Sebastian Tytgat

Biography

Sebastian Tytgat is a counsel in the International Commercial & Trade Practice Group in the Brussels office. He joined Baker McKenzie in 2021.

Sebastian has also been a civil procedure teaching assistant at KU Leuven from 2018 to 2024.

He started his career as a lawyer at a first-tier independent Belgian law firm and continued as in-house counsel at the world's largest beer brewer, where he advised on contentious and non-contentious matters for the leisure and hospitality business in Belgium and Luxembourg.

Practice Focus

Sebastian advises national and international clients on contentious matters before judicial and arbitral courts. He also advises clients in various legal aspects of business, commercial and consumer protection law as well as the drafting and negotiating of a wide range of commercial agreements inter alia in the fields of agency, franchising and distribution.

Sebastian was recognized as a Rising Star ("Leading Associate") in "Retail" in Legal 500 (2023 and 2024). He was also named as a Key Lawyer in Food Law and Real Estate (2024).

Representative Legal Matters

Assistance to several listed biotech companies in multijurisdictional securities and shareholder activism disputes.
Assistance to several companies in multijurisdictional post-M&A disputes.
Assistance to a Belgian airline in a EUR 50 million commercial agency dispute and in summary proceedings regarding its activities at Brussels Airport.
Assistance to a Clinical Research Organization in the defence against a threatened EUR 23 million supply chain London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) claim.
Assistance to a public international organization in several attachment litigations, involving questions of claims against sovereign states and immunity of execution.
Assistance to a famous US motor vehicle manufacturer in several litigations flowing from the winding down of its Belgian-dealer network.
Assistance to the international branch of a leading Belgian telecommunications company in a EUR 8 million IT dispute.
Assistance to various national and international suppliers in distribution, franchising and agency litigation, before Belgian courts, with a particular focus on the automotive, jewellery and watches, aviation, fashion, food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, printing and energy industries.
Assistance to several Big Oil companies (and affiliates) in commercial agency disputes, disputes regarding highway concessions, and franchising disputes.
Assistance to several companies in multijurisdictional product liability litigation relating to food products, heavy machinery, electric vehicles, industrial printers, consumer goods, etc.
Assistance to several of the world's largest food and beverage companies in supply chain disruption disputes, notably regarding pricing discussions following the COVID-19, Ukraine, energy and cost of living crises.
Advising a manufacturer and distributor of eyewear on contentious and non-contentious matters regarding the operation of its Belgian franchise network.
Assistance to the world's largest beer brewer in negotiations with the Belgian Competition Authority regarding its relationship with Belgian wholesalers (as in-house counsel).
Assistance to the Belgian affiliate of a Silicon-Valley Big Tech company in EUR 7.5 million summary proceedings regarding the construction of a datacentre in Belgium.
Assistance to a Silicon-Valley printer tech company, a US multinational denim clothing company, several motor vehicle and motorcycle manufacturers, and a Dutch cosmetics company in the enforcement of their selective distribution systems in Belgium and the EEA.
Assistance to US multinational denim clothing company in a multijurisdictional claim of more than EUR 1 million brought by an alleged broker.
Assistance to Belgian electricity and natural gas company in post-acquisition CEPANI arbitration proceedings.

Admissions

Brussels~Belgium (2015)

Education

U.L.B. (Additional Law Degree - magna cum laude) (2015)
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Law Degree - cum laude) (2014)

Languages

Dutch
English
French

Presentations

Speaker, "Litigation as In-House Counsel", Client Seminar, 2024
Speaker, "Abuse of Economic Dependence", M&D Seminar, 2024
Speaker, "Supply Chain Disruption", M&D Seminar, 2023
Speaker, "Consumer rights enforcement and sanctions", Utopix Seminar, 2023
Speaker, "Selected topics of contract law in the light of recent legislative changes", Utopix Seminar, 2022
Speaker, "The new B2B-Act. How about it in practice?", Webinar Legal Learning, 2021

Publications

H. Matthys and S. Tytgat, "Het vonnis en de onderdelen (Commentaar bij art. 780 Ger.W.)", in X., Gerechtelijk recht. Artikelsgewijze commentaar met overzicht van rechtspraak en rechtsleer, 1 maart 2024.
H. Matthys and S. Tytgat, "Supply Chain Disruption. Overmacht, verandering van omstandigheden en andere vaak voorkomende geschilpunten bij verstoring van de toeleveringsketen", TBH/RDC 2023/4, 489

N. El Houti and S. Tytgat, "Cass. 7 April 2023: Landmark shift in the arbitrability of distribution disputes", www.leuvenpubliclaw.com, 25 August 2023
N. El Houti and S. Tytgat, “Judges’ power to sanction trial-and-error litigation tactics”, , www.leuvenpubliclaw.com, 24 March 2023
J. Lormans and S. Tytgat, « Potpourri VI – Vraagstukken inzake overgangsrecht », www.leuvenpubliclaw.com, 19 July 2019
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “Actualité: Cour de cassation, 11/03/2019”, TBH/RDC 2019/2, 329
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “Actualité: Cour de cassation, 18/02/2019”, TBH/RDC 2019/2, 330
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “Nederlandstalige ondernemingsrechtbank Brussel – Tekort aan magistraten veroorzaakt belangrijke vertragingen”, TBH/RDC 2019/2, 324
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “Nieuw Burgerlijk Wetboek van start met Boek 8 « Bewijs »”, TBH/RDC 2019/2, 328
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “Actualiteit: Hof van Cassatie, 04/01/2019”, TBH/RDC 2019/2, 329
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “Actualité: Mons, 04/10/2018”, TBH/RDC 2019/1, 135
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “De rechtbank van koophandel wordt “ondernemingsrechtbank” vanaf 1 november 2018”, TBH/RDC 2019/1, 133
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “Actualité: Cour de cassation, 03/01/2019”, TBH/RDC 2019/2, 329
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “Ontwikkelingen inzake de onontvankelijkheid van een vordering wegens onvolledige KBO-inschrijving – Wet van 2 mei 2019”, TBH/RDC 2019/3, 446
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “Inwerkingtreding van “het nieuwe ondernemingsrecht” op 1 november 2018”, TBH/RDC 2019/1, 132
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “Actualité: Grondwettelijk Hof, 11/10/2018”, TBH/RDC 2019/1, 135
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “Vers une banque de données publiques des décisions judiciaires – Proposition de loi du 5 février 2019”, TBH/RDC 2019/2, 324
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat en J. Vansevenant, “Les secrets d’affaires restent secrets devant les tribunaux – Le nouvel article 871 bis du Code judiciaire”, T.B.H. 2019/2, 325
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “DPA-Deposit verplicht voor advocaten – KB en MB van 9 oktober 2018”, TBH/RDC 2019/1, 134
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “De cautio iudicatum solvi niet meer enkel tegen een buitenlandse eiser – Wetsvoorstel 17 februari 2019”, TBH/RDC 2019/2, 325
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “Bewijs in handelszaken wordt “ondernemingsbewijsrecht”: nieuw artikel 1348bis BW van kracht vanaf 1 november 201”, TBH/RDC 2019/1, 133
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “Inleiding door middel van verzoekschrift op tegenspraak weldra universeel in burgerlijke zaken”, TBH/RDC 2019/1, 134
O. Vanden Berghe, S. Tytgat and J. Vansevenant, “Nouveaux droits de greffe à partir du 1er février 2019 – Les droits ne sont plus payés à l’introduction, mais à l’issue de la procédure judiciaire”, TBH/RDC 2019/1, 135