Do you want to organise your legacy with the aid of a dedicated lawyer? Or to get legal advice on a split purchase or power of attorney? Do you want to leave your savings, property or shares to the next generation in a tax-efficient way?
Legal guidance with an attentive ear: Nelissen Grade’s lawyers are your confidential counsellors for wealth and succession planning. Together, we ascertain your unique circumstances and assets, and bring you long-term peace of mind.
Real estate, savings accounts, shares and investments... your wealth is a carefully amassed buffer of capital. So you want to think about its planning and management in a discreet and confidential framework. When should you stop working? What is the best way to purchase or make a gift of real estate? How can you accomplish the transfer by stages of your family business, taking into consideration any underlying relationships and dynamics? Nelissen Grade listens to your wishes and concerns and creates a space for constructive discussion of your wealth and pension planning. We do this using our extensive legal knowledge, paying special attention to the context of your family.
You may be full of life now, but it is prudent to consider what will happen to your assets when you are no longer here. Our lawyers lend a listening ear, think three steps ahead and give you dedicated advice about your succession planning. How do you wish to divide your legacy among your loved ones? Which of your heirs would you wish to protect or benefit? How can you avoid staggering levels of inheritance tax? From marriage contracts and testaments to gifts and life insurance, Nelissen Grade will approach your situation with an experienced eye and an open mind, and will help you take the necessary legal steps to organise your legacy.
Your outlook on wealth and succession planning may change over time. Our specialised team of lawyers opens the door for future reviews and can make adjustments according to your current needs. We also work closely with your notary or financial advisor and guide you using our advanced knowledge of tax law, personal and family law, legacies, real estate law, employment law and social law.
With a multi-disciplinary core team of over 50 lawyers, Nelissen Grade has sound expertise in diverse fields of law. Because no case is restricted to a single and purely legal subject matter, you can count on us taking a bird’s-eye view of your circumstances. Our expert teams devote their attention to your case – each within their field of expertise and educational background - and analyse it in breadth and depth.
Liability law and damages Travel law Sports law Criminal law and fraud Road traffic law
With more than thirty years of experience, Pascal Nelissen Grade is the undisputed flagbearer of Nelissen Grade Lawyers. Pascal Nelissen Grade has been vice president of the Leuven Bar Association since 2022 and will become President in the summer of 2024.
Pascal Nelissen Grade has been working for many years with dedication and commitment in the departments of criminal law, travel law, liability law and motor sport law.
Quick, efficient, accessible and proactive. Pascal Nelissen Grade combines legal ingenuity with a practical approach.
In criminal law, he has successfully represented defendants as well as victims before criminal courts, courts of appeal and assize courts. As a lawyer specialized in travel law, he assists various actors in the travel industry by representing them in various cases and (extra)judicial proceedings. Pascal Nelissen Grade is also the president of the Travel Litigation Commission and speaks often at seminars on travel law. With a well-considered approach and an eye for detail, Pascal Nelissen Grade handles cases within the area of liability law, both for the civil courts and for the criminal courts, such as the police court.
Finally, Pascal Nelissen Grade is specialized in the field of motor sport law. Passionate about this sport, he assists drivers and teams and participates in the drafting of sports regulations. In addition, he has intervened on several occasions before various (inter)national courts and the FIA.
Construction law Administrative law Legacies Mediation
Jan Stijns graduated in 1987 as master of law at KU Leuven. In 2009 he also graduated as bachelor in philosophy at KU Leuven.
Jan entered the association in 1987. He is specialized in family property law and has specific attention for patrimonial law (real estate) and succession planning / taxability. He is also specialized in the fields of construction law and administrative law.
Employment law and social law Civil law
Kris Maes graduated as master of law at KU Leuven.
He is a member of the Bar Association of Leuven and Dendermonde.
Kris provides assistance and advice to individuals and companies on the subject of (individual and collective) labour law and social security. He is especially interested in providing thorough and permanent assistance on the subject of HR management. He is regularly invited as a guest speaker in seminars.
In the event of litigation, he prefers to come to a detailed and balanced solution after clear negotiations. But when legal proceedings are required, he is prepared to go to any length.
Alexis Lefebvre started his studies at FUNDP in Namur and graduated as master of law at UCL in Louvain-la-Neuve. After his education, Alexis entered the association.
He is specialized in litigation and providing assistance and advice in the fields of tax law, on the one hand, and economic, commercial and contract law, on the other hand.
He is a member of the Bar Association of Brussels and Leuven.
Civil law Travel law Liability law and damages Mediation
Frederiek Baudoncq is a member of the Bar Association of Leuven since 1998. From 1999 to 2005, he was part time assistant at the faculty of law of KU Leuven, department property and liability law.
He is (co) author of several books and contributions to books and articles and is a member of the editorial staff of three law journals. He completed the training to become a lawyer at the Supreme Court of Belgium, the Court of Cassation.
Intellectual property law, media law, GDPR and ICT Corporate law Mediation
Alexis Hallemans studied law in Namur (FUNDP), Belgium, at the Univeristy of Leuven and in Saarbrücken (Germany). He is a lawyer since 2003. He also obtained a LL.M degree European law in Germany and an additional Masters in intellectual property and IT law at the University of Brussels. He specializes in these subjects in which he has pleaded before the Court of Justice of the EU and the Constitutional Court in Belgium. He is recommended for these subjects in Belgium (Legal 500, Tier 2).
For several years now he is a Board member of the German, Belgian and Luxemburg Chamber of Commerce AHK DEBELUX. Alexis fluently speaks Dutch, French, German and English. This allowed him to develop a strong experience and track record in legally assisting international companies in Belgium, particularly German companies.
Alexis worked in large international law firms in Belgium and Germany (CMS Hasche Sigle) before joining Nelissen Grade as a partner in the department IP, IT and commercial law.
Personal and family law Mediation
Joke Decabooter obtained her master law degree at the Catholic University of Leuven in 2011. During her master years, Joke mainly focused on civil law, specialising in family law, family property law and liability law.
After her studies, Joke immediately joined the Bar Association of Leuven, as well as our firm. Based on her interest in private law, she mainly focuses on support, procedures and advice regarding all aspects of family law, as well as settlements and divisions. Nationality issues also fall within her expertise.
In 2015, Joke obtained her notarial profession master at the Free University of Brussels. Since 2019 she is recognized as mediator in family matters.
From the 2019-2020 academic year, Joke will be affiliated with the Catholic University of Leuven as a law assistant at the Institute for Family Law.
Tax law Corporate law Wealth and succession planning
Karen Niesten obtained her Master's degree in Law at the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL) in 2012 and then completed an additional Master's degree in Taxation at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB).
In 2013, she joined the Nelissen Grade office and the Leuven Bar.
Karen also completed a management programme at Solvay Business School of Economics and Management in Brussels and attended courses in Dutch taxation and inheritance law at the University of Maastricht.
Karen focuses on leading and developing the expert groups for tax law and estate planning.
On the one hand Karen focuses on financial and tax advice, including estate planning. On the other hand, she performs dispute resolution and litigation in various tax fields for the administrative authorities and tax courts in Belgium. In cooperation with Frederiek Baudoncq, she also conducts proceedings before the Court of Cassation.
From her tax background, she also supports the corporate law department.
Liability law and damages Travel law Criminal law and fraud Road traffic law
Liability law and damages Road traffic law Criminal law and fraud Travel law