The firm is not rigidly departmentalized according to the areas in which we practice. Rather, each office has established informal practice groups in its main areas of activity. This facilitates fluid team building as needed for particular projects. Practice groups and subgroups meet regularly to share recent experiences on client projects, to participate in training programs and to exchange information about recent developments in law and practice. In the Brussels office the practice groups currently include the Competition, Corporate, Employment Benefits, Tax, International Trade, Belgian, Dutch, English and German law practice groups which meet regularly.
There are also annual or bi-annual pan-European practice group meetings, which not only serve an educational purpose, but also provide our lawyers the possibility to socialize with their colleagues from other offices outside the work context.
Associates, in particular at the beginning of their careers, can gather experience in various areas, and participation in one practice group does not exclude participation in others. At the same time, associates who wish to specialize in a particular practice area early in their career with us are encouraged to do so. Many lawyers have joined us because of a specific area of expertise and continue to work in their field of law becoming worldwide legal experts in the area of their choice.