From SMEs to flourishing multinationals: we can assist you at crucial times as well as during the daily running of your enterprise. We provide advice to starting entrepreneurs as well as assistance to established enterprises during their further growth. Our team has comprehensive expertise in drawing up a wide variety of commercial contracts and can further assist you with all possible negotiations and legal proceedings that you might be confronted with when ‘running a business’.

• purchase-sale;
•  (commercial) lease;
• collection of invoices;
• general terms and conditions;
• business practices;
• unfair competition;
• consumer protection;
• competition law;
• joint venture agreements;
• consultancy contracts;
• leasing;
• distribution activities: franchising, concessions, commission, agency;
• non-competition clauses;
• new technologies and economies.

We can assist you from A to Z. Questions concerning choosing a type of company? Need assistance during the foundation stages? Do you require legal certainty during restructuring or an audit? Are you poised to take over a business? We can help.

• articles of association;
• shareholder agreements
• management agreements;
• employee participation;
• conflicts between shareholders;
• share option schemes;
• M&A: takeovers, mergers, restructuring;
• share transfers, transfers of assets/ trading enterprises;
• legal due diligence;
• letters of intent;
• directors‘ and officers‘ liability;
• assistance during judicial or police investigations;
• responsibility under criminal law;
• compliance

Entrepreneurs and/or enterprises that are in difficulty can also rely on our assistance.

• judicial reorganisation procedure (governed by the Belgian Continuity of Enterprises Act);
• assistance during investigations by the Companies Investigation Division;
• transfer of enterprises under judicial authority;
• objection or appeal against a bankruptcy or liquidation order;
• liquidation: receivers‘ department;
• pecuniary claim returns;
• conflicts with a debtor under the Belgian Continuity of Enterprises Act.

Protection of your intellectual property is of great importance for modern enterprises.

• trademarks and trade names;
• copyright;
• media law;
• drawings and designs;
• patents.

We provide you with assistance and advice during administrative proceedings.

• proceedings before the Council of State;
• administrative proceedings;
• expropriation;
• vacant property and/or dilapidation;
• weapons legislation.

We offer specialised preventative advice and assistance on this complex and constantly changing issue, for companies, authorities and private individuals, as well as during disputes concerning among others:

• granting of permits – Flemish Code on Spatial Planning (VCRO), municipal building regulations and building codes (obligation to have a permit, exemptions, reports, urban planning permits and land division permits, currently referred to as the integrated environmental permit);
• enforcement (breaches of urban planning, nuisance, financial penalties, prosecution) ;
• spatial planning (municipal and provincial spatial implementation plans, BPAs, etc…).

We offer specialised preventative advice and assistance on this complex and constantly changing issue, for companies, authorities and private individuals, as well as during disputes concerning among others:

• granting of permits – Flemish Code on Spatial Planning (VCRO), municipal building regulations and building codes (obligation to have a permit, exemptions, reports, urban planning permits and land division permits, currently referred to as the integrated environmental permit);
• enforcement (breaches of urban planning, nuisance, financial penalties, prosecution) ;
• spatial planning (municipal and provincial spatial implementation plans, BPAs, etc…).

We can help you with all your queries related to immovable property.

• purchase-sale;
• housing rent;
• general rent;
• retail rent (lease renewal, rent review, higher bid from a third party);
• pop-up rent;
• collection of overdue rent;
• licence to occupy;
• usufruct;
• right of superficies;
• right of leasehold;
• declarations of unfitness for habitation;
• (apartment) co-ownership;
• association of co-owners;
• administrator;
• immovable property attachment proceedings.

Whether you are the offender or the victim, a customised defence and approach will be provided. In addition to general Criminal Law, our specialists can assist you with the following:

European Arrest Warrant (EAW) and extradition;

interview by the Police and Investigating Judge (Salduzassistance);

pre-trial detention (your defence before the Court in Chambers and Indictment Division);

lodging a complaint (if necessary with appointment of an Investigating Judge who must investigate the offence independently);

• out of court settlement;
• attachment procedures under Criminal Law
• execution of a sentence (sentence enforcement court) execution investigations (Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement);
• anti-money laundering legislation;
• financial- economic Criminal Law;
• bankruptcy offences;
• liability under the Criminal Law on the part of legal entities;
• customs files.

