Our People

Give a brief overview of your role at the firm now, when you joined and your background before joining. 

I'm currently an associate in the Belgian group, mainly focusing on corporate and M&A work. I joined in the summer of 2020 (just after the first lockdown!) upon returning from LLM in the U.S. at Harvard Law School. Before that I spent about a year and a half at another major international law firm in Brussels. On the level of education, I obtained my master of law at the university of Ghent, followed by a master in economics there as well. 

Why did you become a lawyer (please relate this to your practice area) – what prompted and sustained your pursuit? 

Becoming a lawyer allowed me to put the skills and background learned at law school into practice, working on high profile international cases with strong and highly motivated colleagues in a dynamic environment. Never a dull day! 

How did your international experience (UK/US/Globally) impact your growth personally and professionally and what was your biggest learning ? 

The LLM and the European and international projects I did before opened my world and brought me into contact with many interesting people pursuing similar goals, careers and hobbies. It made me aware of differences and similarities across borders and got me comfortable with things ranging from travelling and different time zones to cross-border communication and cooperation and different perspectives. It was a great preparation for joining an international law firm such as Clifford. 

What motivates you in your role? 

Intellectual and personal challenges, learning from others across the team and solving problems. 

What was your biggest assumption before becoming a lawyer? 

That it would be a great place to learn (so far hasn't been disproven!). 

How would you describe the culture and atmosphere at Clifford Chance? 

Many (if not all) law firms promote themselves as informal with a flat hierarchy, while there is more difference in practice than there is difference in rhetoric. The structural set-up of Clifford in itself however promotes such a culture. We are a major international law firm but the limited number of lawyers at the Brussels office ensures a feeling of a small/mid-sized organisation. This ensures that strict hierarchy and formalism is simply unworkable to introduce, resulting in a naturally informal environment whereby everyone knows each other and has already worked together. This set-up, combined with an active promotion of an open culture really creates the unique culture and atmosphere at Clifford. 

What are the key skills you have developed here which have been invaluable to your career? 

Undoubtedly absorbing large volumes of information and making decisions and delivering under strong time pressure. Getting to know market practice and relevant contracts and customs is also key in learning as a lawyer. 

What do you like most about your job? 

Every day brings new challenges to learn, solve problems and get things done, while getting to know new people in Belgium, across Europe and internationally. 

What do you value most about the people and the firm? 

Its open culture, the dedication and motivation whereby focused and hard work is combined with fun activities and a good atmosphere outside of work. 

What is your key advice for anyone considering a career at Clifford Chance ? 

Know whether you want to be a lawyer, know in what model you want to work (departments vs. broad Belgian group/large organisation vs. smaller organisation/international vs. pure Belgian) and look at specific people and mentors rather than a big law firm name or prestige. 

What's the best piece of advice you've received since joining/ OR your best lesson in the industry so far? 

In university you write an intro, a middle part and a conclusion. For your client, write the conclusion first. They'll read the rest below if needed. 

What is the most exciting deal/matter/project you have worked on recently? 

We acted for a bidder in the auction sale of Colruyt's offshore wind parks in Belgium and several other countries, including an extensive due diligence of a very interesting sector along with challenging contractual documentation together with an international team at a high pace.