‘We anticipate the challenges coming to start-ups and large companies’

Entrepreneurs who make an impact, that’s where Anneleen is most committed. She is praised not only for her legal knowledge, but especially for her strategic advice. After all the most effective lawyer doesn’t solve problems but sees them coming. In six years, Anneleen has developed Four & Five into a law firm that is far ahead of its competitors. ‘We think ahead and identify the challenges on the horizon for start-ups and large companies alike’ She is a firm believer in long-term relationships. “Every successful entrepreneur started as a rookie and later grows into business or as an investor,” Anneleen says. At Four & Five, she has already seen several entrepreneurs grow and evolve. “That’s not without trial and error, but we understand the life cycle of entrepreneurs. We are entrepreneurs ourselves.’ Anneleen focuses on technology and innovation. Together with her team, she advises start-ups, scale-ups and listed companies in a wide range of matters, from drafting complex licensing agreements to advising boards of directors, combining expertise in technology (IP/ICT) and corporate law (VC and PE investments and M&A). Clients also praise Anneleen for her depth of knowledge and exceptional leadership skills. She calls herself an extremely good multitasker. “That’s possible because I like clear structures. In case you don’t already know Anneleen. Nonsense is wasted on her. “I say what I think. What you need to know about Anneleen:

• Anneleen obtained her degree in Law at Ghent University and at Louvain-la-Neuve (magna cum laude).
• She began her career at Loyens & Loeff and set up Four & Five after becoming a partner at Ligé.
• Anneleen was Head of Legal Affairs at Clear2Pay, where she gained valuable practical experience in the technology sector.
• She is also a sought-after mentor for entrepreneurs at numerous business incubators, including Startit@KBC, Biotope (VIB), Darwin and Techtransfer (UA).
• Her tightly knit network is also valuable for the Four & Five as a whole and not least for its clients.
• Her native language is Dutch. She is fluent in French and English

‘The trick is to make complex contracts easily understandable for the client.’

Dimitri Coun is a true jack-of-all-trades who not only has a fluent pen, but is also good with numbers. This makes him a lawyer without equal. Every lawyer knows that the devil is in the details. Dimitri immerses himself tirelessly in these details until all the proverbial “i’s” are dotted. He is the master of watertight contracts. ‘The fewer words you need, the greater the chance of a watertight contract.’ However, it is not just his eye for detail that makes him a jack of all trades. What Dimitri really excels at is translating these complicated contracts into plain language for his clients. ‘Many of my clients have no legal background. The trick is to make complicated contracts manageable for the client.’ Did we mention that Dimitri is the most empathetic lawyer in the office? Furthermore, an MA lawyer must always guard an important balance at the negotiating table. For example, while Dimitri primarily represents the client’s interests, a good lawyer must not forget to be pragmatic. “The trick is not to fight over every point, but to quickly define the playing field where you make a difference. By outsiders, Dimitri is described as patient. ‘This is nice feedback, as I am sometimes called a ‘real Duracell rabbit’ at home who is very task-oriented. Nice that both traits can coexist.’ Clients appreciate that Dimitri invests a lot of time in building and maintaining a relationship. ‘Only by listening, you grow closer to the client. Only then do you understand the needs.’ Dimitri also likes to delve into transactional real estate. ‘That world has professionalized rapidly in a short time, which means that even in real estate transactions in the form of a share deal or asset deal, a good MA lawyer has now become indispensable.’ What you need to know about Dimitri:

• After obtaining his master’s degree in Law (KU Leuven, magna cum laude), Dimitri then specialised in Economic Studies and Corporate Law.
• Aren’t lawyers not all that good with figures? If that is what you thought, then you haven’t met Dimitri. Dimitri understands the ins and outs of valuation and ensures that those principles are correctly translated in the transaction documents.
• Before setting up Four & Five, Dimitri worked as a partner at Ligé and as a senior and director at Allen & Overy and EY.
• Dimitri demonstrates strong leadership skills and excels in training and supervising interns and members of staff and enabling them to become excellent lawyers.
• Dimitri speaks Dutch as his first language and has a very good command of written and spoken English.
• His focus at Four & Five is primarily on M&A, corporate acquisitions and transactional real estate.

‘We’re not only at our clients’ side at the important moments in their lives; we’re actually there for them every day.’

Tessa knows what a client wants even before they know it themselves. That has nothing to do with superpowers. She can read between the lines like no other. ‘The better you know a client, the better it works,’ says Tessa. That’s why Four Five puts so much effort into long-term relationships. ‘We’re not just there at our clients’ big moments, we’re there every day.’ Tessa is at home in the entrepreneurial world. In it, she advises national and international clients – ranging from startups to established companies – on corporate law and all manner of commercial contracts. Think about investment rounds, shareholder agreements and ‘corporate housekeeping’, but equally about international buy-sell, distribution, franchising, general terms and conditions and all kinds of cooperation agreements. MA files also regularly land on Tessa’s desk. Especially when they take place in a family and/or SME context. ‘Such negotiations are often a lot more emotional,’ says Tessa. ‘It is important to explain each step in the process well and create trust for all parties at the table. Tessa also advises clients on real estate matters, ranging from development and acquisition projects to real estate-related agreements (such as , lease, concession, – and EPC agreements). ‘Innovation and sustainability create new challenges,’ says Tessa. ‘Think about the legal implications of installing charging stations and solar panels or how do you regulate the battery park for electric cars?’ Tessa is known for her multidisciplinary approach and her composure, even in the most difficult negotiations. She is always looking for sustainable solutions – in the interest of her client, but also acceptable to the other parties involved. ‘This is the only way to effectively create added value.’ What you need to know about Tessa:

• Tessa obtained her a degree in Law from KU Leuven (cum laude).
• After obtaining a master’s degree and an additional master’s degree in Taxation Law at KU Leuven, Tessa pursued additional studies in Economic Law at the universities of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and Louvain-la-Neuve.
• Before moving to Four & Five, she worked at Loyens & Loeff and Ambos.
• She was also a founding partner of Cresco in 2014.
• Tessa is highly solution focused, pro-active and patient.
• She is also in great demand as an expert at many different business incubators such as NOA and Start it @ KBC.

