Contact details
– Kris Wagner, P.O. Box 9390, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
– place of residence: Rawdha 3, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
– phone: + 971 58 540 1972
– e-mail: kris.wagner@wagnerarbitration.com
Education
UNIVERSITY OF LEUVEN (K.U.L.), Leuven, Belgium, PhD (law), September 2006.
HARVARD LAW SCHOOL, Cambridge (Massachusetts), Master of Laws (LLM), June 1997.
UNIVERSITY OF LEUVEN, Leuven, Belgium. Lic. Jur., magna cum laude, July 1995.
UNIVERSITÄT HANNOVER, Hannover, Germany. Completed fourth year of a five-year program of legal study in German language (final result within top 0.7 %).
UNIVERSITY OF LEUVEN, Leuven, Belgium. B.A. in Philosophy, magna cum laude, October 1993.
UNIVERSITY OF LEUVEN, Leuven, Belgium. Can. Jur., cum laude, July 1992. Completed two years of a five-year program in law combined with a separate degree in philosophy.
Work experience
AJMAN UNIVERSITY, Ajman, United Arab Emirates (August 2024 – to date). Professor in international arbitration. I am a full-time professor at Ajman University. I remain a member of the Brussels Bar Association. My practice as an attorney-at-law is now exclusively focused on international arbitration.
EVEREST, law firm, Brussels, Belgium (October 2022 – July 2024). Partner. Attorney-at-law involved in all aspects of commercial litigation and arbitration. My practice in Brussels was focused on complex commercial dispute resolution (litigation and arbitration). My clients included banks, government institutions, marine vessel owners, real estate companies, and companies active in a wide array of national and international business.
HOLMES KIRBY, law firm, Brussels, Belgium (May 1, 2013 – September 2022). Founder and managing partner. Attorney-at-law involved in all aspects of commercial litigation, arbitration and mediation. Holmes Kirby was a niche firm, focusing on complex and high-stake dispute resolution (litigation, arbitration and mediation). I have been involved as arbitrator or as counsel in numerous arbitrations, both national and international. Casework included: defending an Antwerp diamond trading company as lead counsel in proceedings against several banks (600 MEUR at stake); defending a royal prince against the State of Libya and the Libyan Investment Authority (50 MEUR at stake); defending a family of UHNW individuals against a real estate developer (23 MEUR at stake). During this time, I was also involved in numerous sports arbitration proceedings in professional football (in my capacity as chief prosecutor of the Royal Belgian Football Association, January 2019 – April 2020).
UNIVERSITY OF BRUSSELS (VUB) (March 2013 – June 2013). Invited lecturer (guest professor). Taught a class on Alternative Dispute Resolution (in English).
KOAN, law firm, Brussels (March 2012 – April 2013). Counsel. Attorney-at-law, involved in all aspects of commercial litigation and arbitration.
CEDIRES, Center for Dispute Resolution (www.cedires.com), Belgium (November 2011 – November 2022). Chairman of the Board. Cedires was an arbitration center.
COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE OF BRUSSELS (June 2011 – December 2017). Substitute judge.
DLA PIPER, law firm, Brussels (March 2008 – February 2012). Lead lawyer (senior associate). Attorney-at-law, involved in all aspects of commercial litigation and arbitration (post acquisition, IT litigation, liability, contracts, finance, real estate, distribution, international commercial law, public procurement); drafting commercial contracts and M&A agreements.
TOYOTA MOTOR EUROPE, Brussels (November 2007 – February 2008). Interim counsel (4 months project). Drafting commercial contracts; pleading commercial court cases.
JANSON BAUGNIET, law firm, Brussels (October 2001 – October 2007).
Of counsel. Attorney-at-law, involved in all aspects of commercial litigation and arbitration (banking, real estate, liability, IP/IT, public procurement, post acquisition, etc.); drafting commercial contracts (consultancy agreements, IT projects, real estate, etc.).
UNIVERSITY OF LEUVEN, Belgium (October 2000 – September 2007).
Assistant professor (“assistent”; “doctor-assistent” in 2006-‘07), civil procedure.
