Wim Dejonghe

During that time he has led the firm through a period of significant change in the legal industry and the global business landscape, winning recognition in 2018 as “Law Firm leader of the Year” in the British Legal Awards. Driving innovation and change and embedding a growth mindset are the hallmarks of his approach. 

As Managing Partner, he played a central role in restructuring the partnership and shaping the business in the wake of the financial crisis, putting the firm on a path of consistent growth and freeing up investment to expand A&O’s network of international offices at a time when many law firms were either retrenching or stagnating. These moves cemented A&O’s position as a global elite law firm. 

Wim played a pivotal role in establishing the Legal Services Centre in Belfast, offering clients new ways to control their legal costs. It was the first of a series of innovations he spearheaded which have contributed to A&O being named “Most Innovative Law Firm in Europe” a record six times in the FT Innovative Lawyer awards. These include the creation of Peerpoint, the consultant lawyer platform, the Project Management Office, A&O Consulting and Fuse, A&O’s thriving tech innovation space. He has also played a lead role in driving A&O’s diversity and inclusion agenda and, externally, has become a frequent public speaker offering deep insights into trends in the legal sector and business and economic affairs.

As a trusted adviser for many large organisations, clients are at the heart of his thinking. Wim has developed a strong connection with senior executives trying to make sense of real commercial issues. 

Wim joined A&O as a partner in 2001, having previously been a partner at Loeff Claeys Verbeke since 1993. He was Managing Partner of the Belgian offices from 1996 until his election as A&O’s Global Managing Partner. He also co-headed the firm’s Global Corporate practice. 

A multilinguist, Wim has also practised in Washington DC, New York and Barcelona. He co-wrote the book “M&A in Belgium”, the only in-depth and comprehensive legal guide to the Belgian transactions market.