and I am running for the position of
AIJA's First Vice President
I joined AIJA in 2016. The Half Year Conference in Chicago was my first event. It offered a convenient combination of visiting relatives in Chicago and learning more about international employment which was one of the tracks for that conference). Little did I know that this trip would change my life.
I remember stepping on the plane all by myself, slightly afraid of spending the week with a group of people I had never met. Guess what: AIJA took away that fear instantly! As of the first moment I walked in, I felt welcome. No actually, it was more than that: it was love at first sight.
Do you know Frank Sinatra’s song “Young at Heart”?
Enchantingly, it sings that fairy tales can come true, they can happen to you, if you’re young at heart. For it’s hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind, if you’re young at heart. I love that song!
In fact, the song reminds me of AIJA.
We all know there is an inevitable age limit at AIJA. But even more than bringing together young lawyers, AIJA unites lawyers who put Sinatra’s words into practice. Young lawyers who really do have a head start. In their law firms, in their careers, in their lives.
Thanks to the love for AIJA and its focus on young lawyers, I am applying for the position of First Vice President. If I am elected, I wish to keep what is good and focus on three driving forces: empower, connect & thrive.
We are young at heart, #weareaija, we have #aijaatheart.
I am 36 years old and happily married to Jean-Paul Van Damme (no relative of Jean-Claude, sorry), a business owner and an enthusiast by nature. I am from Antwerp, Belgium. I live in a town-house, right around the corner of the beautiful old courthouse, where I love to host dinner parties for my dear AIJA friends whenever they are in town.
Jean-Paul
and I have 3 kids.
Joséphine, the oldest and almost a teenager, is the kindest soul I have ever met. She is sporty and smart and she makes us wonder on occasion what we did to deserve a daughter like her. Then we remember: we were given her slightly more challenging sister and her brother to raise, too.
Marcel turned 5 last summer but will – obviously – be my baby forever. Named after my grandfather of whom I inherited the love for baking, he embodies whatever stereotype you can think of when it comes to little boys. Cars, dinosaurs and ice cream are life.
Colette has been rocking our world since she entered it 8 years ago. She is a whirlwind of all things pink and unapologetically herself, always. I think I want to be like Colette when I grow up.
As a family we love to go skiing and sailing. When I have some time to myself (as is true for any mom this happens at least once every other 6 months), I like crafts, music, reading and yoga. I love to travel and devour podcasts on psychology and history while at it. I have a passion for interior design (with a forced tolerance for the paw patrol lookout tower currently disfiguring my living room).
I am an
employment lawyer
I am a Partner at Lydian, Lydian is a full-service Belgian business law firm with an Anglo-Saxon approach to practising law. Through a fine blend of transactional law expertise and litigation skills, we deliver straight to-the-point solutions that add true value.
We listen to what is important and provide practical and personalised advice in a constantly changing world. This requires fresh thinking and tech savviness combined with proven experience. We believe that when knowledge travels, opportunities arise. We think client-focused, act fast and speak frankly in a language that you understand. We make sense, not nonsense. Expect accessible personalities, open minds and a pragmatic bullet point approach.
From our offices in Brussels, Antwerp and Hasselt, we work as an extension of your team. Our lawyers cherish a close client-lawyer relationship, while their sophisticated approach outperforms the service of many competitors. Lydian believes in integrity, authenticity and consistency.
Our mission is to find solutions through excellent legal insight and strong business instinct. That is how we exceed expectations, deliver consistent results and forge long-term relationships with industry leaders.
My personal area of expertise is employment law. My practice covers advisory work and litigation in all areas of employment law, both on an individual and collective level. I focus on international employment and am often involved in setting-up or terminating salary split scenarios and international assignments or large secondment projects to ensure compliance with local laws.
Within the field of cross border employment I have specific experience and expertise in social security related matters. I am also a trained mediator and am often assisting clients with internal investigations and #metoo-related allegations.
