About Publius.
Publius is a well respected, mid priced, no nonsense law office, exclusively specialized in public law and is founded on September 1st 2007 (out of the Public Law Department of the Deloitte-related law office Laga). Publius is located in Antwerp, Brussels and Kortrijk (headquarter) and counts almost 20 lawyers (including 6 partners), many of them with academic antecedents/careers. Publius is therefore one of the bigger players in Belgium in this field. Since 2007, Publius has more than tripled its turnover.
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Our specialties.
- public procurement law (rules and procedures related to the conclusion and the terms and conditions of public works, services and supplies contracts with the authorities)
- public-private partnerships (PPP)
- environmental law (including specific legislation concerning soil pollution)
- urban law (we advise companies, contractors and governments on issues regarding local planning, urban permits, socio-economic permits, etc.)
- energy and climate change law
- public utilities
- real estate (expropriation, protection of listed building, urban planning, housing law, agricultural law, landscape and monument law
- mediation
- public liability
- local taxes and local authorities
- constitutional law
- education law
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Our approach.
We believe a lawyer is a counsellor at law who can help you in finding practical solutions to a problem or a challenge. We stand for a no nonsense approach and transparency. We tell it as it is. If we feel that your chances ar slim in a procedure, we definitely let you know. If needed we'll advise you to opt for the short way out. If PPP (public private partnership) is not the best solution for you, it will be said. If procedural costs will be disproportionate to the real value of the outcome you are seeking, then you will be told. Of course we'll also inform you of the good scoors. Of course we are often busy. But from lawyers you should also expect that they can be contacted and are available. We take pride in respecting made agreements. The least we can do is coming back to you by phone, e-mail or in writing as soon as possible.
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Our clients.
We serve private companies as well as public authorities (federal, regional and local). We assist them in court proceedings, due diligences and advice. This diversity keeps us sharp and allows us to know what each side needs to resolve an issue. Of course we ensure that, in doing so, no conflicts of interest will occur.
To us, due diligence work is an important facet of our service to the private sector, and this in close collaboration with other players.
Other (foreign) law firms without specialists in (Belgian / Flemish / Brussels) public law can always count on us for assistance. We are public law specialists, which means that we cannot compete with you in matters that are not ours. We also often collaborate with architects, town planners, recognised soil experts and environmental bureaus.
As a Flemish firm, it is obvious that most of our clients speak Dutch. We are also familiar with French and English speaking clients.
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Our lawyers.
We couldn't say it better than Chambers (edition 2020):
'The lawyers are described by one client as "highly technical and with very good knowledge of specific environmental matters." Another praises them for being "very pragmatic," adding that they are "modern lawyers who think with us and how we approach work".'
What does our service cost?
Right from the start we will try to give you an insight into the outline of the charges. If possible we immediately come to an agreement regarding fees. Our invoices are detailed, so you know what you are paying for. Our costs and fees can be divided into three sections:
The fee is the compensation for the services provided by Publius and is calculated as follows: the professional time needed to resolve the matter at a fixed hourly rate.
The administrative cost of Publius include the fixed, general costs for the functioning of the office, and the administrative costs linked to the file (copying, faxing, etc.). They are charged at a fixed percentage on the fees which are stated in the list of charges and fees.
The specific costs include the charges which are advanced by Publius for implementation of the service you requested. It includes, among other things, legal charges, court charges (for the registries of the courts, for court bailiffs...), transport charges, translation charges, and charges paid to third parties for the gathering of information, etc. These specific charges are stated exactly and detailed in the list of costs and fees.
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Corporate data.
Publius bv ovv cvba
Registered office
Beneluxpark 27B
8500 Kortrijk
BTW BE 0891 771 577
RPR Kortrijk
Trust account
BE36 6301 3506 5081 BBRU BE BB
Office bank account
BE07 0015 3086 0666 GEBA BE BB