If you or one of your loved ones and/or your company is the victim or a suspect in an offence committed abroad, or arrested in another country, we have an excellent network of foreign criminal law experts available to help.

Caught on camera while speeding? Wrongly issued a fine that you wish to dispute? Were you involved in a traffic accident and your insurance is threatening you with a contribution claim? Our Traffic Law specialists can provide you with accurate advice and assist you before the police court.

• Criminal Law defence before the police court;
• defence against contribution claims;
• Section 29a Motor Insurance Liability Act: vulnerable road user;
• Section 67b Road Traffic Regulations: identification of the driver;
• speeding offence;
• alcohol intoxication and drunkenness.

Everyone is confronted with liability issues at one time or another. One concept is key in this very broad area of law: damage. Those who suffer damage in the broadest sense of the word will search for the responsible party to acquire compensation. Our specialists will search with you.

• damage resulting from general accidents;
• accidents at work;
• claims for damage estimates (indicative table);
• medical errors: procedure before the Fund for Medical Accidents;
• liability for children, animals, property, employees;
• all Construction Site Risks (CAR policy);
• ten-year liability.

We help you to enter into the right policy and with adressing the right insurer. We are active throughout the insurance world.

• voidness of a policy;
• cover disputes and recourse;
• ire and theft insurance;
• civil liability operation;
• loss assessment.

We can correctly and efficiently assist you in this branch of law, which often involves far-reaching financial consequences.

• asset planning;
• Law of Inheritance;
• settlement and division after divorce;
• marriage contracts;
• settlement and division after death;
• donations and manual gifts;
• last will and testament and the division of an estate;
• succession planning;
• trusts, foundations and trust offices.

We offer legal and practical advice for all your legal employment problems. We can also draw up and provide assistance for contracts for self-employed persons, management positions, management companies, and such.

• drawing up employment contracts;
• (instant) dismissal;
• amendment of the terms and conditions of employment;
• car policy;
• alternative remuneration;
• non-competition clause;
• impact of new technologies;
• accidents at work and occupational diseases;
• the social status of self-employed persons;
• conflict with the National Social Security Office.

Our office deals firmly with defaulters. We handle the matter for you, from the first demand for payment until compulsory enforcement. Our extensive experience and quick action will considerably increase your chances of a positive result.

• debtor’s solvency investigation;
• demands;
• summons;
• collection of Undisputed Monetary Debts;
• attachment before judgment;
• attachment in execution (immovable property);
• debt management arrangement;
• Insolvency Law;
• debt monitoring;
• specialised software system;
• dealing with disputed claims;
• specialised collection (rent, storage spaces, loans, bank debts…).

Acquiring a judgment is by no means the end of proceedings. The most important aspect must still be completed: cashing in on the granted claim. Our office is very familiar with the execution stage.

• attachment before judgment;
• attachment in execution;
• attachment by garnishment;
• seizure of bank account;
• challenging attachment.

There are strict rules with regard to the sale of products and services by professional sellers to consumers. We would be pleased to defend you if you encounter problems following the purchase of a product or service.

• non-conforming delivery;
• guarantee-related problems;
• misleading advertising.

Mediation is on the rise. Since the Act of 18 June 2018, the judge can order mediation at any stage of the proceedings on his own initiative or at the request of one of the parties. Courts are increasingly making use of this. The benefit of mediation is the confidential nature of the procedure, which benefits the reconciliation of the parties. The parties themselves work towards an acceptable solution for both parties. This significantly increases the prospect of future compliance with the agreement. We are pleased to assist you in the framework of a mediation proceeding. Studio Legale will assist you as lawyer of one of the parties in the context of a mediation. Currently three lawyers of our office are taking on a course to become a certified mediator.

• preparation of a mediation interview (or negotiation);
• assistance during the mediation interview;
• monitoring the compliance with the mediation procedure;
• the drawing up of a mediation-agreement.

It can be advisable to appoint an administrator when someone loses control over his/her actions. The administrator exercises a legal mandate, with the instructions to take care of the management of the goods of a protected person. It is of course of the utmost importance that this administrator executes his/ her duties with the necessary seriousness, reliability, humanity and independence. It is often advisable to appoint an independent administrator. Joost Peeters is an administrator and would be happy to handle this.