IEL Elite

Overview

Jan Hofkens and Alexander Vandenbergen lead the Brussels-based employment law team at Lydian, which receives praise for the high quality of its services.

Clients include domestic and multinational companies, as well as public bodies. The department is the Belgian member of the Employment Law Alliance, offering it an impressive cross-border reach through the alliance’s global network of employment specialists.

Specialisms

The team’s offering spans the gamut of issues facing HR management, from drafting of internal policies through to international mobility guidance and assistance with pensions.

The group’s advisory services include compensation and benefits, such as short- and long-term incentive plans and alternative remuneration.

Health and safety is another field of expertise. Members of the group are well placed to assist with establishing codes of best practice, compliance, implementation of health policies, absenteeism, and workplace accidents.

The team’s skillset extends to representation in litigation proceedings, including boardroom disputes, and a broad array of claims – such as those relating to dismissals, severance pay, or violation of working time restrictions. Aside from individual claims, the group is well-versed in collective claims from redundancy processes and transfers of undertaking.

Restructuring is another area of activity for the team, including within the context of bankruptcy proceedings. Prowess in this space spans TUPE, collective dismissals, and business closures – as well as the associated communications with works councils and trade unions.

As part of a full-service firm, the team is able to pool resources from other practice areas when required. This is most prominent in its advice to public bodies, for which it can draw on experts within the public law department to advise on statutes and regulations, decentralisation, restructuring, and outsourcing.

Expertise extends to managing inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, investigations, and whistleblowing.