Labour and social law

This field of law covers both labour law (individual and collective employment relationships) and social security law.

All possible forms of independent collaborations, contractual employment in the public sector and the employment of civil servants also fall in this field.

Our team offers expert advice to employers, employees, clients and the self-employed, authorities, civil servants, as well as active assistance regarding the remediation of labour-law or social issues, including setting up or improving an industrial organisation in the broadest sense of the word.

At the same time, we offer active support in the event of individual or social negotiations in accordance with the commencement, during or within the framework of the termination of the professional collaboration and also in the event of an actual or procedural dispute in that respect.

Our team also has specific experience with the drafting, verification and/or updating of employment regulations in the broadest sense of the word, ranging from employment contracts (employees, commercial representatives, students, first-job agreements) to interim jobs, teleworking, cross-border employment, service provision agreements or independent collaboration, etc.

The same applies to following up issues with regard to social protection, remuneration and pay (including indemnity/settlement of commission and the inspection of final accounts), dismissal consultations and all other possible forms of termination of a professional collaboration, also within the framework of the reintegration of employees who are unfit for work and/or medical force majeure.

Our team also regularly assists in the follow-up of dismissal for urgent causes, issues regarding the suspension of an employment contract, questions about outplacement and the termination of the employment contract of a senior employee (unemployment with a company supplement), while it also offers tailored advice and assistance regarding the special issue of the reasons behind a dismissal.

Our team provides detailed analyses of wage and personnel costs, of measures or practical/administrative questions or disputes regarding welfare at work, maternity protection, educational leave, time credit, career breaks, etc.

The same goes for following up complaints or legal claims with regard to the equal treatment of men and women and with regard to violence, bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace.

Substantive analyses or the formulation of specific contractual clauses or addenda also fall under our daily tasks, paying specific attention to, for instance, the verification of the enforceability of and/or compliance with a non-competition clause, training clause, etc.

Our team also supervises contracting transfers, paying special attention to the scope of application of collective agreement 32a.

Our team also follows up cases regarding incapacity for work, pension, etc. and it will intervene from a mediating or procedural point of view in the case of disputes with the National Institute for Sickness and Disability Insurance, the National Employment Office, the FPS Social Security, etc.

The issue of bogus self-employment is also a recurring practice that requires a professional solution, whether or not within the framework of social control. This also applies to the issue of secondment, assignments, minimum wage, etc.

On a closing note, the issue of bogus self-employment is a recurring practice that requires a professional solution, whether or not within the framework of social control.

Experts in Labour and social law

Kris Maes Partner Contact

Annelies Verlinden

Louise Stas

Pascal Nelissen Grade

Liability, insurance and traffic law Travel law Sports law Criminal law & fraud Persons and family law

Pascal Nelissen Grade has 25 years of experience and learned all about law from childhood on. With the same earnest and attention for detail, Pascal switches his lawyer robe for a race overall and helmet and goes out racing on circuits both in Belgium and abroad.

Pascal is also:

Permanent member of the mixed commission for legal assistance and the commission for attorney’s fees.
Member of the council of the Bar Association of Leuven.
Chairman of the commission on fee litigations, estimations, arbitration and mediation (Bar Association of Leuven).
Member of the commission on lawyer ethics (Bar Association of Leuven).

In 2014, he was featured in the Who's who Legal Sports & Entertainment.

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Jan Stijns

Construction law Administrative law Estates Mediation

Jan Stijns graduated in 1987 as master of law at KU Leuven. In 2009 he also graduated as bachelor in philosophy at KU Leuven.

Jan entered the association in 1987. He is specialized in family property law and has specific attention for patrimonial law (real estate) and succession planning / taxability. He is also specialized in the fields of construction law and administrative law.

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Joris De Roo

Corporate law Commercial & economic law

Joris De Roo graduated in 1992 as master of law at KU Leuven.

Immediately after his studies, Joris entered the association and in 1998 he became partner. He specializes in commercial and economic law and corporate law. He is also specialized in estate planning.

