Osborne Clarke Belgium appoints two new Partners with effect from 1 January 2019

International legal practice Osborne Clarke has appointed two new partners in Belgium as part of the ongoing growth of the Brussels-based office. Marie Canivet (Distribution, Retail and Arbitration) joins Osborne Clarke from CMS and Hadrien Chef (Corporate) is promoted from Osborne Clarke's own ranks.

Marie brings over 18 years' experience in distribution law and the retail sector. She has extensive franchising knowledge, having assisted a large number of clients with developing their concepts, working methods and networks, both in Belgium and abroad. Taking a global approach, she has expertise in all the legal domains related to the retail sector, such as commercial lease contracts, transfers of business, distribution contracts (franchise, exclusive distributorship, agency), trade practices (publicity, commercial promotions, brands), antitrust, GDPR and intellectual property issues. Marie gives commercial advice and appears in cases before the Belgian Courts and arbitral Tribunals on a regular basis. She is an experienced litigator and has also developed a strong expertise in negotiating and drafting contracts.

Hadrien is an experienced Corporate lawyer having assisted a large number of clients in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), venture capital, public offerings, corporate reorganisations, corporate and security law and corporate finance. Hadrien’s main focus areas are Life Sciences and Healthcare, Tech, Media and Comms, and Transport and Automotive. He regularly advises on M&A transactions, joint ventures and investment schemes. Hadrien also assists in setting-up, financing, reorganising, acquiring, or liquidating business ventures in Belgium. He also acts as a litigator in these matters and in market abuse disputes. Prior to joining Osborne Clarke in 2016, Hadrien worked in the M&A Department of a leading Benelux firm.

Managing partner Thierry Viérin commented, "Osborne Clarke Belgium is delighted to have two new partners in the new year. Hadrien is our first internal promotion to partner. He joined the firm in 2016 and has done excellent work across various sectors. His new position reflects our firm's commitment to cultivating our internal talent and providing dynamic careers for our people. Marie is a very welcome arrival to our legal team. Her wide-ranging experience is a true asset to the firm and her deep expertise will be of great value to our clients. We are also excited to have more female representation amongst our partners as part of our longterm commitment to creating a diverse workplace."

Osborne Clarke Belgium celebrated its fifth anniversary in June of 2018 and currently counts nearly 30 lawyers, having also just welcomed a new junior associate to the employment team. Worldwide the firm has over 1000 lawyers across 21 further offices in Europe, Asia and the United States.