Expertise

Renate Barbaix is specialised in family property law, specially in inheritance law. Her research is both individual and as a promotor of several PhD students.

Technique

Legal research

Users

Academic and practical

Keywords

Patrimonial family law, Inheritance

Legal expert in animal law and rights of nature.

Technique

Legal doctrinal research, comparative research, fieldwork, qualitative interviews.

Users

Legal scholars, students, media, ngos, organizations, animal researchers.

Keywords

Animal law

Publications (esp) on construction law (e.g. Handbook Construction Law, 2013)

Technique

Publications and lectures

Users

lawyers in general, notaries, judges, attorneys, governments, building sector ...

Keywords

Vulnerable groups, Theoretical study, Administrative structure

I study civil law from a law-in-context perspective. My research applies comparative, socio-legal, theoretical and policy-oriented analyses to a range of civil law issues. It deals with the theoretical and ideological foundations of private law, with a focus on family and family property law, and (private) law and gender My recent work has examined the impact of gender legal theory for private law; unmarried cohabitation; and cross-border successions.

Technique

- Comparative law analysis - Socio-legal theories, with an emphasis on gender studies and socio-demographics - Policy-oriented

Users

- Policy-makers - Legal scholars - Civil society - General public

Keywords

Family law, Law of inheritance, Comparative law, Gender

Karl Hendrickx's research focuses on plain and correct legal language in different types of legal texts. He analyses the lexical and syntactic characteristics of legal letters, judgements, notarial deeds and legislative texts.

Technique

- revision and rewriting of legal texts based on the plain language principles - supervision of studies in readability using the thinking aloud method - supervision of studies in readability using the plus-minus method

Users

- lawyers, magistrates, bailiffs, notaries, legal consultants - politicians and public managers dealing with legal and government communication - law students

Keywords

Legal skills, Readability, Professional communication, Communication skills training, Institutional communication

Health and liability law

Technique

Advice practice and procedures

Users

Health care providers and lawyers

Keywords

Health law, Liability law

Conflict resolution is an important mission of any legal system. Traditionally, there is a public perception that the courts end conflicts; however, the legal reality is different. Many conflicts are resolved not by a judge, but through alternative dispute resolution. This research analyzes conventional out-of-court solutions that derive their binding force and legal effect from contract and contract law. As a generic umbrella term for these instruments (e.g., settlement agreements and binding third-party decisions), this book uses the term “settlement agreement. This term is not known as such in Belgian law, but a number of applications can be found in the law, case law and legal doctrine. Although ending a conflict is of primary importance to the parties, case law shows that a settlement agreement does not always provide the desired legal certainty. This seems to conflict with the raison d'être of alternative dispute resolution. In addition, it is a fundamental principle of law that everyone should have access to a judge. Without the court's power of review, one cannot counter possible abuses. Therefore, it is also defensible that parties cannot simply sideline a judge. Thus, there seems to be a tension between the parties' need for maximum legal certainty through a settlement agreement and the peopler

Technique

Comparison of legal doctrine Analysis of law Analysis of case law and legal doctrine

Users

Legal doctrine; legal practicians

Keywords

Liability law, Company law, Civil law

Legal advice and consultancy for private individuals and private and public organisations Speeches, seminars, education Supervision of projects of policy or basic research projects

Technique

Legal-dogmatic research Socio-legal methods (social theory; qualitative empirical research)

Users

Individuals and families Public and private organisations Academic research units

Keywords

Law of persons, Youth law, Nationality, Art and law, Inheritance, Family law, Human rights

My research concerns an analyses of the legal issues that may be raised by potentially controversial interventions in the fields of health law and, to some extent, kinship. My research subjects include, but are not restricted to: abortion; euthanasia and medically assisted suicide; (living) organ donation and organ trafficking; prenatal testing, medically assisted procreation, surrogacy; biobanking; human subjects research; coercive measures. Apart from using a strictly legal approach, I als apply insights from ethics and philosophy of law.

Technique

The main research technique is desk research of national, international and supranational regulations, case law, and doctrine.

Users

The findings of my research will be useful to legal experts, physicians and other health professionals, bioethicists, and governmental agencies working in the field.

