Fieldfisher Promotes of Counsels Gerard McElwee and Wouter Vandorpe to Partnership

3rd May 2021

Fieldfisher announces today the promotion of Gerard McElwee and Wouter Vandorpe to its partnership, effective from 1 May 2021. Gerard and Wouter, based in the Brussels office, joined the firm respectively in 2014 and 2012.

Admitted to the rolls of solicitors in Ireland, England and Wales, and to the Brussels Bar (E-list), Gerard is a European regulatory lawyer specialising in matters involving chemicals, biocides, and pesticides. His practice includes contentious work before the European Courts and European Agencies, as well as non-contentious work providing advice to consortia and individual companies
on the review and/or marketing of their products in Europe. Gerard also advises companies on getting their products (hand gels, PPE, and surface disinfectants) quickly to market to fight against SARS-CoV-2.

Gerard has recently been recommended by the renowned legal directory Legal 500 2021 where he is praised as "a highly capable and talented lawyer who brings humility, pragmatism and common sense to any issue''.
Prior to joining Fieldfisher, he trained and practised in the commercial law field in Ireland and in a competition law firm in Brussels.

Member of the Brussels Bar, Wouter is a senior lawyer who has been practicing law in the Energy and Utilities sector for more than 15 years. He primarily advises on (renewable) energy projects, EU and domestic regulatory energy issues, public procurement and new energy developments such as solar, wind, hydrogen, energy communities and heat networks.

He is also a researcher for the Institute of Environmental and Energy Law at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and editor of the legal journal on environmental and energy law (M.E.R.).

The most prestigious legal directories have consistently recommended Wouter for his work in the energy sector. Chambers Europe has awarded him a place in Band 3 in its latest edition while the Legal 500 ranked him as Next Generation Partner. Clients have praised him for being "highly diligent, with sound energy regulatory knowledge; a definite star of the future." (Chambers Europe) and for having the "ability to 'translate and interpret regulations in practical cases'." (Legal 500).

Gerard and Wouter are both part of the European Regulatory practice at Fieldfisher Belgium. Their role will be to further enhance the activity and portfolio in Belgium and in Europe of the successful and reputed practice, and continue providing first class expert advice to clients that the firm serves in the European Regulatory and Energy areas of law. Their promotion brings the number of partners of the European Regulatory, Competition and Trade practice to 9, making it the largest group in Belgium covering EU regulatory, competition, international trade and energy matters.

Claudio Mereu and Jean-François Germain, Joint Managing Partners of Fieldfisher (Belgium) LLP said: "It is with great pleasure that we welcome Gerard and Wouter to the partnership. Their promotion is testament to the hard work, commitment and dedication they have put in over the past years. Their range of skills and expertise, their outstanding knowledge of European Regulatory and Energy law and understanding of clients' needs in these areas, will enhance and strengthen the services our firm offers to our clients. This is a very significant achievement for both Gerard and Wouter and a reflection of the growth and development of the firm and its willingness to further invest in young talent."

About Fieldfisher:

Fieldfisher is a European law firm with market leading practices in many of the world’s most dynamic sectors. We are an exciting, forward-thinking organisation with a particular focus on technology, financial services, energy & natural resources and life sciences.
Our network has more than 1,550 people working across 25 offices providing highly commercial advice based on an in-depth understanding of our clients' needs. We operate across our offices in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Belfast, Birmingham, Bologna, Brussels, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Guangzhou, Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Munich, Paris, Rome, Shanghai, Turin, Venice and Silicon Valley.

About Fieldfisher (Belgium) LLP:

With more than 50 lawyers (including 20 partners) and 18 support staff members, the Brussels office is full service and specialises in the major practice areas of business law, specifically banking & finance, corporate and M&A, EU Regulatory, competition, dispute resolution including arbitration and mediation, energy, employment, intellectual property, international trade, privacy & data protection, tax, technology & outsourcing. The firm provides advisory as well as litigation services.

For more information, please contact Marion Meunier, Marketing Consultant: marion.meunier@fieldfisher.com, or Sabah Saeed, Marketing Coordinator: Sabah.saeed@fieldfisher.com.

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