in PORT Advocaten

What in PORT Advocaten does

in PORT Advocaten is a Belgian law firm headquartered in Antwerp at Amerikalei 12, founded in 2013 by lawyers Anthony Michielsen and Alexandre Lemmens. The firm provides advisory and litigation services across a defined set of practice areas: transport law (maritime, road, rail, air, and inland waterway), customs and excise law, logistics, commercial law, maritime law, and real estate. Its client base is concentrated in enterprises operating in and around the port of Antwerp — leading national and international logistics and transport companies, specialized transport insurance carriers, customs agents, importers, and at least one major Antwerp real estate company managing a portfolio of hundreds of properties. The firm explicitly positions itself as "transport business lawyers" rather than pure transport specialists, arguing that deep sector knowledge benefits clients across adjacent legal matters.

The firm's service model is a traditional professional services practice with no proprietary technology, software platform, AI tooling, app, or API. Delivery is direct, partner-led, and bilingual/trilingual (Dutch, French, English, with passive German), differentiating the firm from larger anonymous Belgian firms by guaranteeing direct client access to senior counsel. Revenue is generated exclusively through professional service fees on a quote-based, per-matter basis; no subscription, retainer, or standardized pricing is disclosed. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales supported by a multilingual website and a LinkedIn company page; no paid marketing, channel partnerships, or alliance ecosystem is documented.

The firm operates as an independent partnership with no external investors, parent company, subsidiaries, funding history, M&A activity, or disclosed headcount beyond the two named partners (1-10 employees per firmographic data). Geographic footprint is Belgium-domiciled with marketing reach into Benelux; no international offices, jurisdictional expansions, or cross-border alliances are documented. The firm's competitive position rests on the rare specialization of its two founders — particularly in Belgian customs law, where the firm notes specialized counsel is scarce — and on long-tenured client relationships such as the anchor real estate mandate.

Name

in PORT Advocaten

Legal name

in PORT Advocaten

Website

https://inport-law.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

in PORT Advocaten is a small Antwerp-based Belgian law firm founded in 2013, providing advisory and litigation services in transport, customs, logistics, maritime, real estate, and commercial law to enterprise clients in the port and logistics ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Antwerp

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: Professional legal services including advisory, contract drafting, and litigation in areas of transport law, customs law, real estate law, and commercial law. Revenue generated through professional service fees.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

in PORT Advocaten is a multidisciplinary law firm providing advisory and litigation services to companies in Belgium, with core practice areas in commercial law, transport law (maritime, road, rail, air, inland waterways), customs and excise law, logistics contracts, maritime law, and real estate law. The firm represents leading national and international logistics, transport, and insurance companies, customs agents, importers, and major real estate companies, with a personal approach where clients work directly with senior lawyers rather than associates.

Product overview

in PORT Advocaten is a multidisciplinary law firm offering legal services organized by practice areas: Commercial Law, Customs Law, Transport Law, Logistics, Real Estate, and Maritime Law. The firm operates as a single unified practice rather than a platform with separate modules, providing advisory and litigation services primarily to companies in the logistics, transport, and commercial sectors in Belgium.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Law (Ondernemingsrecht) Legal services including drafting commercial contracts, commercial lease expertise, corporate disputes, international trade (international sale, commercial agencies), and debt collection for unpaid invoices. Targeted at companies requiring commercial legal assistance.
• Customs Law (Douanerecht) Specialized legal assistance in customs disputes, from initial goods verification to potential court proceedings, representing customs agents and importers. Practice led by Anthony Michielsen.
• Transport Law (Transportrecht) Legal services for transport disputes covering maritime, road, rail, air, and inland waterway transport, including transport insurance, forwarding, agency agreements, and waste transport.
• Logistics (Logistiek) Legal services for storage contracts, logistics service agreements, and intermediary matters, with expertise in handling disputes related to goods handling and storage.
• Real Estate (Vastgoed) Legal services covering sale and purchase of real estate, residential and commercial leases, construction disputes, uninhabitable properties, co-ownership, and real estate taxation. Practice led by Alexandre Lemmens.
• Maritime Law (Zeerecht) Specialized maritime legal services including cargo and average claims, general average, casco collisions, ship arrests, maritime liens, and bunkers.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW): Global law firm specialising in maritime, shipping, and international trade law with deep practice areas in cargo claims, ship arrests, and transport disputes. Comparable because it directly competes in the maritime and transport law niche that anchors in PORT Advocaten's practice, although HFW operates at a much larger scale globally.
• Lydian: Belgian independent law firm with offices in Brussels, Antwerp, and Hasselt covering corporate, finance, real estate, and dispute resolution. Comparable because of its Belgian regional presence and overlapping focus on corporate, real estate, and commercial advisory work for mid-market and larger Belgian enterprises.
• NautaDutilh: Benelux-headquartered law firm with leading maritime, shipping, transport, and offshore practices, alongside broader corporate and finance offerings. Comparable because it is the dominant Benelux maritime and transport legal practice, directly relevant to in PORT Advocaten's Antwerp-based shipping and logistics client base.
• Eubelius: Belgian independent law firm with offices in Brussels, Antwerp, and other locations, covering corporate, commercial, real estate, and regulatory matters. Comparable because it is a similarly positioned Belgian firm serving the Antwerp business community across practice areas that overlap with in PORT Advocaten, including real estate and commercial law.
• Clyde & Co: Global law firm with one of the leading transport, logistics, marine, and insurance practices worldwide. Comparable because it works on transport liability claims, cargo disputes, and logistics contracts that overlap directly with in PORT Advocaten's core service areas, often engaging local Belgian counsel on matters involving Antwerp and Belgium.
• Laga: Belgian independent law firm offering corporate, commercial, real estate, and dispute-resolution services, including a strong Antwerp presence. Comparable because it serves the same Belgian enterprise client base as in PORT Advocaten and overlaps on commercial law, real estate, and corporate matters for Antwerp-headquartered companies.
• Altius: Belgian independent full-service law firm with offices in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Liège, and Hasselt. Comparable because it competes with in PORT Advocaten for Belgian corporate and commercial mandates in Antwerp and offers overlapping practice areas, including real estate and commercial disputes.

Broad incumbents

• Loyens & Loeff: Benelux-rooted law and tax advisory firm with strong Belgian, Dutch, and Luxembourg coverage spanning corporate, real estate, and dispute resolution. Comparable because it is a major Benelux full-service firm with Antwerp-relevant corporate and real estate capability that overlaps with in PORT Advocaten's mid-market enterprise practice.
• Baker McKenzie: Global law firm with a substantial Brussels office covering trade, customs, competition, and corporate matters for multinational clients. Comparable because its global trade and customs practice directly intersects with in PORT Advocaten's customs and international-trade legal work, although Baker McKenzie serves a much larger, geographically distributed client base.
• Bird & Bird: International law firm with a strong European transport, aviation, and logistics practice alongside IP, tech, and other specialisations. Comparable because its transport and regulatory teams handle matters that intersect with in PORT Advocaten's transport/customs practice, although Bird & Bird operates across many other sectors as well.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/in-port-advocaten

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 in PORT Advocaten