Keywords

Kinship, Medical law, Bio-ethics and law, Human rights law, Criminal law and procedure, Philosophy of law, Civil law

Freyja van den Boom is an expert in law, ethics, and governance of emerging technologies, with a strong focus on artificial intelligence (AI), data, and more-than-human perspectives. Her research includes: AI and Law: Legal and ethical analysis of liability, transparency, and human rights concerning AI, with a focus on the EU AI Act and AI Liability Directive. AI Testbeds (Sandboxes): Legal and governance frameworks for real-world AI experimentation, with case studies in Belgium and across the EU. More-than-Human Legal Models: Exploration of legal personhood for AI, robots, and natural entities (e.g., rivers), in comparative dialogue with non-Western legal and philosophical frameworks. Data Ethics and Surveillance: Critical engagement with shadow profiling, identification by association, and algorithmic bias, highlighting their impact on structural inequality and power dynamics. Speculative Design and Futures Thinking: Development of participatory tools enabling citizens and policymakers to engage with AI futures. Climate justice and the societal implications of AI use in environmental governance. Transdisciplinary Collaborations: Research partnerships with universities in Europe and Japan, advancing context-sensitive, intersectional approaches to law and technology. Her work builds on an interdisciplinary academic background (PhD in Law, MSc in Sociology of Law, LLM in Intellectual Property Law) and practical experience in AI development, policy advising, and artistic residencies.

Technique

Her interdisciplinary research lies at the intersection of law, philosophy, futures thinking, and design, applied to AI governance, digital rights, climate justice, and speculative legal models. She combines legal analysis with participatory, creative methodologies such as serious games, storytelling, and design fiction to make complex technologies understandable and governable. Her research includes: AI and Law: Legal and ethical analysis of liability, transparency, and human rights concerning AI, with a focus on the EU AI Act and AI Liability Directive.

Users

Freyja van den Boom’s expertise is valuable to a broad range of actors dealing with artificial intelligence (AI), data-driven technologies, and digital innovation. Potential users of her expertise include: Policy makers and public authorities (local, national, and European) involved in regulating, testing, and governing AI and digital technologies. Her work informs the design of AI sandboxes, the implementation of the EU AI Act and AI Liability Directive, and long-term anticipatory policy strategies. Academics and researchers in law, sociology, STS (science and technology studies), philosophy, design, digital ethics, and AI. Her interdisciplinary methods provide both conceptual frameworks and participatory tools for investigating the societal, legal, and ethical dimensions of technology. Tech companies and AI startups developing data-driven products and services. These actors can benefit from her insights into ethical AI design, legal liability, user rights, and regulatory impact assessments. Civil society organizations, NGOs, and activist groups engaged in digital rights, climate justice, and socio-technical critique. Freyja supports these communities with accessible, participatory tools for public engagement, critical futures, and AI literacy. Artists, designers, and cultural institutions exploring speculative or critical engagements with emerging technologies. Her creative approaches—including design fiction, serious games, and interactive installations—enable collaborations at the intersection of art, science, and society. International organizations and think tanks working on global AI governance, digital sovereignty, and more-than-human rights. Her contributions address policy with an emphasis on justice, inclusivity, and non-Western worldviews.

Keywords

Art and science, Data sharing, Law and ethics, Artificial intelligence (ai), Futures, Design research

Legal psycholoy research on the pre-trial stage in criminal proceedings, such as police interviewing, interrogation of juvenile suspects, legal assistance, use of suspect's rights. Legal psychology research on legal decision making in criminal cases, in particular evidential value of criminal evidence. Expert-witness in criminal cases. Training of legal actors (police, lawyers).

Technique

Qualitative and quantitative research methods of empirical research in social sciences.

Users

Academics, police, lawyers, magistrates (prosecutors, judges).

Keywords

Legal assistance, Legal decision making, Investigative interviewing, Legal aid

Expertise in the topics at the intersection of family law, children's rights and private international law (including the hearing of children, international child abduction, international surrogacy, adoption in general) and in the meta-legal topic of how to deal with fields of law that interact with each other.

Technique

The following methods were used in the research: - Classical legal research (analysis of legislation, case law, legal doctrine) - Comparative legal research (mainly between Belgium, the Netherlands, England & Wales, Ireland and Switzerland) - Use of NVivo to collect, code and analyse case law

Users

The direct stakeholders are first, all the legal actors that are or can be involved in cross-border civil proceedings that involve children. These include the judges, registrars, family lawyers, family mediators and central authorities. Second, the direct stakeholders also include all the actors that can decide or can influence how cross-border civil proceedings are conducted. These include national and EU-lawmakers, authorities in the field of children’s rights (e.g., Children’s Commissioners or Ombudsmen, NGO’s), and academics. The indirect but final stakeholders are the families and children involved in cross-border proceedings.

Keywords

Human rights law, Family matters, Children's rights

Legal consult, research projects and educational assistance on all research topics mentioned here : the law of obligations, contract law, tort law, insurance law, environmental law and medical law

Technique

Conceptual analysis.

Users

Public and private sector

Keywords

Medical law, Insurance law, Liability law, Contract law, Law of obligations, Tort law