PwC Legal recognised once again as a strong key player in the latest Legal 500 EMEA rankings published for Belgium
28/04/23
The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 edition published on 11 April recommends PwC Legal Belgium in 4 practice areas, namely Environment with a Tier 3, Commercial, Corporate and M&A with a Tier 4, Tax with a Tier 4 and Real estate with a Tier 4. The firm’s Employment practice enters the rankings in the “Firms to watch” category.
The directory’s review puts our Environmental practice in the spotlight for its notable experience advising on projects and procurement, which attracts many clients including developers and public authorities. Head of practice Els Empereur is singled out for bringing expertise across administrative, public, and real estate law to the table, while Senior Managing Associate Olivier Drooghmans is noted for his work in zoning, due diligence, and energy contracts and regulation.
Our Corporate and M&A lawyers Karin Winters, Pierre Queritet, Bart Vanstaen, Ive Serneels and Stijn Vanbaelen are noted as key practitioners who advise a broad range of corporate clients, both domestic and international, on the full range of commercial and corporate law issues, encompassing commercial contracts and projects, most notably digital transformation, corporate governance issues, and M&A. The firm is particularly noted for its integrated tax and regulatory capabilities, working in concert with the wider network, as well as a growing focus on ESG issues, including reporting obligations and broader corporate social responsibility issues, a particular specialism of Bart Vanstaen. Head of practice Karin Winters’ expertise is particularly highlighted for cross-border business restructurings and M&A. Both Karin and Bart gather unanimous praise:
“Karin Winters and Bart Vanstaen stand out, both in top-notch technical expertise (going beyond legal) and solution-oriented delivery. They also build sound relations of trust with their clients.” while clients comment ‘Pierre Queritet and his team apply solid legal technical skills combined with no-nonsense negotiations.’ and 'Senior Associate Sixtine Borres is also a rising talent."
The practice clearly differentiates itself with its full-service, multidisciplinary approach and solid network with clients expressing: “The team thinks beyond the legal aspects to consider on a deal and can offer immediate accessibility to tax, accounting or other non-legal expertise, delivering integrated advice. The PwC Legal network is also much wider in geographic range than other law firms and works effectively. It also stands out for its top-notch practical advice, which is specific for our case. Also a very practical approach to discuss procedural aspects, next steps to be taken and what may we expect in terms of outcome.” according to a client, while another highlights more particularly the quality of advice provided by our lawyers: "Substance trumps form, but the manner/form in which PwC Legal provides their advice is worth mentioning. It is always to-the-point, in an easily readable and welcoming format (no long emails or long notes), and clearly defining possible solutions rather than only identifying the issues."
Our real estate team led by François de Montpellier, is singled out for its particularly strong reputation for transactional work, advising domestic and international clients on acquisitions and developments. Partners François de Montpellier and Els Empereur and Managing associate Katrien Antonis are recommended as key practitioners while the latter is also noted for her experience in due diligence. The practice receives good praise from clients and peers and comes across as a “Good legal team with broad experience in real estate matters in Belgium.”
Our tax dispute resolution team which handles a range of tax controversies for domestic and international clients, including audits and transfer pricing disputes, receives its fair share of praise as well, as clients comment that the “diverse” team is “Very skilled and professional, with practical and top-notch legal assistance.” and “leverages each other’s strengths to create an even stronger deliverable.” Once again clients particularly appreciate the multidisciplinarity of the firm, quoting “The tax team is multidisciplinary and can provide extensive assistance in all fields of tax law, which is very much appreciated.” Practice head Véronique De Brabanter is well regarded in administrative and court proceedings, while Senior Managing Associate Gauthier Vael receives high and consistent praise as “He does an excellent job. He follows up on our cases very quickly and is very reactive.’ Others quote that ‘Gauthier Vael is very technical and provides tailored advice combined with excellent skills and knowledge of the tax procedure.’
Last but not least, our employment practice, headed by Pascale Moreau - singled out for being particularly strong in restructuring, enters the directory as a “Firm to watch”. Our lawyers are sought out by domestic and international clients for advice and support on the full range of employment issues, as their service offering spans the entire employment-related spectrum, from labour law, restructuring and HR transformation, ESG and dispute resolution to compensation and benefits, new way of working, privacy and social inspections.
