Michel Segers

Partner

PRACTICE AREAS

Fashion & Design,
Commercial Law,
Corporate,
Intellectual Property, Information Technology & Media,
Consumer Goods,
Food & Beverage

LANGUAGES

Dutch, French, English

CONTACT

Michel.Segers@mvvp.be

+32 2 285 01 00

Michel provides assistance to companies in Belgium, covering a wide range of commercial and corporate matters. His expertise includes contract and commercial law, cross-border complex litigation involving international parties, and corporate work across various sectors,Holding an LLM in intellectual property, Michel advises and defends clients in trademark and copyright disputes.

He has 20 years of experience in a broad range of commercial disputes:  contractual disputes, product liability, liability on commissioning project, insolvency disputes, liability and insurance matters.

As a native of Brussels, Michel is fluent in both Dutch and French, allowing him to effectively represent Belgian companies and directors in negotiations and litigation in both national languages across whole Belgium.

He possesses a profound understanding of the retail industry and is one of the four national experts appointed by the Ministry of Economy of Belgium. In this capacity, he advises the government on legislative needs, market trends, and addressing unfair practices in a B2B context. Michel offers strategic advice to retailers on their platform and e-commerce strategies and drafts various types of contracts, including franchise, agency, and distribution agreements.

Beyond his bilingual proficiency in Dutch and French, Michel is also fluent in English and German, having studied at Humboldt University in Berlin. He possesses a basic knowledge of Spanish, further enhancing his ability to assist a diverse clientele

Recent work:

• Liability of a Foreign State: Defending an Italian governmental agency in a high-value liability claim involving the international sale of alimentary goods.
• Constitutional Litigation & SME Advocacy: Representing a leading national association and representing a group of 2,500 SMEs before the Belgian Constitutional Court to successfully challenge and annul discriminatory legislative measures.
• Luxury & Retail Strategy: Serving as counsel for a top-tier watch manufacturer.
• Aerospace & Defense: Advising a major stakeholder in the aerospace and defense sector regarding a complex intellectual property dispute.
• International Industrial Disputes: Representing a French corporation in a high-stakes liability claim against Saudi and Belgian entities concerning engineered and commissioned installations.
• Regulatory & Export Control: Advising the Belgian subsidiary of an international group on export controls and compliance for dual-use (military) goods.
• Collective Franchise Negotiations: Representing a group of 140 franchisees in strategic contract negotiations with their franchisor to ensure equitable commercial terms.
• Cross-Border Distribution: Defending a Italian-Liechtenstein-based company against a Belgian distributor’s claim for goodwill indemnity under Belgian distribution law.
• Financial Ethics & Liability for bank agents: Advising bank agents on the implementation of the new bankers’ oath and its broader impact on ethical, corporate, and employer liability