as a “Very proactive team, benefiting from a great network of employment lawyers, able to leverage their employment law expertise across markets.” The team “distinguishes itself through its highly pragmatic approach, displaying a deep understanding of operational and business challenges.” and clients describe its members as “Experts who have a pragmatic vision of the business…come with solutions and recommendations to make right decisions.” Clients further convey that “They are close to the customers. They develop narrow links with us and are empathic.”
Head of practice Pascale Moreau and Director Sara Vanderstraeten particularly stand out with clients congratulating Pascale for “providing structured legal advice on cross-border matters in a very comprehensive way, facilitating implementation internally” while others applaud Sara Vanderstraeten’s expertise for being “unparalleled, bringing a depth of knowledge that consistently surpasses expectations” and for being “a good and reliable sparring partner”. They praise “Her exceptional communication skills (which) ensure seamless collaboration, translating complex ideas with clarity.”
Our Environmental practice is lauded for its extensive experience in real estate matters and environmental work, with clients praising the group’s ‘high expertise and knowledge of market practice‘. The practice is defined as “Client-focused – Thinking out of the box – Strategic” and rightly considered by clients as “a true one-stop-shop for legal advice!” While practice co-head Els Empereur is complimented for “always finding the right answer we need!”, Tom Villé who joined end of 2022 is commended for being a lawyer with a “Great availability and broad knowledge with the public and real estate market, (who) knows his cases really well and looks for solutions to move a project forward.” Other clients comment that Tom is “proactive, pragmatic, very good knowledge, available, reflecting with the customer always searching for solutions.” Olivier Drooghmans who frequently handles zoning, due diligence, and energy-related matters is also mentioned as a Key Lawyer.
The Corporate and M&A ‘broad and experienced multidisciplinary team‘ stands out for its ability to draw on the firm’s international network in advising both domestic and multinational corporate clients on M&A, corporate reorganisation projects, and digital transformations. Our Corporate and M&A lawyers Karin Winters, Pierre Queritet, Bart Vanstaen, Ive Serneels, Stijn Vanbaelen and Sixtine Borres are noted as key practitioners in the team which is further recognised for its strong regulatory capabilities which enable it to provide due diligence advice in connection with cross-border corporate and private equity transactions, commercial agreements, and multijurisdictional corporate undertakings. The team is further acclaimed for being a “Professional team, willing to devote all its attention to the issue at stake when you need it most.” and it is congratulated as “Close collaboration and involvement of top people make the difference”.
Head of practice Karin Winters gathers praises from clients who applaud her “truly professional and hands-on style”, while Pierre Queritet is endorsed for being “a seasoned and pragmatic professional”. ESG specialist Bart Vanstaen gathers unanimous praise as clients present him as “An excellent lawyer: quick, pragmatic and flexible. Good lawyer for corporate transactions”.
Our real estate team led by François de Montpellier who advises Belgian and foreign REITs on transactions and real estate financing, maintains an honorable ranking in Tier 4 as clients see it as “a professional team with high knowledge of the real estate market”. Our real estate lawyers receive good praise from clients and peers and come across as “Pleasant and accessible people.”
Clients further applaud that “The diversity of the scope covered by PWC (real estate transaction, financing) is one of the key strengths of PWC Belgium'' while others comment: “What for us truly distinguishes PwC Legal, is their dedication to understanding and meeting the unique needs of the client. The team makes time to listen and comprehend the specifics of each case, tailoring their approach to ensure that we receive correct and effective legal support”. One of the team’s highlighted strengths is its “Exceptional availability“, specifically François de Montpellier, Partner and Senior associate Nicolas Chaval, a key adviser to investment companies, developers, institutional funds, public authorities and credit institutions.
Last but not least, our tax team which handles a range of tax controversy and litigation for domestic and international clients, and covers both direct and indirect taxes, tax audit support, banking and financial services transactions and restructuring, as well as private wealth management, receives an outstanding amount of praise, as clients provide fantastic testimonials: “Excellent mastery of the subject matter. Specific and appropriate responses. Excellent responsiveness. Prompt communication of important updates for the subjects analysed, such as new case law.”; “In-depth expertise, with a focus to obtain a practical solution.” They salute the “Very knowledgeable team that used the right approach to make the case and win it.” A client comments: “PwC Legal always showed me they understood the context of their answers/opinions within the realities of “my” business. I appreciate them being strategic in their thinking and options presented. I also appreciate the fact that they always find a way to communicate with me in a succinct and to-the-point manner and that they keep me informed, i.e. they do not let me be surprised.”
Tax controversy and litigation practice head Véronique De Brabanter who supports in procedural matters and administrative and court proceedings, receives great clients’ feedback who say “Veronique De Brabanter excels in assisting us from a practical perspective. She also highlights potential hurdles and provides practical solutions without creating an additional pile of paperwork and red tape. Always a pleasure to work with”.
In addition to Véronique De Brabanter, Patrice Delacroix, Olivier Hermand and Gauthier Vael are noted as key lawyers with Gauthier Vael standing out and a client commenting: “Gauthier Vael gives me practical advice tied to the realities of the telecom business. The team are advisers, not just lawyers. I value the fact that they value my input, that they are patient and answer my questions but that they do not talk down to me. I also value their honesty and truthfulness. If something “bad” occurs, I need to understand what happened, why it happened and what our plan is to fix it.”
The Legal 500 reports that the addition of the PwC Belgium financial services team in July 2023 under Patrice Delacroix and Olivier Hermand expands the team’s regulatory and private wealth competencies.
Contacts us
