Osborne Clarke in Belgium announces new Co-Managing Partner

The leadership team in Osborne Clarke will include Marie Canivet, head of Retail in Belgium, as Co-Managing Partner alongside David Haex, the current Managing Partner, effective 1 January 2024. Marie is a partner on the Commercial team, having joined Osborne Clarke in 2019.

Marie has over 20 years’ experience in distribution law, distribution networks and retail business in general. She has extensive knowledge of the franchising business, having assisted a large number of companies to develop and strategically expand their concept and their franchising network in Belgium and abroad. A longstanding member of CEPANI, the Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation, Marie helps clients find alternative solutions in litigious business disputes as well as appearing in cases before the Belgian Courts and arbitral Tribunals. Marie is also a member of Women in Leadership (WIL) in Europe, where she is joined by several other Osborne Clarke partners to represent women in senior roles in the legal profession.

David Haex, head of Corporate in Belgium, has been at Osborne Clarke since the start in 2013 and Managing Partner since 2021. David has also supported the build-out of the Corporate team in Brussels which now includes M&A, ECM, growth financing, banking and nonprofit specialists. David has particular expertise with clients in the Technology, Life Sciences & Healthcare and Financial Services sectors, supporting them on M&A and financing transactions across the full investment lifecycle.

Marie comments, "I'm delighted to step into this new role and look forward to leading the office alongside David. When I arrived here four years ago, I was so impressed by the firm's welcoming, down-to-earth and inclusive culture. I see how much it strengthens our collaboration and benefits clients. I look forward to supporting our culture and core values in my new role and seeing how the firm will continue to grow."

Osborne Clarke in Belgium opened in 2013 and has since grown rapidly to become a full service law firm with over forty lawyers. Osborne Clarke's Belgian office is in the heart of Brussels, advising clients on national and EU law. As part of a highly integrated international team, the Brussels office partners with local and international clients to help them grow their business, navigate complex legislation and regulatory requirements, and take advantage of new technologies and markets.