With all aspects of public sector activities being highly regulated, it is vital to optimise the impact of the various layers of applicable legislation, while effectively handling business and political considerations.

Dealing with public entities can be very different from dealing with private entities. Handling these differences has become a necessity for businesses, especially in the current economic and political environment where governments are cutting costs, privatising and selling off assets, exploiting and/or terminating public-private partnerships and, in some areas, increasing public sector spending.   

Our expertise

Simont Braun has an outstanding track record in assisting a wide range of public entities, from governments to public utilities providers, covering major projects and the most complex of questions, whether at the global, cross-border or local public sector level.

Our team has gained substantial experience advising clients on real estate matters, on administrative contracts including service concession or public procurement and on environmental law, corporate law, labour law, tax law, etc.

We advise major operators in all sectors, including infrastructure, telecommunications, financial markets, healthcare, transport and utilities (e.g. energy and water). Our clients are public authorities, financial institutions, regulatory bodies, utilities and private companies.

We are particularly well-positioned to advise on highly complex and multi-disciplinary real estate cases involving public/administrative and corporate law issues, thanks to the integrated approach adopted by our lawyers specialising in corporate, real estate, town planning and public procurement law. At Simont Braun, a single team is capable of handling such multidisciplinary projects, while providing advice for the most complex of matters that arise in these areas. This is acknowledged as a major asset by our clients, who particularly appreciate this integrated method combined with a high level of specialisation.

Our team also regularly advises public authorities on the exercise of their powers and actively participates in legislative processes; we have drafted a complete recast of the Housing Code for the region of Bruxelles-Capitale (Brussels). It has also prepared the legislative texts relating to servitudes of STIB/MIVB (the public transport company for Brussels) within the context of the Metro Nord project. Manuela von Kuegelgen regularly gives seminars to entities such as Citydev (a public entity for the development of Brussels) and STIB/MIVB.

As a result of our experience, we enjoy a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced in the public sphere and are able to offer our clients the best possible assistance, enhanced by the ability to adopt a private sector perspective.