Livorno | Advocatenkantoor Vanheule & Vercaemst

The Livorno law firm is a niche law firm, based in Brussels, with a focus on criminal law.

Its creation is the result of the collaboration of two dedicated lawyers who previously worked in different law firms with esteemed criminal lawyers.

Jan Vanheule and Renaud Vercaemst combine a thorough and practice-oriented knowledge of criminal law and legal procedure with extensive practical experience in handling numerous cases in the most diverse areas of criminal law, including economic, tax and social criminal law, traffic and transport criminal law, customs criminal law, environmental criminal law and administrative criminal law. Both lawyers complement their professional experience with academic and teaching activities in criminal law and communication skills.

The firm provides legal assistance in a criminal context, both during the investigation phase and before the court. It acts on behalf of private individuals, companies and their executives as suspects or victims. Livorno acts before the courts in all judicial districts of Belgium.

Jan Vanheule and Renaud Vercaemst stand for a cost-efficient, discreet and result-oriented approach of each case regardless of its complexity, in direct consultation with the client.

Livorno became the first European free port at the end of the 16^th century. Merchants were welcome regardless of their origins and beliefs, and were granted immunity from prosecution for debts contracted previously or crimes committed.

Costituzione Livornina – Ferdinando I de’ Medici, II

Jan Vanheule

Dr. Jan Vanheule has been active in the field of criminal law and criminal procedure for more than twenty years.

He studied law at the KU Leuven (1997). He followed a postgraduate course in environmental law and also obtained the degree of Additional Study Taxation at the KU Leuven in 1998.

Since 1998 he has been working as a scientist at the KU Leuven, where he further specialised, first in environmental law and later in criminal and procedural law.
In 2009, under the supervision of prof. em. Lieven Dupont, he obtained the degree of Doctor of Laws based (PhD) on his thesis on criminal participation.
In 2010, he joined the law firm Eubelius in Brussels where he did his law traineeship with Prof. Raf Verstraeten. In 2014, he joined the law firm Verstraeten, Dewandeleer & Gillard (VDG Advocaten, Leuven), where he further specialised as a lawyer in various areas of criminal law.

Dr. Jan Vanheule acts as counsel in a wide range of criminal cases, for private individuals, companies and government agencies.

He has particular expertise in the field of administrative criminal law, environmental criminal law, criminal liability of companies and their managers.
Dr. Jan Vanheule is a voluntary scientific assistant at the Criminal Law Institute of the KU Leuven. In that capacity, he publishes scientific articles, comments on court decisions and gives lectures at seminars.

In 2006, he wrote the book Environmental Criminal Law in the APR-series together with Prof. Dr. Michael Faure and in 2010 his PhD thesis on criminal participation was published.

Renaud Vercaemst

Renaud Vercaemst is a dedicated criminal lawyer.

He studied law at the KU Leuven. In 2012, he did his law traineeship under patronage of the well-known criminal lawyer Jef Vermassen (in Dendermonde).

At the end of 2014, he joined the renowned law firm Verstraeten, Dewandeleer & Gillard (VDG Advocaten, Leuven). Besides handling traditional criminal cases, he also specialised in economic criminal law and already handled several cases related to subsidy fraud, bank fraud, internet fraud, hate speech and cyberbullying. In 2018, he transferred to the Brussels Bar. He also defends the rights of cyclists, in particular in the Belgian capital.

From 2015 to 2019, he worked as a teaching assistant at the Institute of Criminal Law of the KU Leuven.

After obtaining the Diploma in Eloquence at the Academy in Roeselare, Renaud Vercaemst successfully participated in several moot court competitions during his law studies. In 2011, he reached the final of the renowned European moot court competition (ELMC) in Luxembourg.

In 2013, he was the laureate of the Flemish Pleitjuweel, a competition for the best young pleaders of the Flemish bar associations. As a lawyer, he will always speak with care and conviction on your behalf.

Renaud Vercaemst is co-host of the legal podcast #Tussenderegels.