AEL Special Interest Group Conference - Brussels

The 4.15am stumble from the front door to the waiting airport taxi was inelegant. But a few hours later, magically transformed by the power of several strong coffees and the offerings of a Dunkin' Doughnut stand in the Metro, I joined AEL's inaugural Special Interest Group (SIG) Conference at the sophisticated and accessibly named 'The Hotel' in the centre of Brussels ready for the day.

The Special Interest Group (SIG) Conference was an opportunity to meet with lawyers from other countries to discuss the hot topics in our respective practice areas, strengthen existing relationships and make some new friends.

The afternoon kicked off with lunch followed by two hours of presentations and discussion in our respective SIGS - in our M&A SIG, hosted by German colleagues from Noerr LLP and looking at Venture Capital and Tech M&A. Other SIGs were available covering Competition Law, Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property, Employment law, Tax and Restructuring & Insolvency. It was really interesting to see the points in common (and of difference) of commercial approach to transactional issues and hear different delegates views on emerging sectors and risks in their jurisdictions.

It was a relief not to have to rely on the rather surreal conversational options my Spanish GCSE 'B' prepared me for and, in truth, truly humbling to speak to delegates from all over Europe, all of whom spoke perfect English. The day concluded with a lively dinner next to the Parc de Bruxelles.

AEL is one of two International networks of lawyers that VWV is proud to be a member of and allows our firm to offer a broad range of cross-border legal services to our clients. Each of the member firms are well-known in their respective countries and we would be delighted to make an introduction or discuss how we can assist you through the network, if you are interested.

If you are interested in hearing about how we can assist you through the network, please don't hesitate to contact Kenji Batchelor in our Education law team on 07483 251 898, or Richard Phillips in our Corporate law team on 01923 919 325 or Doug Locke in our International law team on 0117 314 5602, who manage our links with our International networks. Alternatively, please complete the form below.