What Van Olmen Wynant does

Van Olmen & Wynant (legal entity: Van Olmen & Wynant CVBA/SCRL) is an independent, Brussels-headquartered law firm founded in 1993 by Chris Van Olmen and Luc Wynant. Operating from a single office at Avenue Louise 221, 1050 Brussels, the firm delivers a deliberately dual-specialist legal practice combining Employment Law (including a dedicated Civil Servants' Law / public-sector employment team) with Corporate Law (M&A, private equity, venture capital, restructuring, shareholder disputes) plus a complementary Commercial Law practice. The team comprises roughly 35 named lawyers supported by paralegals, HR/operations, and a Chief Operating Officer (Manda Wilson, since 2022), with CEO Rudy Benmeridja in overall charge.

The firm serves three target segments: multinational and large enterprise clients (primary), Belgian public enterprises and institutions (including representation before the Council of State), and startups/scale-ups requiring venture-capital and employment-law support. Its international dimension comes from co-founding membership in L&E Global, a worldwide alliance of employment-law counsel, supplemented by privileged partnerships with IBJ (Belgian Institute for In-house Lawyers) and Corporify (a corporate-governance management platform). Knowledge dissemination is formalised through a Knowledge Management department and the internal VOW Academy.

The business model is a pure professional-services fee model: time-based billing calculated in five-minute increments at seniority-adjusted hourly rates, with a 7% lump-sum administrative charge on invoiced fees, monthly invoicing, and 30-day payment terms. The firm has no proprietary technology platform, no public API, no disclosed revenue, no external investors, and no parent company; it is structured as a Belgian cooperative company with limited liability (CVBA/SCRL) and operates exclusively via direct client engagement — no resellers, marketplaces, or product distribution channels. Marketing is driven by thought leadership, multilingual website content, active social media (LinkedIn, X, Facebook), seminar/conference participation, and consistent analyst recognition.

Name

Van Olmen Wynant

Legal name

Van Olmen & Wynant CVBA/SCRL

Website

https://vow.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Independent Brussels-based boutique law firm (est. 1993) specialising in employment law and corporate law for multinationals, public institutions, and startups, with cross-border reach via L&E Global.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Labor Relations & Employment Practice Advisory (BPAHAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

M&A HR Advisory (Due Diligence, Integration, Carve-outs) (BPACAJAL)

Keywords

• Employment law advisory
• Corporate law services
• M&A legal services
• Civil servants law
• Belgian labour law

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Legal advisory services (professional fees): Fees are charged based on agreed rates or the firm's usual hourly rates, calculated per time unit of five minutes. The fee is determined taking into account the nature of the assignment and the seniority of the lawyer. Administrative expenses are charged as a lump sum of 7% of invoiced fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Van Olmen & Wynant is an independent Brussels-based law firm providing advisory and litigation services across Belgian and EU employment law (including individual/collective labour, executive compensation, international employment, whistleblowing, social criminal law and civil servants' law) and corporate law (M&A, private equity, venture capital, corporate governance, restructurings and shareholder disputes). The firm serves multinationals, public enterprises and institutions, and startups from its single Brussels office, leveraging its co-founding membership of L&E Global for cross-border mandates.

