Maarten Bentein

Didier Deneuter
Dominique Walravens
Jan Geldof
Bert Dehandschutter
Michiel Verraes
Inge De Bruyn
Maarten Bentein
Tiphaine du Poerier de Portbail
Benjamin De Clerck
Théa Ergen

Didier Deneuter has extensive experience and insight in legal and business practices within the creative industries: music, television and film, visual & theatrical arts, advertising, design, fashion, media, and sports.

Didier heads the creative industries team. Clients include a broad range of both artists and industry players in these sectors.

His passion and commitment to the creative sector have led him to accept pro bono positions on the boards of several cultural organizations promoting music and the arts.

| Contact: didier.deneuter@modo-law.be • office +32 2 427 39 00

 

  • Lecturer and regular speaker at conferences in matters related to his practice areas.
  • Third party decider at the Prague-based EURid Arbitration Court resolving .EU domain name disputes.
  • Law degree (KU Leuven)
  • DESS in Intellectual Property Law at the University Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris)
  • Lawyer at the Brussels Bar since 1994
  • Ulys – founding partner (2007 – 2011)
  • Modo law (since 2011)
  • Languages: Dutch, English, French, German

Dominique Walravens focusses on property law and (international) business law.

In property law, she works for different players in the real estate market, covering all civil law aspects, and more in particular issues related to commercial lease, construction, co-ownership, buying and selling of property and easements. Since 2005, she has been appointed as a deputy judge in Brussels (Etterbeek), the jurisdiction, competent for, among others, all matters related to lease agreements and co-ownership. Because of her involvement in the real estate part of due diligence procedures, she gained particular knowledge on soil pollution.

In (international) business law, she focusses on distribution, agency and franchising, both litigation and advisory work. She acts for principals as well as agents; franchisors as well as franchisees. A lot of her work relates to the Belgian Act of 1961 on unilateral termination of exclusive and quasi-unilateral distribution agreements concluded for an indefinite term, since 2014 incorporated in the Code on Economic law, book X, title 3.

Dominique is a fierce proponent of alternative dispute resolution. She is a licensed mediator and holds a certificate in collaborative negotiations. Since she is fully bi-lingual in Dutch and French, she is frequently appointed by the CCAI (Chambre de Conciliation, d’Arbitrage et Médiation en matière Immobilière) to intervene in real estate disputes.

| Contact: dominique.walravens@modo-law.be • office +32 2 427 39 00

 

  • Law degree (KU Leuven 1997)
  • Erasmus – University of Picardie, France (1993-1994)
  • Erasmus – University of Salamanca (1995-1996)
  • Master degree Business Law (Université Libre de Bruxelles 1999)
  • Languages: Dutch, French, English, Spanish

Jan focuses on commercial and trade law as well as dispute resolution in general. He assists a diverse local and international clientele, a.o. in drafting and negotiating various types of commercial agreements. He also has extensive experience as a litigator, representing the interests of clients before courts, tribunals and arbitration tribunals.

Jan’s expertise is in transport law & logistics in the widest sense. His engagement in different social and economic organizations gives him a wide range of general knowledge and insights that go beyond the strictly legal and which add value for his clients.

| Contact: jan.geldof@modo-law.be • office +32 2 427 39 00 • mobile +32 472 30 22 23

 

  • Master of Law – Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL), Belgium
  • Postgraduate degree (DESS) in European law – University Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris, France
  • Lawyer at the Bar of Brussels, Belgium since 1987
  • Languages: Dutch, French, English (fluent) & German (reading)

In addition to being an insolvency specialist, Bert also offers legal advice and overall assistance to Spanish companies about their Spanish-Belgian business relations.

As an insolvency specialist, Bert regularly receives appointments as a court-appointed insolvency administrator. He also provides support to companies experiencing financial difficulties. Bert assists creditors seeking to collect unpaid invoices or facing insolvency of a client.

Through his European network, Bert is regularly involved in consulting clients (the debtor, creditors, or the appointed insolvency administrator) within international insolvency proceedings.

Both his command of Spanish and his many years of experience in aiding Spanish clients, have led Bert to become a point of reference for Spanish companies in Belgium.

Such clients call on Bert’s services given they can count on his dedication and expertise in the field, to assist the client as their confidant with the support of his broad network.

| Contact: bert.dehandschutter@modo-law.be • office +32 2 427 39 00

  • Law degree – University of Brussels (1989)
  • European Management Programme – Bilbao, Nantes, Glasgow (1991-1992)
  • Insolvency administrator at the Commercial Court Brussels since 1998
  • Member of Insol Europe since 2009
  • Member of the Board of Eurojuris International (2010-2013)
  • Member of the bar of Pamplona, Spain since 2016
  • Member of the board of directors of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxemburg since 2010 and treasurer since 2018.
  • Co-founder and board member since 2021 of GRIP (Global Restructuring and Insolvency Professionals)
  • Languages: Dutch, Spanish, French, English

Michiel Verraes specializes in insolvency law, company law, and litigation.

He advises Belgian and international clients and represents these clients before the courts or in formal or informal restructuring procedures. Michiel also drafts and negotiates merger & acquisition contracts.

Focusing on restructuring Michiel has significant experience advising clients on enforcement, asset recovery, and director’s liability.

