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Strelia is delighted to have once again been ranked by the EMEA Legal 500 2020 guide in the practice areas Commercial, Corporate and M&A, Dispute Resolution, Insolvency & Restructuring and Private Equity. Our firm is also recommended as a Top-Tier Firm in the Retail sector.

Our Partner Jean-Pierre Fierens has been recommended as a “leading individual” in Dispute Resolution, Bart De Moor is a “leading individual” in Insolvency & Restructuring and Laurent Verhavert has been recommended as Next Generation Partner in Private equity.

We would like to thank all our clients and peers for their trust and support in obtaining this recognition from Legal 500. A big thank you goes also to our lawyers as well for their dedication.

We are more than ever determined to offer high quality services to our clients, especially in this challenging period.

This is what Legal 500 says about Strelia in their 2020 guide:

Commercial, Corporate and M&A – Tier 3

Corporate and litigation boutique Strelia assists its clients with a range of transactional, advisory and contentious matters, and counts technology, biotech, retail sector and financial services among its sector specialisms. The 'reactive, clever and supportive' Olivier Clevenbergh heads up the practice and attracts praise for providing 'reliable and experienced support in a negotiation process'. Gisèle Rosselle is particularly noted for technology sector transactions; she has the 'ability to think outside of the box to find solutions and move transactions forward in a pragmatic way'.

Dispute Resolution – Tier 3

Insolvency disputes and corporate litigation are core strengths of Strelia's practice. In a standout, ongoing matter, the team is representing directors of Optima Bank in claims for damages brought against the client after the bank was declared bankrupt. Jean-Pierre Fierens leads the group; Olivier Clevenbergh ('smart, empathic and very reactive'), Bart De Moor and Sébastien Ryelandt are key names.

Industry focus: Retail – Tier 1

Strelia's retail practice attracts praise for its 'industry knowledge, availability and thoroughness' across the full spectrum of issues including corporate transactions, commercial agreements, real estate work, tax mandates, employment matters and disputes. Practice head Olivier Clevenbergh is particularly strong for distribution and franchising issues, while Jean-Pierre Fierens advises on distribution agreements and corporate matters.

Insolvency and Restructuring - Tier 2

Attracting praise for its 'practical approach', Strelia's insolvency and restructuring practice is particularly active in insolvency matters and has experience defending debtors in litigation. Bart De Moor is 'an outstanding lawyer in the field of restructuring and insolvency law and as insolvency practitioner', and leads the department, which leverages the firm's full-service offering and frequently works with the corporate, tax and employment teams.

Private Equity – Tier 3

The private equity practice group at Strelia is particularly active in the biotech sector, and counts life sciences investment funds including Vesalius Biocapital and Newton Biocapital, and biotech companies including EPICS Therapeutics and Promethera Biosciences, among its clients. Beyond the biotech sector, the group was also recently instructed by Thomas Cook Group on the sale of its luxury tour operator business, Pegase, to private equity fund BV Capital Partners. Gisèle Rosselle, who is singled out for 'her ability to think outside the box in a pragmatic way to move transactions forward', heads up the practice, which includes Laurent Verhavert.

About the Legal 500

The Legal 500 assesses the strengths of law firms in over 150 jurisdictions. The rankings are based on a series of criteria and highlight the practice area teams providing the most cutting-edge and innovative advice to corporate counsel. The Legal 500 research is based on feedback from 300,000 clients worldwide, submissions from law firms and interviews with leading private practice lawyers, and a team of researchers who have experience in the legal market.