In February 2024, GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES officially inaugurated its Belgium office in the core commercial district of Brussels. Strategically positioned at the heart of the EU headquarters and covering the European legal services market, the office serves as the firm’s core cross-border institution for facilitating two-way China-EU investment and supporting Chinese enterprises in deepening their presence across the EU. The office houses a professional legal team with dual China-Belgium legal qualifications. Its core practitioners boast years of experience in cross-border legal services, possess in-depth knowledge of Belgian domestic law, unified EU regulatory rules and international commercial practices, and focus on core practice areas including cross-border investment, trade compliance, dispute resolution and EU regulatory adaptation, to deliver localised, full-process, multilingual and integrated professional legal services.
This document sets forth the official unified fee schedule of GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES’ Belgium Office for 2026. All quoted prices are exclusive of the standard 21% Belgian value-added tax (VAT). Settlement is available in three currencies: Euro (EUR), Renminbi (RMB) and United States Dollar (USD). All fee arrangements strictly adhere to the practice regulations of the Belgian Bar Association and EU regulatory requirements for legal services.
I. Authorised Fee Structures of GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES’ Belgium Office
In strict compliance with the Belgian Code of Professional Conduct for Lawyers and relevant EU legal services directives, and tailored to the cross-border service practices of Chinese-funded enterprises, we have established five standardised fee models, all fully aligned with EU judicial oversight and international commercial service standards:
1.Fixed Fee Arrangement
Applicable to basic legal services with standardised workflows and accurately quantifiable workload. The total fee is locked upon contract execution with no hidden additional charges. This model covers standardised matters such as enterprise entity establishment, basic compliance filings and standard document processing.
2.Hourly Rate Arrangement
Applicable to major China-EU cross-border projects, complex dispute cases and customised compliance consulting. Fees are calculated based on the billable working hours of lawyers, with detailed monthly timesheets provided for full auditability and traceability.
3.Percentage of Subject Matter Arrangement
Applicable to property-related matters such as cross-border mergers and acquisitions, asset transactions and large-scale commercial claims. Fees are charged on a tiered basis according to the value of the subject matter, in line with prevailing practice for high-end commercial legal services in Belgium.
4.Contingency Fee Arrangement
Within the framework of Belgian legal practice regulations, this model applies exclusively to debt collection, commercial recovery and tort claim cases. Fees are charged conditional on successful fund recovery or a favourable judgment, with the fee ratio not exceeding 25% of the actual amount recovered.
5.Annual Legal Retainer Arrangement
This model provides enterprises with year-round comprehensive legal support for a fixed annual fee. Clients are assigned a dedicated multilingual team available 24/7, covering full-dimensional compliance and risk prevention for enterprises operating in the EU.
II. Hourly Rate Standards for Lawyers of GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES’ Belgium Office
All lawyers at GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES’ Belgium Office hold valid practising certificates issued by the Belgian Bar Association. The core team is proficient in both Chinese and Belgian legal systems and EU regulatory rules, and delivers seamless services in Chinese, English and French. Senior partners hold multi-jurisdictional practising qualifications across the EU, with deep expertise in core practice areas including cross-border investment, international commerce and data compliance. A tiered pricing framework is in place.
The unified hourly rate range for 2026 is EUR 190 – EUR 650 per hour, covering all practitioner levels: junior practising lawyers, intermediate specialist lawyers, senior partners, and cross-border experts from the Beijing headquarters. The final applicable rate is assessed based on case complexity, professional alignment, project urgency and team configuration.
Additional Billing Provisions
1.A travel and fieldwork surcharge of 25% to 50% applies for work performed outside the EU.
2.An expedite fee of 50% applies for 24-hour urgent response services and work carried out on public holidays.
3.A 20% rate uplift applies to matters requiring multi-jurisdictional coordination across the EU.
4.A 15% rate uplift applies to dedicated multilingual court hearing support services.
5.A 10% to 20% rate uplift applies to specialist compliance matters involving financial regulation and export control.
III. Specific Fee Standards for Core Practice Areas
This schedule covers ten core practice areas of GUOZUN CATHAY ASSOCIATES’ Belgium Office, precisely aligned with the essential demands of Chinese enterprises investing in Europe. All services comply with the regulatory requirements of the European Commission and Belgian federal regulators, and are fully adapted to the EU domestic legal system. Details are as follows:
A. Cross-Border Investment and M&A Legal Services: EUR 2,300 – EUR 80,000
1.Full-process agency for the establishment of subsidiaries, branches and representative offices of Chinese-funded enterprises in Belgium and the EU, as well as foreign investment access compliance screening.
