New Year, New Beginnings: Updates from Vanbelle Law Boutique

Dearest Gentle Reader,

At the start of the new year, heartfelt wishes are, of course, most appropriate, both personally and professionally. Without sufficient energy, a stable and harmonious home environment, and adequate support from friends and family, building a career or a business would undoubtedly be challenging.

Thus, I wish you all these things first and foremost for this new year, along with a healthy dose of luck, creativity, and vigour to realize your projects further. Vanbelle Law Boutique is ready to support, assist, and help you in every way possible. To serve you even better in 2025, we, too, have some changes in store, which I would like to briefly share with you in this message.

Plans for VB Alliance

As you may know, I established the interprofessional network VB Alliance in 2023 (www.vb-alliance.com), and over the past year, we have worked hard to select partners with a similar professional DNA. 2025 will be the year we introduce you to these partners more closely and organise enjoyable events and initiatives for you. We are particularly excited about the opening of the Antwerp offices of Christie’s Real Estate Belgium (Hillewaere Group), one of our newest members.

VB Alliance itself has also been working hard to establish a permanent base in Antwerp, specifically in an 18th-century city palace located at Paardenmarkt 68.

From this location, we will be able to welcome you multiple times in 2025. The building features a charming inner courtyard and even its own disco…, making it not only an interesting but also a very enjoyable year. Be sure to follow VB Alliance as well on social media, which will be regularly updated with engaging content starting January.

VB Legal

Within Vanbelle Law Boutique, 2025 will see a clearer delineation between our litigation activities (court cases and disputes) and our advisory services (company formation and guidance, tax and corporate optimisation, real estate projects, professional migration, etc.), which continue to grow, particularly internationally. This year, we are likely to brand our litigation services separately under the name “VB Legal” to make this distinction clearer to the market. More information about this will follow later in the year.

International expansion

Regarding the international dimension, which, as you know, is one of our strengths, 2025 will involve exploring new territories and markets in Europe for real estate and corporate investments, residential projects, and migration opportunities. A work visit is already planned for late January to Hungary, an EU country focusing on efficient and low-cost company formation (with numerous tax benefits) and recently developing its own Golden Visa program, while other countries (like Spain and Portugal) are scaling theirs back. Albania is also on the visit list, particularly for its interesting real estate opportunities. Our international expertise in taxation, real estate structuring, and corporate law will undoubtedly be beneficial there.

In March, the spring conference of XLNC, an international advisory network we are delighted to be part of, is scheduled. As co-chair of the Legal Focus Group, I will have the opportunity to speak about some relevant legal developments for this select audience, under the (hopefully already) sunny skies of Monte Carlo. This conference follows the Trustconsult Group conference, where I will also be present.

Later in the year, work visits are already planned to the Emirates, Switzerland, and the United States (Chicago and Washington). At Vanbelle Law Boutique, we strive to stay attuned to international developments in markets relevant to us. Visiting established partners and contacts, studying cases, and exchanging information is the best way to achieve this. These efforts usually yield numerous new ideas and opportunities, which we will be happy to offer to you.

The expansion of our activities, particularly thanks to intensive collaboration with advisors from various sectors worldwide, means that by mid-year, we will likely start looking for a more suitable location for our offices in Brussels.

While the stunning building overlooking the ponds of Ixelles continues to amaze us daily with its unique beauty, the location (increasingly difficult to access in the city) and the layout of the old building (many wasted spaces, high maintenance costs) make it necessary to find a property that better serves our and your needs in the coming years. Of course, we always aim for iconic buildings rather than sterile office spaces, and this time will be no different. It promises to be an exciting challenge!

Follow us on social media and the websites of both Vanbelle Law Boutique and VB Alliance, as much is happening, and there will certainly be something of interest for you!

‍

Jo Vanbelle 

Managing partner Vanbelle Law Boutique

Founder VB Alliance