With a growing Transactions Team that is establishing itself as one of the leading independent practices in the market, Van Bael & Bellis (VBB), a Brussels-based international law firm, is pleased to announce the arrival of leading corporate M&A partner Caroline Daout alongside senior associates Virginie Lescot and Cedric Hauben as well as associates Jens Westerwoudt and Charles-Antoine du Bus.
Based in VBB’s Brussels office, Caroline is a corporate M&A specialist with three decades of experience. She specialises in cross-border and domestic M&A transactions, including private equity and corporate venture capital transactions, private M&A and equity capital markets. Caroline also has a wealth of experience advising on corporate reorganisations and representing clients in corporate disputes.
Over the years, Caroline has built a robust reputation in the pharmaceutical, technology and energy sectors, where she has handled several high-profile and complex transactions. This sector-specific expertise adds even further depth to VBB’s “market-leading life sciences practice”, which Legal 500 points out is “highly regarded by public and private sector clients, ranging from multinational pharmaceutical giants to pan-European associations and sovereign states”. Caroline is also recognised by Legal 500 as a leading practitioner in Commercial, Corporate and M&A as well as Healthcare and Life Sciences.
Caroline joins from DLA Piper, where she headed the Brussels office’s Corporate and M&A practice group for more than 6 years. Virginie, Jens and Charles-Antoine also join from DLA Piper. Cedric joins from Allen & Overy, having gained prior experience at DLA Piper where he worked closely with VBB Banking, Finance and Projects partner Johan Mouraux. Johan and his team joined VBB in January 2022 from DLA Piper, where he was head of the Belgian Banking, Finance and Projects team.