‘No entrepreneur benefits from being constantly confronted with oppositions.’

Maxime has been involved with Four Five since day one. In recent years, her passion for technology and innovative players has only grown. ‘Technology touches everything within an organization. From how you work to how you commercialize products or services.’ She has a love for language. It does not serve to hide things. On the contrary. ‘Finding the right words to make all the puzzle pieces of a contract fall together is satisfying.’ Maxime helps from drafting general terms and conditions for mobile applications to writing and negotiating important agreements for large IT projects. She also saw how the European Privacy Law (GDPR) evolved from a mandatory issue to a strategic thinking exercise within companies. Together with her dedicated team, Maxime also assists technology companies and innovative businesses with their legal (and commercial) challenges. She has extensive experience in commercial tech-contracts, as applied in various sectors such as artificial intelligence, consultancy, data analysis, financial services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, software (as a service), telecommunications, utilities and so on. Stranglehold contracts are wasted on her. ‘No entrepreneur or organization benefits from being constantly confronted with opposing sides.’ Thanks to her negotiating skills, she comes up with sustainable solutions. Compromises in the good sense of the word. ‘Otherwise you only lose time and money on constant negotiating anyway.’ What you need to know about Maxime

• Maxime obtained her master’s degree in Law at the University of Antwerp (cum laude). After that she undertook additional in-depth studies in ICT Law at KU Leuven.
• After gaining experience at EY Law and Ligé Advocaten, Maxime was one of the first lawyers at Four & Five.
• Within a short time, she became one of the key people in the firm. She has been a partner at Four & Five since 2022.
• Innovation and technology come with new legal issues and these are areas in which Maxime is only too glad to contribute ideas.

‘I am known as a go-getter, a pit bull, a street fighter.’

‘Winning a case in court for a client, that’s a huge thrill. But the icing on the cake is knowing that you were able to make a difference for a client, to really help a client.’ ‘The profession of law and advocacy in court is an art in itself. But above all, what makes our profession so wonderful is that we are true business partners for our clients,’ Ahmed clarified. Throughout his career, Ahmed has built up a large international network. He successfully obtained various grants and studied at the University of Michigan Law School. He completed an internship at the Oh-Ebashi law firm in Tokyo, Japan and spent the next ten years representing multinationals, funds and banks as a lawyer at Loyens Loeff. After that, he spent five years as General Counsel at a London-based investment fund that held 6 billion euros of assets under management in Europe, the United States and the United Arab Emirates. ‘The in-house experience I gained in London is worth its weight in gold. A company has no use for long memos and opinions, in which the lawyer does not dare take a stand and puts the responsibility on the client. Certainly not in a litigious situation, where the company is just counting on a lawyer’s experience and knowledge.’ Ahmed is therefore known for his personal approach, no-nonsense way of working and his commitment to each client. Clients appreciate that in him, which is why, even as a young lawyer, he was named a “Next Generation Lawyer” and “Rising Star” in his field by leading Legal500. Although the team is young, Ahmed says Four Five has grown into a mature, innovative and multidisciplinary law firm in just six years. ‘Many of our associates have in-house experience and can therefore perfectly assess the needs of the client.’ Together with his team, Ahmed sets the lines in commercial and corporate litigation. In addition, they also work on post-acquisition claims, are skilled in foreclosure and attachment law, and relieve clients in collections. Ahmed was a practice assistant at the Institute of Insolvency Law (KU Leuven) and seasoned in bankruptcy and restructuring. Assisting creditors, enforcing collateral or restructuring or selling companies in trouble are all part of this. What you need to know about Ahmed:

• Ahmed obtained his master’s degree in Law from the University of Antwerp.
• He began his career in the Litigation department at Loyens & Loeff and was a founding member of the Insolvency & Restructuring team.
• Ahmed regards his experiences at the University of Michigan Law School (class of 2013) as the best in his life.
• He specialises in corporate, commercial and insolvency law. Between 2015 and 2019, he was a teaching assistant at KU Leuven and delivered lectures on legal practice to master’s degree students.
• From 2018 to 2023, Ahmed was a Senior Manager and General Counsel at the LRC Group. In that capacity, he launched two Luxembourg-based funds and a licensed fund manager in Malta.

Elisabeth has a deep expertise in complex technology contracts, private equity and venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, post-merger integrations and much more. As Counsel, Elisabeth strengthens the Four & Five team with her years of experience in an international business environment. For more than 15 years she has been a fixture in global, scale-up and startup companies. During her career, her passion for FinTech, financial services and innovative technological evolutions grew. In recent years, she was general counsel at Capco, a fast-growing international Fintech company, where she built a multinational, diverse legal department and was part of the core leadership team. Her move to Four & Five represents great added value when it comes to broad knowledge about the ins and outs of corporate companies. Elisabeth is an empathetic and pragmatic person who combines legal expertise with tenacity, flexibility and operational instinct.