Area of specialisation
Bar admission
Experience with legal system
Professional experience
Widely recognised as a leading litigator in Belgium, handling both domestic and cross-border litigation and national and international arbitration. Significant experience in the full array of commercial disputes: accountants' liability, banking litigation, construction cases, contractual disputes, corporate litigation (including post-acquisition claims and shareholders' disputes), competition litigation, insolvency disputes, product liability, sovereign debt issues and white-collar crime. Represents clients before all Belgian courts and acts as counsel and arbitrator in CEPANI, Belgian Federation of Diamond Bourses, ICC, SCC, UNCITRAL, BAS/CBAS and ad hoc arbitrations. Broad experience in enforcement of foreign arbitral awards, including enforcement against foreign states and state-owned entities, and annulment and suspension of arbitral awards by ordinary courts. Assisted parties in mini-trials and mediations, including mediations organised by CEDR and by Independent Mediators. Listed in the Legal 500 Arbitration Powerlist: Benelux.Author of numerous articles on arbitration, class actions, civil procedure, corporate litigation, insolvency law and product liability. He is constantly recommended as a leading attorney for dispute resolution in Belgium by Chambers and by Legal 500. Listed in The Legal 500 Hall of Fame for having received constant praise by his clients for continued excellence, and in the Legal 500 Arbitration Powerlist: Benelux. According to clients, Joost Verlinden is "an excellent litigator: very intelligent, pragmatic, client focused and flexible"; "tough, extremely thorough and always giving clear, straightforward advice"; they "look to him to lead discussions on defence strategy" and praise "his extensive knowledge of local and European law" (Chambers).
Member of the bar since 1988.