Christine De Keersmaeker | ASTREA
Christine De Keersmaeker is a seasoned IP lawyer with 40 years of experience, specialized in providing proactive intellectual property (IP) strategy advice. Her expertise helps clients enhance their immaterial assets and create significant IP and company value. She covers all fields of IP, including copyrights, trademarks, designs and models, patents, and trade secrets, and manages the entire IP lifecycle from audits and clearings to portfolio management, exploitation, monetization, and dispute resolution on a global scale. We at EliteX, are proud to introduce Christine De Keersmaeker as one of the Impactful Leaders in Legal Industry.
Christine’s extensive experience spans national and international clients across various sectors, with a particular focus on Media (Music, TV, Film, Publishing, Advertising), Fashion & Design, and Food & Beverages. She is currently an IP Senior Counsel at Astrea, an independent law firm with offices in Brussels and Antwerp, Belgium. Before joining Astrea, she was a partner and head of IP in Brussels at Olswang (now CMS) and a partner and co-head of the IP team at KOAN. In addition to her legal practice, Christine has served for almost 16 years as an expert member of the Belgian Council for Intellectual Property, advising the Belgian federal minister on intellectual property rights. She is also a third-party decider on domain name disputes with CEPINA, the Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation.
“The most significant achievement or milestone is to be able, in a lifetime, to be impactful.”
Christine is a visiting professor at the Antwerp Management School in the LLM ‘Master for International Fashion Management’ and its Summer School, where she lectures on Fashion and Law. She has been a regular speaker and author on numerous IP-related topics, including Fashion, TV & Film Production, Sports and Image Rights, Advertising, IP Value, Design, Publishing, Social Media, and 3D Printing. Recognized repeatedly as an IP expert, Christine has been highlighted by Legal 500 as “a name to note,” by Women in Business Law as a “leading TMT practitioner,” by Media Law International for her exceptional experience with clients from the press, cinema, audiovisual production sector, and film, and by Managing Intellectual Property as an “IP Star.”
Christine’s decision to pursue a career in law was inspired by her interest in societal and global issues, politics and the European aims and values, in particular democracy and the rule of law. Despite her initial interest in becoming an interior architect or decorator, she found a perfect blend of her creative inclinations and legal aspirations in IP law. After studying law at the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL), she interned at the European Commission’s DG III (Internal Market and Industry), researching and writing on IP in the textile industry. This experience solidified her decision to specialize in IP law, leading her to join the bar with a clear focus on this field. Christine believes that a successful leader in the legal industry must possess passion for their work, curiosity and creative thinking, perseverance, trustworthiness, management skills, and empathy, all aimed at serving clients, companies, or audiences sustainably, impactfully, and credibly.
She acknowledges the common challenges faced by lawyers, such as long hours, stress, managing a good work-life balance and keeping up with economic circumstances. She believes that passion, self-awareness, prioritization, and self-care are essential in overcoming these obstacles. Keeping up with the growing amount of legislation and technology is another challenge. She soon learned the importance of being curious, going beyond the obvious, thoroughly investigating facts and looking at IP as part of the business as a whole in order to deliver effective legal advice. This holistic approach has been crucial in her career, as it ensures that the advice is not only legally sound but also practical and fulfilling the purpose which is to create value through IP.
“If you love what you do, well-being is never far. Loving what you do makes setting priorities and boundaries about the job, the tasks, and the leadership role easier.”
To stay updated with the latest trends and developments in the legal field, Christine employs several strategies. She maintains a keen interest in global societal and environmental changes and emerging trends. She participates in events, seminars, and congresses to gain firsthand knowledge from experts. Following credible legal professionals and organizations on social media, along with subscribing to newsletters and other publications, also helps her stay informed. Christine identifies several pressing issues in the legal industry today. One major challenge is differentiating a firm from its competitors. She believes in making unique choices. Another challenge is attracting and retaining clients who are now more informed and have higher expectations. Christine believes that client responsiveness and a holistic, thus practical approach are key. Retaining passionate and talented individuals is also crucial. She emphasizes the importance of choosing for creative individuals and then believes in providing a good balance between responsibility and guidance. Additionally, adapting to the fast-changing society and technological environment is essential. Christine also advocates for a flexible remote working environment using all available tools and collaborative work.
As a leader, Christine has faced tough decisions. Her approach has always been to stay focused, motivated, and adhere to her basic values. Passion for her field of law, IP, has been a driving force in navigating difficult decisions. Christine believes fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion will need growing attention in any legal profession or environment as the world in which we operate is undergoing fast societal changes. Respect, transparency, understanding and an open dialogue will become even more crucial to create an interesting, creative and safe work environment and so delivering innovative advice and solutions.
Christine De Keersmaeker emphasizes the importance of following one’s heart and passion, which provide the strength and energy needed for success. Curiosity and a love for the subject matter are essential, as they drive the necessary research, analysis, and creative thinking. Christine encourages aspiring leaders to embrace change, novelty, diversity, to speak up and share their thoughts confidently. Balancing the demands of such leadership with maintaining personal well-being and work-life balance will remain a challenge and setting priorities and boundaries therefor an absolute must. She relies on keeping an organized agenda, on sports, a healthy lifestyle, and spending time with loved ones to maintain this balance.
Christine sees achievements and milestones as the result of persistent, daily efforts rather than isolated events. For her, the most significant achievement is making an impact through her work, whether for clients, an audience, a company or a colleague
“Leadership is combining passion, curiosity, creative thinking, perseverance, trustworthiness, management skills and empathy in order to serve the client, the company, or the audience in a sustainable, impactful, and credible way.”
Technology plays a crucial role in shaping the future of the legal profession. Christine integrates technology into her practice through the various available tools on the market, such as document drafting, management software, case management and IP portfolio management tools, billing management systems, video conferencing platforms, electronic signature systems, and translation tools. She believes that technology enhances efficiency, allows for flexible and remote work, and will increasingly define legal practice. Lawyers must become proficient in using these tech tools to stay relevant and efficient.
In dispute resolution, Christine has always been a proponent of out of court dispute resolution emphasizing communication, and a calm and truthful approach, focusing firstly on recognizing the issue. By employing dispute resolution communication skills, she aims to identify disagreements while also recognizing opportunities and fostering positive outcomes. This approach ensures that both parties feel equally included in the resolution.
Looking ahead, Christine envisions a future where technological and societal changes continue to transform the legal industry. She believes that those who embrace these changes and creative thinking will thrive and find enjoyment in their work. Lawyers will always have a role in the profession, but those who resist technological or other integration may find themselves left behind. Christine sees herself continuing to enjoy this evolution, using her expertise and passion to adapt to the future and hopefully so have further impact.