Since 1977
Marcel Houben, founding partner of the law firm MHouben-HRLegal, was admitted to the Dutch Brussels Bar in October 1977. Ever since he joined the Bar, his practice has been concentrated on employment law, industrial relations law and social security law at national, European and international level. He advises employers, management as well as employees on all matters related to employment and industrial relations law including employment contract drafting, termination of employment, employment aspects of restructuring, collective redundancies, mergers and acquisitions, employee representative bodies …, and he represents his clients in all employment related court litigation.
His key qualifications include legal analyses and adequate legal solutions, constructive legal advice, drafting tailor made documents and agreements, negotiations and amicable dispute resolution, collective bargaining and implementation of national, sector or company collective bargaining agreements, representation of clients before the employment judiciary
Marcel Houben is fluent in Dutch, French and English.
Education & Career
Marcel Houben graduated from the University of Leuven magna cum laude in 1972. He obtained his Master of Laws at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, concentrating on US labor law and the role of arbitration in US industrial relations. In 1976 he received the American Arbitration Association Award.
Before joining the Brussels Bar, he was assistant professor at the Institute for Labor Relations at the Law School of the University of Leuven, where, in addition to lecturing employment law, he was in charge of a research project on amicable settlement of employment and industrial relations disputes.
In October 1977 he joined the Belgian law firm that inherited the Belgian practice of the then very well known US-firm “Law Office Frank Boas”. He became a partner of the firm in January 1981.
Before setting up his own law firm he was partner of major international law firms, where he headed the Brussels practice of employment law, industrial relations law and social security law.
Clients
His client base includes Belgian subsidiaries of international groups of companies, Belgian SME’s, start-ups, as well as managers and employees. As a result of his longstanding practice and experience he knows how to handle assignments in an international environment and he understands the differing needs and expectations of SME’s and start-ups. Also, he understands the sometimes precarious situation of managers and employees when they need to call on a lawyer.
Marcel Houben always concentrates on constructive legal advice aiming at tailor-made solutions that meet the practical needs of the client enabling him to continue running his business efficiently. When it appears that a call on the courts can not be avoided, he is known as a very persistent defender of his client’s interests.
Seminars
Marcel Houben is a regular speaker at seminars on a variety of topics such as information and consultation at the national and at the European level of the personnel and its representatives, Belgian employment laws and flexibility at the workplace, cooperation structures as an alternative to the traditional employment relationship, legal aspects of downsizing of businesses and merger and acquisitions, negotiating and structuring of complex severance deals, legal aspects of cross-border employment, data protection in an international employment environment, the social election procedure, working with feint self-employed workers and tackling labor and social inspection visits.
Marcel Houben is a member of EELA (European Employment Lawyers Association) and he is a member of the board of directors of the “Association Social Law”, a non-profit association located in Brussels.