The practice will be further reinforced by the arrival of , while two new practices will be created. A practice will be managed by and Strelia will add a capability thanks to . Finally, Strelia will strengthen its sector focus in, among others, the energy, retail, telecommunications and transport sectors.
Katrien Vorlat focuses on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, private equity and (corporate) venture capital. She regularly represents US, European and other international clients investing in Belgium through acquisitions, joint ventures or greenfield operations. Furthermore, she assists Belgian clients with their domestic acquisitions as well with regard to their foreign investments. Non-profit entities or corporations consult frequently Katrien Vorlat for strategic advice on corporate governance and disclosure matters.
France Vlassembrouck joins Strelia to launch its Real Estate & Administrative Law practice. Her extensive expertise in real estate, planning, environment, and public procurement allows her to offer clients a multidisciplinary approach in full life cycle of major infrastructure or development projects. She is highly regarded for her handling of a project at all stages, i.e. from the development phase (such as public procurement, concessions, expropriations, zoning rules, permits, grants) through the negotiation of the contracts (e.g. public and construction contracts, vesting of real estate rights) and, if needed, court proceedings. As a leading administrative law expert, she advises both companies and authorities. She regularly pleads before the Council of State and the Constitutional Court.
Pierre Goffinet joins Strelia to launch its Competition Law & Regulatory practice. He deals with all aspects of competition law and European law (antitrust, merger control and State aid). Pierre is also a recognized expert in sector regulation of energy, retail, telecommunications and transport. Pierre represents clients at European and national level and has both an advisory and litigation practice. What sets Pierre apart is his experience as a former prosecutor for the Belgian Competition Authority and as a former researcher in economics.
These new partners will be accompanied by their respective teams of associates, which will bring the number of lawyers in our Brussels office at around 50.
, Managing Partner, comments: “With this new development, Strelia enters a new phase in the realization of its ambitions to be one of the leading independent law firms in Brussels. Corporate and M&A and Dispute Resolution remain at the core of Strelia, but we broaden the range of our activities to better serve the needs of our clients. Strelia will now be able to deliver an outstanding and in-depth service also in Real Estate & Administrative Law and in Competition Law. It will also have specialists to advise our clients with their regulatory issues. This important development is made possible thanks to the joining of first-class partners, who all have a large prior experience. Katrien, France and Pierre are all experts in their fields, recognized as such by their peers and clients, and they share the other Strelia partners’ dedication to excellent client service“.