Olivia de Wrangel holds a law degree from the Université Libre de Bruxelles. She is member of the Brussels Bar since 2006.
Her main areas of practice are real estate law and civil and commercial contracts.
Olivia de Wrangel was also a legal consultant for a major player in the Belgian real estate sector for several years. There she gained multidisciplinary experience in project management which is useful in her current assignments as business-oriented lawyer at Concordes.
She continues her career with Concordes, where she shares the values of rigour, pragmatism and tailor-made service for the client.
Ilan WALRAVENS has a degree in public law (ULB) and a degree in public international law (ULB). He is furthermore specialising in tax law.
At the Brussels Bar, his primary role is tax (VAT, personal & corporate income taxes, federal, federated and local), but he also has an expertise in administrative law and town-planning regulations (with a focus on touristic affairs).
Anissa LAÏCH holds a law degree from the Université Libre de Bruxelles. She also holds a Master’s degree in International and European Law from the Catholic University of Leuven. She is member of the Bar of Brussels since 1998.
She has a multidisciplinary experience in business law (commercial law, distribution contracts, franchises, corporate law, …) and in labor law. She also practiced administrative law and real estate law.
She has participated in numerous arbitrations (CEPANI, CIETAC) as well as in due diligence (foreign investiments in Belgium and abroad) and she took part in seminars on corporate issues and on European law ( competition law, direct effect of directives, European labour law…)
Persevering and inventive, she favors practical solutions in line with the spirit of Concordes.
Philippe SIMONART is the founder, and managing partner of Concordes®.
His catchwords are “Accuracy and creativity”. His trumps are strategy and negotiation. He has been member of the Brussels Bar since 1996.
Specialising in public law (Constitutional Court and Council of State), he offers an specific expertise in the sectors of hotel industry, finances and real estate. He leads the Concordes team in the various areas of law concerned (real estate, business, M&A, commercial, social, town planning, tax, etc.).
He has been a professor in real estate law at the Brussels Bar (CAPA) since 2022.
Philippe Simonart acts as the attorney of major professional organisations (at the European, national and regional levels). He also participates in the structuring and development of companies and hotel groups in particular.
He has also been appointed as a Third Party Decider by the Brussels Bar. He is also a certified mediator in civil and commercial matters.
Philippe acts also as Facilitator in companies and has been trained in collaborative law.
He wrote and published several legal articles and is frequently invited to speak at leading seminars (entrepreneur side).
Julien EYLETTEN holds a master's degree in public law from the Université Catholique de Louvain (obtained with great distinction), which does not prevent him from having developed skills in tax and accounting matters.
He understands complex and interrelated problems in order to determine the issues at stake and to propose a global solution in order to best serve the interests at stake.
His preferred activities at Concordes include relations with public authorities, administrative litigation and contractual matters.
In keeping with the spirit of Concordes, he is dedicated to serving the community.
Serge OCTAVE holds a Master's degree in law, specialising in public law, from the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) as well as a Master's degree in Management Sciences from the Facultés Universitaires Notre Dame de la Paix de Namur (FUNDP).
His preferred activities as a legal advisor at Concordes are company and association law and public procurement law.
He is also a member of the Institut des Réviseurs d'Entreprises and of the ITAA. He is also a member of the Register of the Court appointed experts.
With a multidisciplinary experience, he mainly assists Concordes in the acquisition and sale of companies.
Tax law is constantly on the move. As in other areas of law, we pay extra attention to keeping our expertise up to date.
In 2014, more than 107,238 pages of law, decree and other regulations have been issued.
We focus our endeavours on taxation advice to support areas that interact with your specific needs and activities. Concordes® helps you to apprehend it.
Personal asset management: Because the word “family” has a real meaning to us, Concordes® will work with you to develop the best strategy in order to assist you in the long term protecting, developing and passing on your assets.
Your family estate or business is not just a material asset; it also represents a set of values.
Concordes® will help you to put in place the organizational and decision-making structures to ensure their longevity, in an ethical and practical way.
01.
Hotel industry
Concordes® is the only Law firm specialising in the hotel industry in Belgium.
The founder, Philippe SIMONART, is the attorney of several associations and major companies in this area, at both national and european levels.
Thanks to that, he presents a particular expertise in the matter and helps you to anticipate consequences of legal changes.
We understand your needs, meeting various legal matters as:
- tax (local – “ City tax” – and federal : VAT…) ; - labour (individual and collective aspects) ; - corporate (mergers and acquisitions, contracts, commercial practices, competition) ; - real estate ; - public health and food regulations (HACCP, AFSCA) ; - intellectual property.
02.
Corporate - Commercial law
Maintaining a consistent focus on the matter in hand – and on our client’s objectives – we take a dynamic approach, a sharp commercial insight complementing our legal knowledge.
A wealth of experience across various areas feeds our close collaboration with large and small companies.
