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Kristof De Vulder

Partner
Country Managing Partner, Belgium
Clients appreciate … Kristof De Vulder‘s ‘excellent ability to translate very complex IT matters into simple, comprehensive and coherent language‘ on both contentious and non-contentious instructions.
Chambers Europe 2021
About

Kristof De Vulder has over 20 years’ experience of helping global clients with technology and telecommunications contracts, cyber security, outsourcing, license contracts, cloud contracts, hybrid cloud/on premise environments legal challenges, systems integration and complex technology transactions. He advises both users and suppliers.

Kristof leads the Brussels technology team and assists clients with business-critical strategic projects and incidents all over the world. He advises on EU technology regulations, all aspects of the sourcing process, the legal issues arising with the implementation of new technologies and responding to cyber incidents.

He also assists clients during all stages of major technology disputes, including pre-litigation strategies, mediation, arbitration and government courts.

He has worked with global technology suppliers, major IT-buyers, software companies, governments and public sector bodies on a broad range of technology and sourcing transactions, ranging from global application management outsourcing and multi-jurisdictional business process outsourcing to the creation of standard suites of agreements.

Kristof regularly speaks at conferences and seminars about IT law, particularly on the topics of outsourcing, technology contracts and tech disputes.

He has been a lawyer with DLA Piper since 2003 and a partner since 2005. Prior to joining the firm, he worked for an international law firm which became the Brussels office of DLA Piper in 2003.

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

Highlights

EXPERIENCE

  • Advising a global technology company in relation to a major ERP implementation project by a European Institution.
  • Advising a government company on the framework for the procurement of IaaS services.
  • Advising a global life sciences company in connection with five major multi-jurisdictional outsourcing agreements, including application support outsourcing and HR business process outsourcing.
  • Advising clients regarding their cloud strategy, including the review of cloud contracts, the negotiation of such contracts and the drafting of cloud 'overlay' contracts.
  • Advising on multi-jurisdictional business process outsourcing between a leading technology company and an international bank.
  • Drafting and negotiating an offshore application development and maintenance agreement between a payroll service provider and one of the largest offshore service providers in India.
  • Assisted a world leader in the packaging industry in the preparation and negotiation of a global telecom deal following which all of its sites transferred all of their telecom service requirements (data, fixed and mobile) to a single supplier.
  • Assisted a Belgian public company in a dispute following termination of a public procurement contract for the major development of customised software.
Languages
  • Dutch
  • French
  • English
Education
  • University of Ghent, Telecommunications law, 1999
  • Université Libre de Bruxelles, Corporate Law, DES en droit économique, 1998
  • University of Ghent, Master in Law, 1996

Awards and recognition

  • Band 1 lawyer, TMT: Information Technology, Belgium, Chambers Europe 2018-22
  • Hall of Fame, Industry Focus: IT and Telecoms, Belgium, The Legal 500 EMEA 2018-22
  • Leading individual, EU Regulatory: Information Technology, Belgium, The Legal 500 EMEA 2018-22
  • Recommended lawyer, EU Regulatory: Privacy and Data Protection; Industry Focus: Healthcare and Life Sciences; Industry Focus: Media and Entertainment, Belgium, The Legal 500 EMEA 2022

Publications

Kristof regularly publishes books and articles on technology law topics in legal journals and IT-journals. Such publications include:

  • Practice Guide: TMT 2022, Global, Chambers and Partners, 2 March 2022
  • Updated its leading publication of the definition of indirect loss under Belgian law (Computerrecht, 2019/133)
  • Co-authored an analysis of the contractual breach under SLA’s (Die Keure, 2019, 65 – 83)
  • Co-authored a leading international publication "Outsourcing: A Practical Guide," Globe Law and Business, September 2015
  • Co-authored the leading publication on strategic outsourcing in the Belgian legal market
  • B. De Groote, K. De Vulder, A European framework for unfair commercial practices, Journal of Business Law, Sweet & Maxwell, London, 2007, Issue 1
  • Memberships And Affiliations

    • Member of the Brussels Bar

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