Corporate / Mergers & Acquisitions

The firm handles mainstream corporate work (incorporations, capital increases, dividend distributions, corporate housekeeping) for local companies or subsidiaries of foreign entities.

It engages in acquisitions (share or asset deals), joint ventures, restructurings and intra-group transactions.

The firm assists foreign business clients seeking to set up operations in Belgium via subsidiaries or branches, or through contractual arrangements with local entities. 

Tax

The firm advises corporations as well as individuals in all areas of international and Belgian direct and indirect tax law, including income tax, value-added tax, inheritance and gift tax, registration duties, customs taxes and stock exchange transactions taxes.

It provides tax advice in specific fields such as international and domestic mergers & acquisitions and joint ventures, corporate restructurings and intra-group transactions, real estate acquisitions, asset management structures, structured financial products, estate planning, executive compensation schemes.

The firm assists and represents taxpayers before the Belgian tax authorities and before the Belgian courts, including the Supreme Court (Cour de cassation), as well as before the European Court of Justice.

General Commercial

The firm advises on general commercial issues, with a focus on international commercial agreements, intra-group harmonisation of general sales or purchase conditions, international sales disputes, as well as payment guarantees in international sales and in financing projects. Altra Law also advises on transport, insurance, electronic commerce, gaming, unfair business practices, and commercial or office leases.

Distribution/ Agency structures

Altra Law advises and assists suppliers, distributors, commissionaires, agents and franchisors/franchisees in Belgium and abroad.
Our services include designing tailored contracts (both intra-group and non intra-group), negotiation, termination and dispute resolution.
The firm also handles the Belgian and EU competition law aspects of distribution and agency.

Intellectual Property

Altra Law assists clients in protecting their valuable information through tailored confidentiality agreements. It also assists clients in filing or protecting their intellectual property rights, such as trade or service marks, copyrights and patents, and handles dispute resolution involving intellectual property.
The firm drafts international know-how / IP rights transfer or licensing agreements and advises on their competition law aspects.

Employment Law

The firm assists in drafting employment contracts, restrictive covenants and work regulations. Altra Law also advises and assists on issues such as the distinction between employee and independent contractor, privacy, data protection, work permits and professional cards. The firm assists both employers and employees with dismissals or resignations, including the negotiation and drafting of settlement agreements.

Dispute Resolution

The firm represents Belgian and foreign clients in commercial and labour disputes in court and before arbitral and professional tribunals. Members of the firm also represent clients in trade and competition proceedings before the European Commission, the European Court of First Instance, the European Court of Justice, Belgian Courts, WTO panels and the WTO Appellate Body. 

Special Expertise

The firm has special expertise in the following areas :

• Mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings and intra-group transactions 

• Tax law 

• International business transactions 

• International distribution / commissionaire / agency structures, especially in the high-tech industry 

• Insurance law