Non-Profit and Associations

For many years, Pierstone has been providing counsel and advocacy for charities, foundations, international and national non-profit associations, advocacy groups, think tanks and professional associations.

We work with associations active in many different sectors of the economy including energy, transport, universities, the health sector, international cooperation and telecommunications. Whatever the sector of society represented by our clients, they know that they can count on the support of experienced lawyers interested in helping clients achieving their goals.

Our understanding of the nature and business of non-profit organisations and associations is not only linked to our legal expertise, but also to our involvement and participation in the non-profit community that our firm represents. Most of our lawyers sit on the board or in committees of non-profit organisations and they fully understand the challenges faced by the non-profit sector.

Our team of experts in the non-profit sector, especially under Belgian law, is led by Brussels based partner Patrice Vanderbeeken who has been working with the non-profit community for many years together with accountants and public notaries who have a strong expertise in this sector. In his previous international firm, Patrice Vanderbeeken, founding partner of Pierstone, has since 2005 been assisting a major Belgian legal author and lawyer in incorporating and assisting non profit associations from a corporate, IP, IT and data protection point of view (see below). He is widely recognized for his expertise in this respect.

The services provided by our firm include:

Corporate Governance: drafting articles of association and internal rules and balancing decision-making powers of the different corporate bodies

Corporate housekeeping: helping our clients in preparing corporate meetings and board resolutions

Contracts: including review, negotiation and drafting of all contracts necessary through the life of the organisation: lease agreements for premises, contracts with suppliers, contracts relating to the organisation of events, etc.

Employment Matters: including contracts with employees or independent consultants, CEOs, Secretary Generals

Intellectual Property: including general terms and conditions for websites, data protection compliance rules, protection of copyrights, trademarks and patents and acquisition and licensing of technology, drafting of intellectual property rights policies, standardisation (ITU, CEN/CENELEC, IEEE, etc.)

European funds: including assisting our clients in relation to access to, and negotiation of, European grants and funds (Horizon 2020) and related consortium agreements and intellectual property co-ownership agreements which are often subject to Belgian law

Financing: including review and negotiation of loan or facility agreements and related security package

Regulatory and lobbying: including supporting our clients in submitting proposals for amendments of proposals of regulations or directives at all stages of the law making procedure at European level and at national level

Acquisitions and Reorganisations: including acquisitions of real estate or acquisition of participations in other organisations, mergers, JV, liquidations and dissolutions

Dispute resolution: including advising our clients on measures to manage and solve internal disputes, litigation procedures, as well as mediation and arbitration services

Awards In The Category

• Legal 500 Tier 1