Profile: Jean-François Bellis

Trade and Customs

Biography: Trade & Customs

Jean-François Bellis is a founding partner of Van Bael & Bellis, with offices in Brussels and Geneva. He received his law degree from Brussels University in 1972 and an LLM from the University of Michigan Law School in 1974. He joined the Brussels Bar in 1972. Between 1979 and 1980 he served as legal secretary to Lord MacKenzie Stuart, then the British member and subsequently the president of the Court of Justice of the European Communities.

Mr Bellis's practice focuses on two areas, EC competition law and international trade law. Mr Bellis has advised international clients on international trade law in countless EC anti-dumping cases since 1976 as well as in many of the less frequently used EC countervailing, safeguard and 'trade barrier' proceedings. Van Bael & Bellis is recognised as having greater experience than any other firm in the field of EC trade law, with involvement in more than 350 EC anti-dumping cases thus far. Mr Bellis brought before the European Court the landmark cases Timex, Al-Jubail, Starway and Fresh Marine.

With the development of anti-dumping activity worldwide, Mr Bellis has advised clients involved in anti-dumping cases in foreign jurisdictions. He has also trained foreign trade officials and been actively involved in the drafting of the anti-dumping legislation of some foreign countries.

Since the Uruguay Round opened in 1986, Mr Bellis has been increasingly involved in GATT and WTO matters, advising private companies, trade associations and governments on a broad range of issues, including dispute settlement. Between 1998 and 1999, he served as a member of a WTO panel. Van Bael & Bellis has opened an office in Geneva specialising in WTO matters.

Mr Bellis has extensively written and lectured on trade law issues. He is the co-author of Anti-Dumping and Other Trade Protection Laws of the EC, now in its fourth edition.

Competition

Biography: Competition

Jean-François Bellis is one of the founding partners of Van Bael & Bellis, an international law firm with offices in Brussels and Geneva. He received his law degree from the University of Brussels in 1972 and obtained an LLM from the University of Michigan Law School in 1974. He has been a member of the Brussels Bar since 1972 except for a period of two years in 1979-1980 in which he served as legal secretary to Lord MacKenzie Stuart, then the British member and subsequently the president of the Court of Justice of the European Communities.

Mr Bellis's legal practice revolves around two main areas, EC competition law and international trade law. In the field of EC competition law, Mr Bellis has been involved since 1975 in some of the landmark EC competition cases to have reached the Commission and the Court of Justice of the European Communities such as United Brands, Michelin, Akzo and Microsoft.

Mr Bellis has extensive experience in advising clients on all issues of EC competition law, including merger control, cartels, strategic alliances and dominant positions. He has also intervened in cases before the Belgian competition authorities.

In the field of merger control, Mr Bellis has also been involved in merger filings at national level both within and outside the EU. Thus, Mr Bellis and his firm have assisted clients in obtaining merger control clearance in numerous countries around the world.

Since 1998, Mr Bellis has lectured on EC competition law at the University of Brussels. He has written and lectured extensively on EC competition law issues and is the co-author of Competition Law of the European Community (Kluwer, 2004, 4th edition).

Van Bael & Bellis is an independent law firm with a strong focus on European competition and trade law. The firm is thus ideally placed to cooperate with lawyers in other jurisdictions on matters falling within its field of specialisation in Brussels.

This biography is an extract from The International Who's Who of Competition Lawyers which can be purchased from our bookstore.