Product overview

Van Olmen & Wynant is an independent Brussels-based law firm offering a unified legal services practice organized around two core pillars: Employment Law (including Civil Servants' Law/Public Sector Employment) and Corporate Law (including Commercial Law). The firm does not operate a software product or platform; instead, it provides legal advisory and litigation services through its team of lawyers. The Employment Law practice handles individual and collective labour matters, executive compensation, international employment, and social security. The Corporate Law practice covers M&A transactions, private equity, venture capital, corporate governance, and commercial disputes. Both practices are supported by a Knowledge Management department, the VOW Academy for professional development, and international affiliations including L&E Global.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Employment Law Services Comprehensive employment-law advisory and litigation services covering individual employment matters (contracts, dismissals, discrimination, harassment), collective labour law (restructuring, transfers, collective dismissals, M&A-related employment issues), compensation and benefits, executive remuneration, international employment, corporate immigration, expatriation, European labour law, social security, internal policies, whistleblowing and social criminal law. For enterprises and public institutions operating in Belgium.
• Corporate Law Services Full-service corporate-law practice covering mergers and acquisitions (share acquisitions, asset acquisitions, spin-offs, leveraged buy-outs), private equity and venture capital investments, corporate governance, capital operations, public offerings, stock options, restructuring and liquidation, shareholder and director disputes, and litigation related to corporate conflicts. For multinational, large-enterprise and startup clients.
• Civil Servants' Law (Public Sector Employment) Specialised advisory and litigation services for public-sector employment matters including proceedings before the Council of State, individual and collective public-sector labour relations, preparation of individual decisions, legislation drafting and restructuring of public institutions. For Belgian public-sector entities.
• Commercial Law Services General commercial-law advisory and related dispute resolution services, complementing the corporate-law practice.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• L&E GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVan Olmen & Wynant is co-founder of L&E Global, a worldwide alliance of employers' counsel in employment law. This alliance provides the firm with a distinctive international dimension, enabling cross-border employment law advisory and co-development of knowledge resources across member firms globally.
• CorporifyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVan Olmen & Wynant is a privileged partner of Corporify, a user-friendly platform that makes the legal management of companies more practical, accurate, and reliable. The partnership enables the firm to offer clients enhanced corporate governance and administrative services.
• IBJ (Belgian Institute for In-house Lawyers)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVan Olmen & Wynant is a privileged partner of IBJ (Instituut voor Bedrijfsjuristen / Belgian Institute for In-house Lawyers), a professional association connecting in-house lawyers in Belgium. The partnership supports knowledge sharing and networking with in-house counsel professionals across Belgium.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stibbe: Leading Benelux full-service law firm with major Brussels employment and corporate/M&A practices. Comparable to VOW through overlapping Belgian employment and corporate advisory, but materially larger and broader in scope.
• Loyens & Loeff: Benelux-rooted international firm with strong Belgian tax, corporate and employment practices. Comparable to VOW through combined employment advisory and corporate/M&A support for multinational and PE clients.
• Bird & Bird: International firm with a strong Belgian employment and technology-focused practices. Comparable to VOW in serving multinational employers on international employment matters (secondments, expat, restructuring).
• NautaDutilh: Benelux-based full-service law firm with strong Belgian corporate and employment practices. Overlaps with VOW in cross-border M&A, employment and corporate advisory from Brussels.
• Liedekerke Wolters Kluwer: Belgian full-service law firm with strong employment, public law, and corporate practices. Direct overlap with VOW in Belgian employment and public sector advisory, but significantly larger and broader portfolio.
• Baker McKenzie (Brussels): Global law firm with a large Brussels employment and corporate practice advising multinationals. Overlaps with VOW on cross-border employment and corporate work targeting Belgium-based multinational clients.

Direct peers

• Claeys & Engels (now part of Deloitte Legal): Belgium's leading specialist employment and HR law boutique, with deep public-sector and litigation capabilities. Closely comparable to VOW in dual employment/corporate advisory, Brussels base, and dual-specialist positioning.
• Eubelius: Brussels-based full-service firm with recognised employment, public sector, and corporate practices. Comparable to VOW in serving Belgian public institutions and multinational employers, with overlapping talent profile.
• Janson Baugniet: Belgian independent law firm with combined corporate, M&A, and employment practices serving SMEs, startups, and larger enterprises. Comparable boutique size, Brussels-base, and dual employment/corporate offering to VOW.
• Altius: Belgian independent law firm with strong employment law and corporate/M&A practices, serving multinationals and public institutions. Highly comparable in size, Belgian-market focus, and blended employment-corporate model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/VanOlmenWynant
• Facebookfacebook.com/Van-Olmen-Wynant-298559497409890
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/van-olmen-&-wynant

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Van Olmen Wynant