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Joseph Spinks

Partner
Joseph Spinks excels in both commercial understanding and legal expertise. He has the knowledge and the interpersonal skills.
Chambers Europe
About

Joseph Spinks leads DLA Piper’s Real Estate practice in Belgium. A dual Belgian-US citizen, he advises international investors, private equity sponsors, asset managers, developers and multinational businesses on complex Belgian and cross-border real estate transactions.

His practice focuses on real estate M&A, private equity real estate, acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures, sale-and-leaseback transactions, investment and development structures, and strategic occupier projects. He regularly leads multidisciplinary and multi-jurisdictional teams on transactions combining real estate, corporate, tax, finance and regulatory considerations.

Joseph advises throughout the investment lifecycle, from platform and asset acquisitions, structuring and development through to asset management, recapitalisations and exits. His experience spans offices, logistics and industrial assets, hospitality and leisure, data centres, life sciences, healthcare, and large-scale mixed-use and infrastructure projects.

Working closely with DLA Piper teams across the firm’s global platform, Joseph has particular experience supporting international investors and businesses operating across Belgium and continental Europe. His international background and multilingual capabilities allow him to navigate the legal, commercial and cultural dimensions of complex cross-border transactions. Clients value his commercial judgment, responsiveness and ability to translate complex Belgian legal issues into clear, transaction-focused advice.

Professional QualificationsAdvocaat registered with the Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten bij de Balie te Brussel

EXPERIENCE

  • Advised CBRE Investment Management and its investor clients on acquisition and divestment projects involving prime Belgian real estate assets, including landmark office assets in Brussels.
  • Advised a leading global industrial group on the restructuring and disposal of a strategic industrial site through a contribution-in-kind transaction with a listed Belgian REIT, involving integrated real estate, corporate, environmental, permitting, tax, securities and financial regulatory advice.
  • Advised Archer Hotel Capital on the sale of the company owning and operating the Brussels Marriott Hotel Grand Place, through a share transaction involving integrated real estate, corporate and tax advice.
  • Advised a US private equity fund on its investment in a soccer club in Belgium.
  • Advised Riyad Capital on the acquisition, by way of a share transaction, of the new PwC headquarters in Brussels Airport District.
  • Advised an international data centre operator on the acquisition and redevelopment of a strategic industrial site in Brussels.
  • Advised NH Hotels on the sale of the NH Hotel Brussels Louise in Brussels.
  • Advised a US multinational on the sale of industrial property in Belgium.
  • Advised a leading US luxury retailer on its Belgian market entry strategy and the establishment and expansion of its retail footprint in Belgium and across Europe.
Languages
  • Dutch
  • English
  • French
  • Italian
  • Spanish

Awards and Recognitions

  • Leading Individual, Real Estate and Construction, The Legal 500
Education
  • Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, Economics, Master, 2006
  • KU Leuven, Law, Master, 2005

Publications

  • Duiding Huur, Intersentia, 2022

Speaker events

Speaker, Belgian Institute for Company Lawyers (IBJ-IJE), various seminars on Book 7 of the Belgian Civil Code and its implications for real estate transactions and the public sector, 2026

Prior Experience

Before joining DLA Piper in 2020, Joseph practised in the Brussels office of a London-headquartered international law firm. Prior to qualifying as a lawyer, he worked in the Corporate Banking division of Deutsche Bank in Milan and Brussels.

Memberships And Affiliations

  • Member of AmCham

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