2.Legal due diligence for two-way China-EU investment, transaction structure design, regulatory approval filing and full-process management of closing procedures.
3.Compliance review for enterprise equity restructuring and asset acquisition, as well as full-chain risk prevention and control for cross-border investment and financing.
4.Liquidation and deregistration of EU enterprises, ongoing compliance maintenance for existing entities, and post-investment compliance management services.
5.Cross-border investment implementation for industries such as new energy, technology and manufacturing, including policy liaison and compliance filing support.
B. International Trade and Customs Compliance Legal Services: EUR 2,000 – EUR 75,000
1.Full-chain compliance review for China-EU cross-border trade, custom drafting and risk control for international trade contracts and supply chain agreements.
2.Adaptation to EU customs rules, tariff planning, response to anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations, and trade remedy services.
3.Import and export control compliance, resolution of trade barriers, and compliance operation services for cross-border e-commerce in the EU market.
4.Compliance review of cross-border transaction guarantees and settlements, commercial fraud risk prevention and non-litigation rights protection.
5.Pre-mediation of China-EU trade disputes, breach handling of cross-border contracts and special services for rights and interests protection.
C. Cross-Border Dispute Resolution Legal Services: EUR 2,600 – EUR 490,000
1.Mediation of commercial contract and investment disputes between China and the EU, and full-process litigation representation at all levels of Belgian and EU courts.
2.Full-case representation in international commercial arbitration, as well as recognition and enforcement services for cross-border judgments and arbitral awards.
3.Cross-border debt collection, property preservation, and full-process agency for Belgian local enforcement procedures.
4.Rights protection for commercial tort and intellectual property disputes, as well as special services for cross-border evidence collection and judicial relief.
5.Administrative dispute resolution, customised solutions and implementation for complex cross-border disputes.
D. Full-Dimensional EU Compliance Legal Services: EUR 2,100 – EUR 68,000
1.Establishment of EU GDPR data compliance systems, cross-border data transfer review and enterprise data governance upgrading.
2.Anti-monopoly and competition law compliance building, as well as full-dimensional risk prevention and control for export control and economic sanctions.
3.Product CE marking compliance, environmental directive compliance, foreign investment compliance review and system implementation.
4.Response to Belgian government inspections and regulatory inquiries, as well as compliance defence and relief for administrative penalties.
5.Dual China-EU jurisdiction compliance training, enterprise compliance risk screening and customised emergency response plan development.
E. Cross-Border Intellectual Property Protection Legal Services: EUR 320 – EUR 35,000
1.Full-process agency for EU-wide registration, renewal and modification of trademarks, patents and industrial designs.
2.IP infringement investigation, cross-border evidence collection, and full-case agency for EU administrative complaints and judicial rights protection.
3.Resolution of cross-border brand counterfeiting and domain name disputes, as well as implementation of trade secret protection and non-compete compliance.
4.Drafting of China-EU IP licensing and transfer agreements, and compliance risk management for technical cooperation.
5.EU IP portfolio planning for tech innovation enterprises, and establishment of IP risk control systems for brands expanding overseas.
F. Cross-Border Tax and Wealth Management Legal Services: EUR 1,700 – EUR 45,000
1.Leveraging the China-Belgium Double Taxation Agreement to provide enterprise cross-border tax planning, compliance review and tax dispute resolution.
2.Cross-border wealth succession, family trust establishment and asset allocation compliance risk control for high-net-worth individuals.
3.Legal consultation and dispute representation for cross-border inheritance and transnational marriage and family disputes.
4.Compliance screening of individual cross-border assets, overseas investment tax planning and risk avoidance.
5.Enterprise cross-border tax compliance audit, interpretation of EU tax policies and local adaptation support.
G. European Enterprise Operation Legal Counsel Services: EUR 550 – EUR 40,000
1.Routine contract review and customisation of internal rules and regulations for Belgian enterprises, as well as full-process operational compliance control.
2.Localised employment compliance planning, handling of foreign employee employment procedures and labour dispute compliance resolution.
3.Annual enterprise compliance audit, regulatory risk screening, and labour arbitration and litigation representation.
4.Compliance design for executive employment and equity incentives, as well as regular legal support for enterprise operations.
5.Guidance on EU localised business operation, government-enterprise liaison compliance and commercial risk prevention and control.