LINKLATERS DE BANDT, law firm, Brussels, Belgium (June 1997 – September 2000).
Associate (litigation department). Drafted contracts, legal memoranda, trial and appeal briefs and pleaded cases in the areas of commercial law (including IP/IT) and white collar criminal law. Oct. 2000 – Sept. 2001: external “cassation” work (prepared legal memoranda and other procedural documents in Belgian Supreme Court cases).
SCHUERMANS & SCHUERMANS, law firm, Turnhout, Belgium (August 1995 – July 1996).
Associate. Drafted contracts, legal memoranda and trial briefs in the areas of commerical law, intellectual property law and computer law.
Functions within the bar association, memberships, accreditations, scholarships and awards
– Arbitrator with DIAC (Dubai International Arbitration Centre), January 2024 – to date.
– Member of CEPANI (Belgium’s leading arbitration institution), April 2023 – to date.
– Director of VIA (Vormingsinstituut van Advocaten, training institute of the Brussels Bar Association, Dutch speaking section) (September 2013 – August 2014).
– Member of the OVB commission on ADR (2013-2018).
– Accredited mediator in civil and commercial matters (2012-2017).
– Member of the Bar Council (“Conseil de l’Ordre” / “Raad van de Orde, NOAB”) as of September 1, 2012 (until August 2015). This is the governing body of the Brussels Bar Association.
– Secretary of the Bar Council (NOAB, Brussels Bar assocation, Dutch speaking section) as of September 1, 2012 (until August 2015).
– Presently member of the Brussels Bar Association.
– Member of the Board of Editors of Tijdschrift voor Procesrecht en Bewijsrecht (P. & B.), 2004-2017 [Journal of Evidence and Procedural Law].
– Fellow of the Belgian American Educational Foundation (B.A.E.F.) & Fellow of the Francqui Foundation, 1996.
– Admitted to the Bar Association in Belgium, 1995.
– Erasmus Scholarship, UNIVERSITÄT HANNOVER, Hannover, Germany (as a student in 1993-94).
Languages
English, French and Dutch.
Publications
Seven books as sole author (see the list below), in the area of arbitration and civil procedure, including a 917 p. handbook on arbitration in French (April 2023, published with a leading publishing house, Larcier/Bruylant); an 821 p. handbook on arbitration (2022, published with a leading publishing house in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, Intersentia); and an 1101 p. handbook on civil procedure (2014). 50+ articles and contributions in books and legal journals, primarily on civil procedure. Some of my publications are available in full-text on www.kriswagner.be.
Published books (as sole author)
Manuel de l’arbitrage belge et international, Brussels, Bruylant, 2023, 917 p. (a comprehensive handbook on arbitration in French).
Handboek arbitrage [Handbook arbitration], Antwerp/Cambridge, Intersentia, 2022, 821 p. Peer-reviewed handbook on arbitration (in Dutch). The focus is on Belgian law, but Belgian arbitration law is based on the UNCITRAL Model Law on arbitration.
Burgerlijk procesrecht in hoofdlijnen [Principles of Civil Procedure], Antwerp, Maklu, 2014, 1101 p.
Sancties in het burgerlijk procesrecht [Sanctions in Civil Procedure], Antwerp, Maklu, 2007, 711 p. (commercial edition of doctoral thesis).
Derdenverzet [Third Party Oppostion], in Algemene Praktische Rechtsverzameling, Mechelen, Kluwer, 2004, 118 p.
Dwangsom [Coercive civil fine], in Algemene Praktische Rechtsverzameling, Mechelen, Kluwer, 2003, 225 p.
Casebook 20 jaar Dwangsom [Casebook 20 years coercive civil fine], Gent, Mys & Breesch, 2001, 560 p.
Forthcoming publications
K. Wagner & P. Mallet, “Arbitration in the UAE: a concise historic overview”.
K. Wagner, “A brief history of arbitration”.
K. Wagner, “Public policy incompatibility as grounds for annulment: not a shortcut to merits review of arbitral awards (case note on Swiss Supreme Court 30 September 2024)”.
Work-in-progress
K. Wagner, A handbook of arbitration under UAE law / Analysis and commentary from a comparative law perspective.
