Overview
Matthias is a managing associate in the Belgian Litigation, Arbitration & Investigations practice. In 2023, he undertook a secondment to our London disputes team.
Matthias has broad experience in business crime (including criminal, internal and regulatory investigations), corporate disputes and contentious insolvency work. He frequently acts for financial institutions, funds, private equity houses and corporates drawing from a variety of sectors. He appears before all Belgian courts and acts as counsel in national and international arbitrations, including setting aside and enforcement proceedings arising from arbitral awards.
Matthias is qualified to practise before the Belgian Supreme Court of Cassation in criminal matters.
He frequently publishes on a variety of topics in the areas of business crime, commercial and insolvency law. He has also been an assistant lecturer in civil procedure at the University of Leuven.
Matthias is a passionate advocate for social mobility and has been a mentor of students from disadvantaged backgrounds embarking on a career in the legal sector.
Work Highlights
Matthias has acted in a wide range of corporate and criminal disputes. Those that can be disclosed include:
- representing a global bank in a myriad of cross-border insolvency disputes against an international diamond trading group and its management, also involving criminal proceedings (incl. before the Belgian Supreme Court) and insurance arbitration and litigation
- successful representation of a leasing company as civil claimant in criminal proceedings (incl. before the Belgian Supreme Court) and parallel civil litigation concerning a multi-million-euro fraud in the renewable energy sector
- successful defence of a financial institution in a criminal investigation concerning the alleged mis-selling of a private equity investment
- representing various private equity firms and an insurance company in post-acquisition disputes (also involving fraud claims), including setting aside and enforcement proceedings resulting from the arbitral awards
- assisting a multinational company in the food and beverage industry in a multi-jurisdictional internal fraud investigation
- acting for a listed company in ex parte and summary proceedings relating to an M&A price adjustment dispute
- successful defence of a multinational engineering company against charges of involuntary manslaughter in criminal proceedings brought in the aftermath of a fatal industrial accident
- representing a leading financial institution in highly contentious summary proceedings concerning the termination of a fund administration agreement
- acting for a public-private partnership in multiple ad hoc arbitrations against general contractors in the context of public infrastructure projects (DBFM)
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