Michiel receives regular appointments as a bankruptcy trustee, liquidator, or provisional administrator from the Commercial Court. He was an insolvency practitioner appointed by the court in the bankruptcy proceedings of the three Belgian entities of the DUSSMANN Group, SSANGYONG BELGIUM, and COOL CAT BELGIUM.

| Contact: michiel.verraes@modo-law.be • office +32 2 427 39 00

***

Voor vragen m.b.t. het faillissement van Vlaamse Energieleverancier :
Tel: 09/310.81.80
Email: faillissement@vlaamseenergieleverancier.be

***

  • Law degree (KU Leuven 1999)
  • Erasmus – University of Poitiers, France (1997-1998)
  • Bankruptcy trustee Commercial Court Brussels since 2007
  • Bankruptcy trustee Commercial Court Leuven since 2021
  • Member of the Council of the Dutch-speaking Bar of Brussels (2013-2016)
  • Treasurer of the Council of the Dutch-speaking Bar of Brussels (2014-2016)
  • Member of the finance commission of the Flemish Bar Association (2014-2016)
  • Member of the insolvency commission of the Flemish Bar Association
  • Languages: Dutch, French, English

Inge De Bruyn started her legal career in labor law, handling mostly intellectual property issues in an employment context. She soon transitioned to a media & entertainment practice, where she focussed on music & copyright law.

In 2005, Inge co-founded an artist management company and for 15 years guided careers of both platinum-selling musicians and emerging new talent.

In 2019, Inge joined the State Bar of California and mans our US office in Los Angeles. She counsels clients across the creative industries and provides both transactional and litigation support.

| Contact: inge.debruyn@modo-law.com

  • Master in Law (2000, University of Antwerp, with honors)
  • Post-graduate Master in Intellectual Property Law (2002, University of Brussels – KUB)
  • Bar Admissions
    • Lawyer at the Bar of Brussels, Belgium
    • Lawyer at the State Bar of California, USA
  • Court Admissions
    • U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • Languages: Dutch, English, French (fluent), German (reading)

Maarten has advised companies for many years, focusing on companies in the construction sector and companies in financial difficulties. His in-depth experience covers the whole range of legal and commercial tools such as negotiations, arbitration, reorganizations, bankruptcies, and other forms of (insolvency) mechanisms. He combines those with a pragmatic approach, strong commercial and human insight to find the best tailor-made solution for you and your company.

The courts of Brussels and Ghent regularly entrust him with the liquidation of companies as a bankruptcy liquidator or judicial liquidator. In addition, he is frequently appointed arbitrator by the Arbitration Institute in construction and real estate disputes.

Maarten has gained experience in a mid-sized Brussels law firm and works in Dutch, French, and English, and has a working knowledge of Spanish.

| Contact: maarten.bentein@modo-law.be • office +32 2 427 39 00

***

Voor vragen m.b.t. het faillissement van Vlaamse Energieleverancier :
Tel: 09/310.81.80
Email: faillissement@vlaamseenergieleverancier.be

***

  • Law degree Ghent University (2011)
  • European mediation training for practitioners of Justice (2013)
  • Arbitrator institute of Arbitration (2013)
  • Former lecturer United International Business School (2014-2015 / course: Patents and Trademarks)
  • Bankruptcy liquidator Brussels (2017)
  • Bankruptcy liquidator Ghent (2021)
  • Languages: Dutch, French, English (fluent), Spanish (working knowledge)

Tiphaine du Poerier de Portbail was admitted to the Brussels Bar in 2006 and has extensive experience with liability & construction law and business law. In 2015, after nearly a decade of legal practice, she left the Bar to work as a legal consultant for the professional association of technology companies. In 2021 she joined MODO LAW as paralegal, working mostly behind the scenes. Although she enjoyed consulting, Tiphaine missed defending clients before the courts and rejoined the Brussels Bar in September 2024.

Now, she is focusing on real estate and tenancy law. She has extensive knowledge of matters concerning student housing, co-housing, …. Her background also includes substantial experience with liability and construction law.

Although originally from France, Tiphaine du Poerier de Portbail has two mother tongues – French and Dutch – which enables her to serve a diverse range of clients across Belgium’s multilingual landscape and beyond.

Contact: Tiphaine.dupoerierdeportbail@modo-law.be • office +32 2 427 39 00

 

  • Law Degree (ULB 2006)
  • Erasmus – University of Pamplona, Spain (2003-2004)
  • Master’s Degree: Civil Law (Université Montesquieu Bordeaux IV 2003)
  • Languages: Dutch, French, English, Spanish

 

Benjamin De Clerck began his legal career at a Brussels-based law firm where he gained extensive experience in the field of IP/IT law and a special focus on privacy and data protection law.

In 2024 Benjamin joined Modo to be part of the creative industries team.

| Contact: benjamin.de.clerck@modo-law.be • office +32 2 427 39 00

 

  • Master in Law (2020, University of Ghent, with honors)
  • Post-graduate Master in Intellectual Property and ICT Law (2021, KU Leuven)
  • Languages: Dutch, French, English, German

Théa Ergen graduated in 2021 and started at the Brussels Bar in October 2023.

She assists MODO clients with issues related to the Real Estate and S&M/Start-up industries.

| Contact: thea.ergen@modo-law.be • office +32 2 427 39 00

 

  • Law degree (Université Libre de Bruxelles 2019)
  • Master’s Degree: Economic and Social Law (Université Libre de Bruxelles 2021)
  • Languages: French, Dutch, English, Aramaic