24/04/15

A brief report on the 2015 Legal Awards

LexGO is a regular at the Legal Awards and 2015 was no exception, so you will find hereafter our brief report. The award show started particularly well with Justice Minister Koen Geens, who delivered a passionate speech, filled with historical references and humour, to drive home the message that democracy, justice and solidarity need to be cherished and defended and that change in order to improve and often redress what has gone awry, is a necessary, but difficult and sometimes painful process.

For your convenience, we list the winners in all the categories.

- Best Company Lawyer: Marleen Vandendriessche (Director Legal & Environmental Affairs - The Brussels Airport Company)

- Best law firm (overall): Freshfields 

- Best law firm for corporate: Linklaters 

- Best law firm for tax: Freshfields 

- Best law firm in banking & finance: Liedekerke 

- Best law firm in competition & antitrust: Covington 

- Best law firm in employment law: Lydian 

- Best law firm in real estate: DLA Piper  

- Best law firm in IP, IT & TMT: Bird & Bird 

- Best law firm for litigation and Arbitration: NautaDutilh


The firms operating from Brussels were again quite dominant. Essenzia, Van Innis & Delarue and Matray, Matray & Hallet were three of the few non-Brussels based firms among the nominees. 

A remarkeable feat was Covington's crowning as best firm for competition & antitrust. Johan Ysewyn, who joined the firm in the course of 2014, is setting a new record, as he has obtained the award with each firm he has been a partner with (Linklaters in 2010, Clifford in 2014 and Covington in 2015).

Group picture of the winners and organisers. We recognize among others Gilles Questiaux (Trends/Tendances), Jan Hofkens (Lydian), Ann De Wolf (ICL), Peter D. Camesasca (Covington), Philippe Lambrecht (FEB), Thomas Janssens (Freshfields), Johan Ysewyn (Covington), Marleen Vandendriessche (BAC), Henk Van Hulle (Linklaters), Benoît Van Asbroeck (Bird & Bird), Emilie Maes (Freshfields), Paul Gheerebaert (Liedekerke), Dirk Caestecker (DLA), Sophie Jacmain (NautaDutilh), Stan Brijs (NautaDutilh) and Jean-François van Drooghenbroeck (Nautadutilh)

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