LAMBRECHT LAW OFFICE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Independent Adviser for the Flemish Government
Lucie Lambrecht has been practicing as a lawyer at the Brussels Bar since she obtained her law degree from the University of Leuven (KUL, 1986) and a Master of Law degree from the University of London (LLM, 1987).
Before she set up her own legal practice Lucie worked at the banking and corporate practices of Linklaters' and Allen & Overy's Brussels offices for more than 20 years; she also worked as a lawyer in London for a couple of years. During her recent years at Allen & Overy, she headed a multi-disciplinary team of lawyers specialising in art law, which has always been Lucie's main area of interest and which she has further developed since her early London years.
Lucie Lambrecht has obtained a diploma in art law policy and management from the UK-based Institute of Art and Law of which she has been a member since 1996. She is also a member of the Dutch Vereniging voor Kunst Cultuur en Recht and the Belgische Vereniging voor het Auteursrecht - Association Belge pour le Droit d'Auteur (BVA-ABA).
Lucie Lambrecht has been an independent adviser for the Flemish Government for many years and was thus involved in the preparation of a number of pieces of important legislation in cultural property matters.
Lucie Lambrecht has been a speaker at various legal seminars and has published diverse articles in specialist legal periodicals in her different areas of expertise.
She is a member of several professional associations or groupings, including: Collections Legal, the Institute of Art and Law, PAIAM (Professional Advisers to the Art Market), the Fondation pour le Droit de l'Art - Art Law Foundati on, and the Belgische Vereniging voor het Auteursrecht - Association Belge pour le Droit d'Auteur.
Lucie Lambrecht is a substitute judge at the Court of Appeal of Brussels since 2014.
Lucie Lambrecht was appointed as an arbitrator to the original Arbitration pool of CAfA in January 2020. CAfA is the Court of Arbitration for Art, based in The Hague.
She has been trained as mediator in commercial and civil matters (BBMC).
In a personal capacity Lucie Lambrecht is actively involved in a number of heritage organisations and fundraising initiatives supporting important heritage projects.
Lucy Ryan is a qualified Barrister-at-law, having graduated from the Honorable Society of King's Inns, Dublin, Ireland in 2017. Prior to this, she completed her undergraduate studies in Law with History, graduating from University College Dublin in 2016. Following this, she finished her Art Law LLM at the University of York in 2020 for which she received the highest grade in her year, a First-Class Honours, distinction. She is currently undertaking a further Masters in EU Public Affairs and International law which she will complete in 2021. She is also fluent in English with professional proficiency in French.
During her Art Law LLM at the University of York, her studies focussed upon intellectual property law, comparative law, international protection of cultural property and art law. In particular, her thesis focused upon the restitution process of art looted during WWII, analysing specific restitution legislation in the common law jurisdictions of the U.K. and the U.S. Additionally, she scrutinised the moral element of such claims, probing whether a statute of limitation should remain or be removed in relation to such claims.
Lucy has worked in a variety of legal areas, but is currently working in-house for an international tax company and conducting freelance legal consultancy work for Lambrecht Law Office. On a personal level, Lucy possesses an avid interest in amateur photography with a love for art and music. She hopes to practise as an art lawyer in the future at a more international level.
Madelon Dewitte holds Master's degrees in Law, Art History, and African Languages and Civilizations from the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
Her research there focused on the issue of restitution of African cultural property displaced during colonization. She was particularly interested in the obstacles in international law opposing such restitution, as well as the role of European public institutions in the process. One of her master's thesis was presented during the European Heritage Days 2021 at the National Institute of Art History in Paris.
During her academic path, she has worked in various contemporary art galleries in Brussels, dealing with legal aspects such as the elaboration of artists' contracts.
Matilda De Meurechy is a law student in her final Master's degree at the KU Leuven. She immersed herself in art law by taking the 'Art Law' course at Christie's Education. She took several courses on art and cultural heritage law at KU Leuven and at the Università di Bologna (as part of her Erasmus exchange). In this way, she bonds her love for art and justice with her law education.
Tibère Devis is a first year Master's student in law at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). As an art enthusiast, he has always endeavoured to orient his studies towards the art market, taking courses in art history and art law alongside his law degree. In addition, he had the opportunity to spend several months as an intern in an international auction house, which gave him a keen interest in the legal issues surrounding these institutions.