The advice we offer is lucid and practical. Identifying ourselves closely with our clients’ business, we aim to carry their cause and even open the way to new possibilities.
Concordes® advise on all aspects of the acquisition and disposal of businesses: Mergers & acquisitions, Private equity and venture capital…
We don’t see a transaction in isolation. Each project we undertake contributes to building and strengthening the working relationship with our client: trade practices (advertising and consumer law, abusive practices and unfair competition) as well as distribution law, competition law and regulatory aspects; commercial negotiations and optimizations.
03.
Real estate - Asset management
Real estate is a key value in Belgium.
Your investment and its profitability deserve legal certainty, from purchase, financing and development, to letting, ongoing management and sale. We will assess what are the important clauses and advise you on areas where your position can be protected.
Once a real estate contract is signed, stepping back is no longer an option.
Some conditions must then be satisfied beforehand to prevent disputes, even though litigation seemed unlikely.
Therefore, you better confer with a real estate lawyer, sooner than later.
Asset management
Since MiFID, the financial sector and its regulations are in constant evolution. Complexity has never stopped increasing.
Asset management companies present specifications not taken into account by large structures of legal advisers.
However, your customs, needs and obligations deserve specific attention.
(asset managers, trustees, private individuals and foundations in connection with asset management and investment funds).
We aim at legal certainty with the authorities, your collaborators and clients.
Regulation and legislation are constantly changing and you need a team that remains up to-date.
Our modern legal practice encompasses many angles and skills ranging from the obvious legal technical ability to business and practical skills in dealing with cases in the most efficient manner.
04.
Employment law
Working time is an important part of everyone’s life. Therefore, you deserve to receive the best legal representation and the highest level of consideration at all times.
Mr Laurent Massaux, highly experienced and skilled employment lawyer, is dedicated to providing prompt, practical and authoritative legal advice.
Since 2013, Laurent has been acting as deputy judge at the Labour Court of Brussels.
We do not recommend using ready made employment agreement found on the Internet. We are skilled and experienced in advising on how to manage and resolve employment problems, when possible through our assistance in mediation and alternative dispute resolution procedures.
We have worked on many precedent-setting cases related to your activities.
Belgium has probably the highest employment tax or payroll tax in the world. It may have very serious financial and legal consequences to individuals and businesses, doesn’t it? Concordes® have the knowledge and resources to assist you and your business in dealing with these complex issues.
We identify and advise on any inherent problems in your business’s employment tax compliance processes and procedures.
We also aim to keep costs as manageable as possible throughout the course of our collaboration.
05.
Concordes Lawyers
A PRACTICAL STRATEGY
We know your business and activities. We are a young and determined team, which members come from the 3 Regions of Belgium. Concordes® work at a human scale. We work closely and smoothly with our colleagues, favoring open communication and productive collaboration within teams and across teams – this increases our speed and efficiency in providing clients with the answers they need. Nothing is seen in isolation: we know that each project we undertake contributes to your business and to the building and strengthening of professional relationships. We always develop strategies with our clients. That’s what we named ourselves “Concordes®”. We assure your interests or your defense in all legal disputes before the Constitutional Court, or through alternative dispute (mediation, arbitration ...).
The members of our firm are involved as speakers or experts in numerous seminars. Concordes® assist and represent professional associations, at various levels (regional, federal and European).
We offer our collaboration in French, Dutch, English, Spanish and Italian.
Process
1. ASSESS OBSTACLES IN THEIR CONTEXT
Legal problems do not stand in the void. So it is critical to assess them in their own context. We take time to thoroughly discuss and analyze the variables surrounding the obstacle - not just the obstacle itself.
2. FLIGHT PLAN
Shooting from the hip is never a wise legal strategy. From the beginning of our engagement, we work hand-in-hand with you to lay the most efficient path to your goal, explaining the steps and your options along the way.
3. SKILLFULLY EXECUTE
The greatest plan in the world is worthless if not properly executed. Using our skill and expertise, we will not rest until the task is completed and your goal is achieved.
News
Vers une réouverture du secteur HORECA en décembre?
Vidéo issue d'une interview réalisée par Monsieur Amid Faljaoui pour le Cercle de Wallonie.
30/12/2020 - Interview BXFM
Vous hésitez encore à aller voir un avocat?
Code of Ethics
Nothing is more important than your trust in us.
Our firm is deeply committed to the ethical values of the legal profession, especially, the confidentiality.
Concordes® has chosen not to be part of an international network or alliance. This independence enables us to develop privileged relationships on a non-exclusive basis with leading foreign-based law firms (France, Luxemburg, Spain and the Netherlands).
What does this mean to you? Expect to be treated with respect while receiving legal and strategic advice best adapted to your situation; as well as loyally made breakdowns of our costs and fees.
We are subject to professional rules, which text that can be found on www.barreaudebruxelles.be