Proficiency in corporate law
- Partnerships, mergers and demergers and M&A
- Drafting articles of association for all kinds of companies (partnerships (including temporary and silent partnerships)), VOF, Comm. V, BV, CV (old law: CVOA)CVBA), NV (under old law also Comm. VA,) for a very diverse clientele (whereby Mr Goossens is (or was) also the contact point for various professional associations of liberal professions for advice and referral with regard to the structuring of all kinds of joint ventures)
- Drafting preliminary agreements (including joint venture contracts), shareholders' agreements, by-laws (internal rules and regulations) and other corporate documents, again for a highly differentiated clientele
- Assistance and guidance to shareholders and/or directors in corporate disputes
- Proceedings relating to directors' liability (whether or not in a context of insolvency), exit and exclusion of partners, dissolution of companies, etc.
- Restructuring of corporate groups in function of various needs, including simplification of structures, family succession, succession planning, adaptation of articles of association to changing legislation (cf. adaptation of the articles of association of numerous architect companies to the so-called Laruelle Act) and within the framework of Book XX of the Economic Law Code
- Acquisitions of companies/company groups and, from this practice, permanent correspondent for the supply of statistical information for the M&A Survey published periodically in the Journal of Legal Entities and Companies
- Transfers of companies whether or not applying the rules of the Companies and Associations Code
- Where appropriate, preparatory documents, such as letters of intent, memoranda of understanding, term sheets, heads of agreement, confidentiality agreements
- Drafting/amending statutes of numerous (I)NPOs (both private and public-law associations)
- Assisting with takeovers and mergers of NPOs
- Assisting a large hospital group in discussions concerning the transfer of a hospital
- Advising OVAM on the operation and financing of soil remediation funds that have adopted the legal form of a NPO
- Counselling large non-profit organisations in the care sector and the assisted housing sector in connection with contribution free of charge of general assets
- Advising federations in the social economy on, among other things, the financing of NPOs via subsidies with a focus on European aid rules (de minimis, SGEI regulation, application of the General Block Exemption Regulation)
- Advising GP circles that have adopted the legal form of an NPO
- Advice on power of attorney arrangements, both in the private sector (companies and associations) and in the public sector (mainly intermunicipal partnerships)
- Advice and assistance to intermunicipal cooperatives regarding their internal organisation and their relationship with the participating municipalities, etc.
- Advice and assistance to municipalities in their discussions with intermunicipal cooperatives, including when leaving (e.g.) cross-regional intermunicipal cooperatives and when joining new cooperatives
- Contracts (other than those listed above)
- International sale-purchase agreements
- Distribution, agency and franchise agreements
- Production agreements
- Agreements under REACH regulations
- Agreements under the assisted living facility regulations
- Vertical restraints
- Abuse of dominant position
- State aid
- Mr Goossens has extensive litigation experience in the areas already covered above. He has handled cases before the ordinary courts, administrative tribunals, the Constitutional Court and the Court of Justice. He also has experience in arbitration.
Date of birth
April 25, 1962
Lawyer since
1987
At gsj since
1987
Partner since
1993
Team
Studies
- 1986-1987: LL.M., University of Virginia
- 1983-1986: Licentiate in law, magna cum laude, Catholic University of Leuven
- 1981-1983: Candidate in law, Catholic University of Leuven
- 1976-1981: Secondary education, Pius X Institute
Languages
Dutch, French, English and German
Preferred subjects
Organizational law in the broad sense of the word (including (permanent and temporary) companies, associations, legal entities under public law and M&A), Distribution and competition, State aid, Transport and customs
Selection of publications
- GOOSSENS B., ""Regional cross-border intermunicipal cooperation finally settled... But did it have to be so messy?", in Liber Amicorum Hugo Sebreghts, Antwerp, Intersentia, 2014, pp. 135-152.
- GOOSSENS, B., VANHAUTE, I., "The limits of cooperation in the care sector", in Care law: knowledge bundled (workbook for the care sector, GSJ lawyers), 162-175.
- GOOSSENS, B., "Collaboration between medical practitioners", in Care law: knowledge bundled (workbook for the care sector), GSJ lawyers, 12-25.
- GOOSSENS, B., VAN DER MAAT, K., "(Model) directive interpretation: don't forget the (optional) transitional provision(s)!", IRDI 2010, vol. 2, 209-214.
- GOOSSENS, B., Legal aspects of cooperation [in liberal and intellectual professions], monograph, 2011.
- VAN DER MAAT, K., GOOSSENS, B., "Community design: invalidity of a drawing or design of the shape of a promotional item for games shaped like a rapper ", IRDI 2010, vol. 4, 469-473
- GOOSSENS, B., NUYTS, T., "Intermediaries in transport and parallel imports are not at fault but liable", IRDI 2009, vol. 1, 69-73
- GOOSSENS, B., "The company's (criminal) liabilities and possible defences, in X.", The new provisions in the Trade Practices Act, Vanden Broele Publishing.
- GOOSSENS, B., DE KEERSMAECKER, S., "Commercial agency, 'compensation for clientele' and guideline interpretation: a (never) ending story?", TBH 2005, vol. 9, 955-961 and http://www.rdc-tbh.be (13 February 2006).
- GOOSSENS, B., "[Jurisdiction of the Brussels Court of Appeal to order the Benelux Trade Mark Office to register a word sign as a trade mark after all]", IRDI 2005, vol. 4, 481-484.
- GOOSSENS, B., "On basis and outcome or how to lose the 'trademark north'", IRDI 2004, vol. 3, 311-319.
- GOOSSENS, B., PHILIPSEN, G., "On the relationship between exhaustion in trademark law, measures of equivalent effect and exclusive distribution agreements", IRDI 2004, vol. 1, 71-77.
- GOOSSENS, B., "Curiosity: what self-esteem or one lack of self-reliance can lead to? On processions, blood sausage and terrifying (?) procedures", IRDI 2004, vol. 1, 3-4.
- GOOSSENS, B., "Some legal reflections on car sales within the internal market", in X., Searching for law, Bruges, Die Keure.
Memberships
- 2016-2018: Lecturer at UNIZO Entrepreneurs Academy on cooperation between practitioners of liberal professions
- 2003-2014: Editorial board member at IRDI (Intellectual Rights Droits intellectuels)
- 2002-2006: Editorial board member Courant (the magazine of the Antwerp Bar Association)
- 1994-1997: Editor-in-chief of the fortnightly newsletter for lawyers Tableau (published by Kluwer Rechtswetenschappen)
- 1985-1986: Member of the editorial board of Jura Falconis (a legal science student magazine)
Selection of study days and teaching assignments
- 20 June 2019: The new Companies and Associations Code. An evolution or revolution? (UNIZO Antwerp)
- 20 June 2019: Speeddate with the WVV. In-house seminar together with Accountants Firm Noorderkempen on the new Companies and Associations Code
- Spring 2019: Geens' leap. Four seminars on the new Companies and Associations Code for the NAV (Kortrijk, Mechelen, Ghent and Heusden-Zolder)
- 2014-2015: Four afternoon seminars on "associating" (UNIZO Entrepreneurs' Academy)
- 2014: NAV Colloquium: cooperation between architectural firms
- 2011: Continuity among architectural firms. NAV info evenings entitled Growing into a design environment
- 10 December 2010: Temporary cooperation between architects. NAV Colloquium: Cooperation between architects: legal, fiscal and deontological (Antwerp)
- 2005: NAV Colloquium: Cooperation between architects
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