Stefan Nerinckx | Fieldfisher
Skip to main content
Professional background

Professional background

I specialize in providing support to businesses and top-tier executives, navigating them through intricate and strategically crucial HR-Law related questions. My clientele encompasses both esteemed European and global enterprises, as well as dynamic SMEs. With a profound focus on individual and collective labour and employment law matters, my expertise extends to a wide spectrum of critical areas, including employment contracts, workforce transitions, and the legal nuances surrounding the international mobility of employees, including international social security and business migration. My advisory prowess also extends to navigating non-compete agreements and restrictive covenants, ensuring privacy within the workplace, defining employee and self-employed status, optimizing flexibility in work conditions, and managing complex employment issues within the context of Mergers and Acquisitions (e.g., TUPE regulations). I handle collective layoffs, corporate closures, and am well-versed in addressing social disputes and union-led industrial actions. My portfolio also includes executive compensation structuring, addressing the unique status of platform workers, strategizing staff lending scenarios and extending unwavering assistance to companies embroiled in government audits or disputes, as well as representing clients in employment litigation before the Courts.

Beyond my professional endeavours, I am deeply passionate about being a professor of employment law at the University College of Brussels (Odisee/KUL), and I hold the role of co-editor for a Legal Journal published by Kluwer. Moreover, I am regularly invited to lecture on employment law issues at renowned institutions such as European Academy of Law (ERA), American Bar Association (ABA), Kluwer International, and International Bar Association (IBA), where I blend my extensive technical knowledge with a highly practical approach.

My continuous commitment to excellence has secured my place in the Legal 500 'Hall of Fame, a distinction reserved for 'lawyers who have garnered continuous praise from clients for their unwavering excellence'. Clients have consistently commended my immediate responsiveness, legal acumen in (European) employment law, and my creative and pragmatic problem-solving abilities. I pride myself on being a 'pleasure to work with', 'driven by my deep knowledge', 'unwavering dedication and passion', and an innate ability to 'resolve complex issues to the satisfaction of my clients' (as endorsed by Chambers EU, Legal 500, Who'swho of Business Lawyers, Leader's league and Best Lawyers). I am also honoured to have received the 'Lexology Corporate Counsel Client Choice Award in 2021 and 2022', as well as recently (2023) the title of Belgian's most influential employment lawyer by 'Business Today'.

I am fluent in English, Dutch, and French, ensuring seamless communication with my esteemed clients.

*BV Nerius 0871.760.378 

Awards & recognition

Awards & recognition

Chambers 2023 โ€“ Employment
Chambers listing Stefan and his team since 2008. In 2023 Stefan is mentioned for assist clients with employee dismissals, either as part of restructurings or following allegations of harassment and discrimination. "Stefan Nerinckx is extremely straightforward and easy to talk to, always using practical language."
Legal 500, 2023 โ€“ Employment
Also in 2023 and for 12 years in a row 'Legal 500' has indicated Stefan as being one of the ten 'Leading Individuals' for employment law in Belgium and included in the 'Hall of Fame'. Over the years Stefan was praised for being a ‘leading individual’, ‘responsive’, ‘well connected’, ‘very committed to his clients’ and an ‘excellent litigator and negotiator‘. He and his team are being recognised as '๐—ฒ๐˜…๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—น๐˜† ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ', '๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—ฐ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜-๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€', '๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—ฒ๐˜…๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ธ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜„๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ด๐—ฒ' and '๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ, ๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜†๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ'. 
By Lexology
Awarded the Corporate Counsel Client Choice Award in 2021 and 2022
By Business today
Belgian's most influential employment lawyer in 2023
Legal 500, 2020 โ€“ Employment
The 'always available' Stefan Nerinckx leads the team. Availability, expertise transparency and innovation are some of the qualities of Stefan Nerinckx’s team. Stefan Nerinckx is pragmatic and clients like dealing with him, because of his knowledge, commitment and problem solving capabilities.  
Chambers 2020 - Employment
Commentators say Stefan Nerinckx is very creative and always a pleasure to work with.  
Chambers Global 2019
"Knowledgeable and client-focused" with  "in-depth knowledge" and a “pragmatic approach”.

Authored pieces

All Resources
A person interacts with a virtual globe interface, seemingly projected from a tablet on a desk. The globe displays interconnected lines and data points. A document with charts and graphs is visible on the desk. The setting appears to be an office.
Insight

Fieldfisher Belgium featured prominently in Chambers Europe 2022 edition

18.03.2022
Chambers Europe rankings for 2022 have been published and Fieldfisher Belgium is pleased that the firm is highly ranked once again this year!
Learn more
Double exposure of a man in a suit with arms crossed. His silhouette overlays a dynamic cityscape featuring buildings and light trails, symbolizing urban development and business. The man wears a blue suit and a red tie, implying professionalism and confidence.
Insight

Employment law: What's new in France and Belgium?

18.02.2022
Learn more
Publication

Banning headscarves โ€“ a workable policy? (1)

15.03.2017
Learn more
Publication

International Employee Mobility after Brexit

23.09.2016
Learn more
Publication

The โ€˜Uberizationโ€™ of the labour market

22.09.2016
An article by Employment Partner Stefan Nerinckx has just been published in legal journal Forum, focussing on the employment law aspects of the new collaborative/plaform economy
Learn more

What others sayโ€ฆ

Legal 500, 2023 โ€“ Employment
Also in 2023 and for 12 years in a row 'Legal 500' has indicated Stefan as being one of the ten 'Leading Individuals' for employment law in Belgium and included in the 'Hall of Fame'. Over the years Stefan was praised for being a ‘leading individual’, ‘responsive’, ‘well connected’, ‘very committed to his clients’ and an ‘excellent litigator and negotiator‘. He and his team are being recognised as '๐—ฒ๐˜…๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—น๐˜† ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ', '๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—ฐ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜-๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€', '๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—ฒ๐˜…๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ธ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜„๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ด๐—ฒ' and '๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ, ๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜†๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ'. 
By Lexology
Awarded the Corporate Counsel Client Choice Award in 2021 and 2022
By Business today
Belgian's most influential employment lawyer in 2023