Belgian law firm, CMS DeBacker, is pleased to announce that, as of 1 July 2012, Pierre Slegers (public law and lifesciences) and Arnaud Van Oekel (Corporate M&A) are promoted to partner.
Pierre Slegers joins CMS DeBacker's Public Law department in 2002, after spending two years in a commercial role in the chemical sector. Pierre specialises in constitutional and administrative law, focusing on constitutional litigation, social security, public health inclusive regulatory matters, finance and funding, hospitals, medical devices, food and nutriments and other lifescience matters. He also acts in regulatory matters relating to chemicals (including REACH-regulation). Pierre represents companies, institutions and public authorities.
Pierre has a masters degree in law, from the Université Catholique de Louvain (2000) and a postgraduate degree in Marketing and Advertising from the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management (2001).
The Public Law department is 18 lawyers strong, including 5 partners. The practice handles a wide range of Public law issues including, European law, environment and town planning, public-private partnerships, public procurement, public governance, public finance, public authorities and undertakings, liberalisation of public utilities, transport and infrastructure, and lifesciences. It is headed by Eric Gillet.
Arnaud Van Oekel joins the firm in 2000 with a focus on corporate and banking work. Over the years he becomes a key member of the firm's Corporate M&A practice, acquiring a wide experience in handling domestic and cross-border M&A and private equity deals. He also advises businesses on corporate structuring and financing issues. The banking side of his practice sees him acting for major banking institutions in a wide range of matters, especially in connection with financing (acquisition finance, corporate and asset finance) and debt restructuring.
In addition Arnaud managed to develop a niche advising clients from Latvia and the Baltic republics in M&As and restructuring work.
Arnaud holds a masters degree in law, from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (2000).
With Arnaud, the firm's Corporate M&A practice, headed by Vincent Dirckx, now numbers 23 lawyers, including six partners. The team has a distinctive position in the market, it is active on a wide range of issues such as corporate governance, corporate litigation, corporate finance, intra-group operations, insolvency & restructuring, private equity and within M&A it caters for the needs of all types of clients, from Belgian mid-caps to listed international businesses.
Stanislas van Wassenhove, Managing Partner, said: "Pierre and Arnaud are exceptional lawyers. Arnaud is a talented corporate M&A lawyer with an eye for practical solutions. Through his mastery of Administrative and Public law and deep knowledge of the health sector Pierre carved out an impressive lifesciences practice. I warmly welcome them in the partnership. Their nomination is a recognition of their unrelenting efforts to building solid practices and a testament to our firm's nurturing environment. We are serious about giving starting lawyers the environment to achieve their ambitions."
