Five established business lawyers have joined forces with their associates to create the law firm QUINZ. It means the arrival of a new challenger on the mature Belgian market for legal services to companies.
Among the founders is Benoit Allemeersch, an experienced litigator and university professor in Leuven and Hasselt. He is leaving Clifford Chance where he was a counsel.
Co-founders are Bart Lintermans, Pieter Wyckmans, Olivier Van Obberghen and Vincent Van Obberghen. For the most part, the lawyers at QUINZ have previously worked at international firms such as Cleary Gottlieb, Jones Day and Linklaters. Most of them also acquired valuable experience as in house counsel of multinational industrial companies.
"With the founding of QUINZ we follow an international trend", says Pieter Wyckmans. "In every economic center of size and importance the market for business lawyers witnesses the creation of new, alternative legal service models in a response to the change of clients' expectations."(*)
Olivier Van Obberghen explains: "When it comes to legal services, corporate clients have grown much more cost-aware since the financial crisis. They also face the challenge of reductions in the hiring in house legal staff. This is why many companies are exploring new forms of cooperation with law firms. Lower cost and a closer involvement of external counsel is key to this new strategy."
QUINZ is surfing the waves of this new trend by offering cost efficient solutions and flexible forms of cooperation with its clients.
(*) The Economist 13 August 2011, http://www.economist.com/node/21525907
