Dries Deschuttere
Dries.Deschuttere@kennedyslaw.com
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Profile
Dries is a senior associate (foreign qualified) at our London office.
He was admitted to the Brussels bar in 2018 and joined Kennedys Brussels office in the same year. He moved to our London office in 2024.
Dries is part Kennedys’ marine team, where he advises transport companies, (re)insurers and major policyholders and assists them in complex and international disputes. His practice covers a wide range of contentious/and litigation matters including, (re)insurance disputes, marine matters, transport (by road, air and sea), commercial disputes, product and professional liability.
He practices in Dutch, French and English, and he is qualified to plead before the Belgian courts (advocaat / avocat).
Dries is the author of several publications on transport law related topics in national and international journals, and often speaks at international seminars on these topics. He also contributed to the fourth edition of Kennedys’ Global Legal Handbook, one of our most popular guides, which outlines the main legal and procedural issues that case handlers may encounter when dealing with claims across 53 jurisdictions globally.
Dries is a Regional member for EMEA of the Kennedys Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group. He is also a member of the Belgian Civil Drone Council, Cepani40 and BELRIM (the Belgian Risk Insurance Managers Association)
He graduated in 2018 with a Master’s degree from the University of Ghent, where wrote his thesis at the University of Ghent on the legal position of unmanned aerial, nautical and ground vehicles (magna cum laude). Dries represented the University of Ghent in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court, and still chairs as an arbitrator in the yearly Vis Moot Court. He obtained Bachelor’s degree at the University of Brussels (VUB) and participated in an Erasmus program in Paris.
Qualifications:
- Master of laws (Ghent University) in 2018
- Admitted to the Bar (Brussels – Dutch speaking) in 2018
Dries Deschuttere is an associate to watch!
Market recognition
- Rising Star for 'Aviation (Belgium)'
"Dries Deschuttere is an associate to watch!"
The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 - Recommended Lawyer for 'Aviation (Belgium)'
The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 - Rising Star for 'Transport (Belgium)'
The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 - Recommended Lawyer for 'Transport (Belgium)'
The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 - Recommended Lawyer for 'Aviation (Belgium)'
"Dries Deschuttere is a key name within the team."
The Legal 500 EMEA 2022 - Recommended Lawyer for 'Aviation (Belgium)'
"Dries Deschuttere is a name to note."
The Legal 500 EMEA 2021
Awards
Work highlights
- Successfully defended a manufacturer of hoses for loading ships with liquids. The hose burst while loading a ship in the port of Antwerp. Proceedings were conducted before the courts of Antwerp (Belgium), including a court mandated expertise before the Nautical Commission. The client was cleared of liability in the incident.
- Successfully defended a manufacturer of car batteries. A van that was imported through the port of Antwerp caught fire at a terminal. Proceedings were conducted before the courts of Ghent (Belgium), including a court mandated expertise. It was concluded that the fire at the terminal occurred through negligent behaviour of other parties to the proceedings.
- Successfully defended an airline before the Brussels Enterprise court, and again before the Brussels court of appeal. The proceedings related to a large claim of a travel agency against the airline for the denied boarding of their passengers. No liability was withheld against the airline, in both instances, and a large sum was recovered to compensate for lawyer fees.
- Represented an airline in criminal proceedings before the Belgian courts in relation to the robbery of diamonds and gold from an airplane that was getting ready for departure at Brussels airport - a high profile case that the press nicknamed ‘the diamond robbery of the century’.
- Contributed to the drafting of the current Belgian drone regulation, which complemented the thesis he wrote at university on the legal position of unmanned ground, air and nautical vehicles.
Presentations and publications
Books and articles
- Can ‘Skeyes” ground airlines? A brief analysis of the CJEU ruling of 2 June 2022 (C-353/20 – Skeyes v. Ryanair DAC) – Air & Space Law (Kluwer)
- Aviation Finance & Leasing 2023 – Belgium – Getting the Deal Through (Lexology)
- Air Law Review 2023 – Chapter on Belgium
- The Law of Unmanned Aircraft Systems: An Introduction to the Current and Future Regulation under National, Regional and International Law - Chapter on civil liability (co-authored)
- The Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems: UAS Regulation in Belgium – Chapter on Belgium
- Kennedys Global Legal Handbook - Versions 2018, 2019 – 2023
- CJEU Extraterritorial Airways, a critical analysis of the judgement of the Court of Justice of the European Union in the Wegener case – Air & Space Law (Kluwer)
- Are some passengers more equal than others? The 2017 ruling of the Belgian Supreme Court on the applicability of the Sturgeon-doctrine in Belgium – Tijdschrift voor internationale handel en transport (IHT – Larcier)
Presentations
- 2024 - Damages recoverable under CMR – an international comparison - Kennedys London (presentation for insurers and client’s legal counsels)
- 2023 - Construction insurance - who pays? - Kennedys London (presentation for insurers and client’s legal counsels)
- 2022 - The logistics crisis and the CMR: an international comparison - Kennedys London (presentation for insurers and client’s legal counsels)
- 2021 - CMR – the benefits of forum shopping - Kennedys London (presentation for insurers and client’s legal counsels)
- 2020 - Drones – Beyond visual line of sight - Kennedys London (round table event for insurers and client’s legal counsels)
- 2020 - E-CMR consignment notes - Kennedys London (presentation for insurers and client’s legal counsels)
Aviation
Construction and engineering
Insurance and reinsurance
Shipping and international trade
Transport and logistics