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Kris Maes

Labour and social law Civil law

Kris Maes graduated as master of law at KU Leuven.

He is a member of the Bar Association of Leuven and Dendermonde.

Kris provides assistance and advice to individuals and companies on the subject of (individual and collective) labour law and social security. He is especially interested in providing thorough and permanent assistance on the subject of HR management. He is regularly invited as a guest speaker in seminars.

In the event of litigation, he prefers to come to a detailed and balanced solution after clear negotiations. But when legal proceedings are required, he is prepared to go to any length.

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Alexis Lefebvre

Commercial & economic law Tax law

Alexis Lefebvre started his studies at FUNDP in Namur and graduated as master of law at UCL in Louvain-la-Neuve. After his education, Alexis entered the association.

He is specialized in litigation and providing assistance and advice in the fields of tax law, on the one hand, and economic, commercial and contract law, on the other hand.

He is a member of the Bar Association of Brussels and Leuven.

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Frederiek Baudoncq

Civil law Arbitration Travel law Liability, insurance and traffic law Mediation

Frederiek Baudoncq is a member of the Bar Association of Leuven since 1998. From 1999 to 2005, he was part time assistant at the faculty of law of KU Leuven, department property and liability law.

He is (co) author of several books and contributions to books and articles and is a member of the editorial staff of three law journals. He completed the training to become a lawyer at the Supreme Court of Belgium, the Court of Cassation.

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Alexis Hallemans

Intellectual property, ICT and GDPR, media law Commercial & economic law Mediation

Alexis Hallemans studied law in Namur (FUNDP), Belgium, at the Univeristy of Leuven and in Saarbrücken (Germany). He is a lawyer since 2003. He also obtained a LL.M degree European law in Germany and an additional Masters in intellectual property and IT law at the University of Brussels. He specializes in these subjects in which he has pleaded before the Court of Justice of the EU and the Constitutional Court in Belgium. He is recommended for these subjects in Belgium (Legal 500, Tier 2).

For several years now he is a Board member of the German, Belgian and Luxemburg Chamber of Commerce AHK DEBELUX. Alexis fluently speaks Dutch, French, German and English. This allowed him to develop a strong experience and track record in legally assisting international companies in Belgium, particularly German companies.

Alexis worked in large international law firms in Belgium and Germany (CMS Hasche Sigle) before joining Nelissen Grade as a partner in the department IP, IT and commercial law.

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Joke Decabooter

Persons and family law Arbitration Mediation

Joke Decabooter obtained her master law degree at the Catholic University of Leuven in 2011. During her master years, Joke mainly focused on civil law, specialising in family law, family property law and liability law.

After her studies, Joke immediately joined the Bar Association of Leuven, as well as our firm. Based on her interest in private law, she mainly focuses on support, procedures and advice regarding all aspects of family law, as well as settlements and divisions. Nationality issues also fall within her expertise.

In 2015, Joke obtained her notarial profession master at the Free University of Brussels. Since 2019 she is recognized as mediator in family matters.

From the 2019-2020 academic year, Joke will be affiliated with the Catholic University of Leuven as a law assistant at the Institute for Family Law.

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Karen Niesten

Tax law Commercial & economic law Estate planning

Karen Niesten obtained her Master's degree in Law at the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL) in 2012 and then completed an additional Master's degree in Taxation at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB).

In 2013, she joined the Nelissen Grade office and the Leuven Bar.

Karen also completed a management programme at Solvay Business School of Economics and Management in Brussels and attended courses in Dutch taxation and inheritance law at the University of Maastricht.

Karen focuses on leading and developing the expert groups for tax law and estate planning.

On the one hand Karen focuses on financial and tax advice, including estate planning. On the other hand, she performs dispute resolution and litigation in various tax fields for the administrative authorities and tax courts in Belgium. In cooperation with Frederiek Baudoncq, she also conducts proceedings before the Court of Cassation.

From her tax background, she also supports the corporate law department.