H. Cross-Border Finance and Capital Markets Legal Services: EUR 3,000 – EUR 78,000
1.EU financial regulation adaptation, and full-process compliance services for cross-border financing and fund establishment.
2.Market access for financial institutions, securities business compliance review, and financial dispute resolution representation.
3.Compliance review for enterprise capital operations and capital increase and share expansion, as well as investment and financing risk prevention and control.
4.Cross-border financial transaction structure design, regulatory filing and foreign exchange compliance liaison services.
5.Fintech compliance building, EU financial policy adaptation and specialist consulting services.
I. Technology and Digital Economy Legal Services: EUR 2,200 – EUR 60,000
1.EU digital market compliance building, and specialist legal support for artificial intelligence and e-commerce industries.
2.Data asset compliance management, cross-border data flow and privacy protection specialist services.
3.Investment, financing and M&A for tech enterprises, supporting IP services and compliance risk control.
4.Digital business regulatory adaptation, platform compliance operation and consumer rights protection.
5.Full-cycle compliance support for tech innovation enterprises expanding into the EU, including policy liaison.
J. Cross-Border Commercial and Private Comprehensive Legal Services: EUR 850 – EUR 5,000
1.Cross-border bankruptcy reorganisation, commercial guarantee compliance review, and overseas real estate transaction risk control.
2.Business visa and long-term residence status application, as well as cross-border personal affairs compliance agency.
3.Individual cross-border commercial consultation, asset allocation legal risk screening and compliance advice.
4.Cross-border family dispute resolution, private property protection and rights and interests protection services.
5.Small-scale commercial matter agency, basic legal consultation and custom document services.
Special Note: For major cross-border economic crimes, EU financial violations and serious criminal cases, there is no fixed upper fee limit. Quotations are customised based on case difficulty, scale of cross-border collaboration and evidence collection costs.
IV. Key Factors Affecting Legal Fees
1.Complexity of Cross-Border Compliance: Fees will be increased according to the difficulty of cases involving the application of multiple jurisdictions (China, Belgium and the EU), cross-border evidence collection and multi-party collaboration.
2.Industry Professional Barriers: Fees for highly specialised areas such as GDPR data compliance, financial regulation and cross-border M&A are higher than those for basic civil and commercial legal services.
3.Case Handling Difficulty: Fees are dynamically adjusted for major litigation and arbitration matters, complex cross-border enforcement cases and EU special regulatory response matters.
4.Service Urgency: For urgent case initiation and work on public holidays, expedite service fees are charged strictly in accordance with the standards, with no room for negotiation.
5.Cooperation Procurement Model: Compared with single-service procurement, the comprehensive cost of packaged annual legal retainer cooperation is 15%–25% lower.
6.Service Team Configuration: Fees are adjusted accordingly for cases handled by joint experts, China-EU team collaboration and dedicated multilingual team services.
7.Case Performance Risk: The fee ratio for contingency fee arrangements is directly linked to the probability of success, difficulty of fund recovery and service cycle.
V. Additional Third-Party Fees to Be Budgeted
The following fees are independent of legal service fees and are reimbursed at actual cost in accordance with Belgian official standards or actual expenditure. Our firm does not charge any agency premium for these items:
1.Government Fees: Commercial registration fees, visa application fees, court litigation fees, arbitration fees, intellectual property official fees, licence filing fees, etc.
2.Notarisation and Authentication Fees: Belgian local notarisation and Apostille certification; China-Belgium consular authentication fees are settled according to official standards.
3.Professional Translation Fees: Multilingual translation of legal documents and simultaneous interpretation for court hearings, charged per project / per word in accordance with Belgian industry standards.
4.Expert Service Fees: Fees for judicial appraisal, industry expert consultation and third-party due diligence agencies, settled at actual expenditure.
5.Field Travel Expenses: Transportation, accommodation and fieldwork allowances for case handling within and outside the EU, reimbursed against valid vouchers.
6.Financial Handling Fees: Bank fees incurred from cross-border transfers and currency exchange shall be borne by the entrusting party.
7.Other Third-Party Fees: Fees for professional institutions such as auditing, valuation and compliance testing, settled according to actual entrusted expenditure.
VI. Important Reminder
All fee standards set out in this document are the official benchmark reference prices for 2026 and do not constitute a final offer for services. The final fee amount for all legal services shall be subject to the written engagement contract, determined based on the client’s specific needs, actual case circumstances, service scope and project complexity.