What’s in our DNA?
Four & Five is a future-oriented business law firm with a laser focus on IT Law and GDPR. Other practice areas of our niche-boutique are corporate, M&A, commercial and real estate.
At Four & Five, we do things a little differently: we combine deep legal knowhow with a fresh forward-thinking mindset and a highly pragmatic approach whereby our clients and their business are centre staged.
Where do you see yourself in four to five years? That’s what it’s all about for us. Short term? No, thanks. We’re in it for the long haul! We do not get a thrill from quick wins or fast projects. It is our aim to establish sustainable relationships with our (tech) entrepreneurs and our network: standing right outside the cockpit as not to overly interfere but peaking sufficiently inside and giving valuable advice in order to safeguard a fluent take-off and an even more successful journey for our clients.
Going back to our roots
The seed to create an atypical firm was planted long before the first brick of Four & Five was laid. Anneleen Vander Elstraeten, our managing partner, worked for six years as legal counsel at Clear2Pay, the leading company in tech payments at the time. Throughout her career, it became clear that the law maker is not a business developer who we should follow blindly. Providing legal services shouldn’t start by putting on “legal glasses” but should start by putting the client, its (innovative) business and future on the mainstage. A tech client is in need of specific expertise backstage in order to fully empower its growth. The result: F&F, a firm built around innovation whereby smart legal solutions are tailormade to the needs of our evolving technological clients. Not thinking from old dusty patterns but taking on a proactive approach is what we thrive on.
We drive to be an accelerator of the innovative process of our clients by taking away concerns and providing pragmatism. This allows our clients to find the proper investors and to grow in order to achieve a level or expand the level of valorisation and commercialisation. This may lead to a jump to our M&A department to sell the wonderfully blooming company for a nice update of the bank accounts.
Supporting the Antwerp ecosystem
Antwerp is the feeding ground for amazing innovative start-ups and established companies. A tech hub has emerged wherein a strong network is unthinkable and the need for connectors is high. Connecting dots is our natural reflex.
Since many years, our partners positioned themselves as enablers within the tech industry as to bring together the right ideas and people. For instance, our managing partner was an original facilitator to help lift off Start it @ KBC. Furthermore, we are a (truly active) partner in the Darwin initiative of the Antwerp University: an incubator within a science parc where start-ups can share costs, grow and sprout. Anneleen is also a Board Member of the Beacon, a smart community focused on AI and IoT innovation domains of smart city, mobility and logistics.
What we bring to table within the ecosystem? A fully loaded network of creative tech specialists, investors with an eye for promising projects, companies offering supporting services accompanied by a dash of legal advice accustomed to the companies’ needs. By being totally dipped in the tech hub, F&F is constantly learning about the innovative world which, in its turn, enables us to reverse the favour and provide even better services. A wonderful and fruitful two way partnership
What clients say about us:
“Four & Five thinks along proactively when it comes to our projects.” Nicolas Christiaen CEO Cashforce
“Four & Five completely changed our perspective on law firms”. Peter Soetens CEO Intermodalics
“Four & Five provides a high level of pragmatism and professionalism”. Olivier Tilleuil CEO Eyesee Research
