LIEVENS & Co CONSULTING

Lievens & Co is an independent tax, legal and financial advisory firm whose Brussels entity is based on Square de Meeûs in Brussels. The firm also has offices in Bruges, on Wittemolenstraat, and in Antwerp. It was founded in 1985 by Ludo Lievens with a clear focus on tax support for family entrepreneurs. Ludo Demeulenaere joined as a partner a few years later. Today the next generation carries on the work, with his son Frédéric Lievens and Dries Bertrem among the partners. Its motto is "Family in business".

The multidisciplinary team brings together lawyers, accountants, tax advisers, corporate finance analysts and a family business partner, around thirty people in all. Each consultant specialises in one area and supports colleagues with that knowledge, while remaining available for different types of assignment. The firm thus offers a single point of contact for a business's key moments. It does not stop at advice but also helps implement the solutions it proposes. It also supports other professionals, lawyers, auditors and accountants, with specific questions and second opinions.

The first area is business reorganisation. The firm's tax, legal and accounting experts design efficient, tax-friendly restructurings: partial demerger of property and operating business, merger, holding structure, transfer of the family business to the next generation, partnership structures to let key staff take a stake, company liquidation, partnerships between liberal professionals and ruling requests. Published articles explore tools such as the family holding company, the management company, share buy-backs, exit clauses and phantom share options.

Estate planning starts with an inventory of assets in the form of a wealth balance sheet, which is used to calculate inheritance tax. The firm then proposes a plan suited to the client's wishes: marriage contract, gift or will, control vehicles such as a holding company, a partnership or a trust office foundation, and split purchases between parents and children. Support for family businesses focuses on family governance: shared values, dialogue between shareholders, a family charter and conflict prevention.

In corporate finance, Lievens acts as a one-stop shop for selling or buying a business: preparing the sale process, supporting a sale to a third party, business plan, information memorandum to attract outside capital, drafting contracts, crowdfunding and refinancing. The firm publishes advice on the credit application for an acquisition and on the role of the transaction adviser.

Finally, its accountants and tax advisers handle bookkeeping, tax returns, tax advice and the related legal formalities, with a dedicated contact person responsible for the whole file. Together with Voka West-Vlaanderen, the firm also created the Ludo Lievens Prize for the best start-up journey.