Melissa Verplancke

Managing Associate, Real Estate and Public Law, Brussels

“My ambition is to engage in building in-depth and long-lasting client relationships and further explore my unique profile in the market, being both a transactional lawyer as well as an environmental and public law specialist”

Overview

Professional experience

Education and qualifications

Overview

Melissa has experience in real estate law, including transactional work. Moreover, she has a strong knowledge of environmental and general public law, including public procurement, and has assisted clients from various sectors in this respect. She also has experience in the field of administrative court procedures. 

Work highlights

Melissa has advised on a wide range of real estate transactions. These include advising: 

  • INEOS on the Belgian aspects of its project for the development and operation of an ethane cracker and PDH installation in the Port of Antwerp.
  • ENGIE Electrabel as sponsor counsel in relation to the project financing of six on-shore wind farms comprising of 13 wind turbines located in Flanders, developed as greenfield projects by ENGIE Electrabel, together with certain public authorities located in Flanders and Brussels.
  • WestInvest Gesellschaft für Investmentfonds GmbH on the acquisition of all the shares in Silver Tower SA.
  • PSA Automobiles SA on the €180m joint venture with Punch Powertrain, a Belgian supplier of fuel efficient powertrains and subsidiary of the Chinese Jinji group, for the development of future generation mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

Professional experience

Melissa has been an Associate at Linklaters since 2014 and was promoted to Managing Associate in 2020

Moreover, she is specialized in environmental and general public law and has advised clients in the framework of: 

  • refinancing of renewable energy project;
  • permitting procedures and administrative court procedures;
  • public procurement procedures;

Education and qualifications

Melissa holds a Master of Laws from the University of Ghent (magna cum laude).
She works in Dutch, English and French.

Melissa has contributed to the ICLG Environment & Climate Change Law 2019.