Jean-François Bellis, (born Waha, Belgium on 7 June 1949) received his law degree from the University of Brussels (ULB) in 1972 and a LL.M. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1974. For a period of two years in 1979-1980 Jean-Francois Bellis served as Legal Secretary to Lord Mackenzie Stuart, then the British Member and subsequently the President of the Court of Justice of the European Communities in Luxembourg. In 1986, together with Ivo Van Bael, he founded Van Bael & Bellis, of which he is managing partner.

Jean-François Bellis's legal practice revolves around two main areas, EC competition law and international trade law.

In the field of competition law, he has advised international clients in numerous cases at EC and national level involving a broad range of antitrust issues, including price-fixing, abuses of a dominant position, mergers, distribution and licensing. For instance, he has assisted clients in international cartel cases such as vitamins, lysine, graphite blocks, steel tubes, copper tubes and plasterboard. He has also been involved in landmark Article 82 cases such as, among others, United Brands, Michelin I and II, Akzo and Microsoft.

Jean-François Bellis has extensive litigation experience in EC competition and trade cases. He has been involved in a large number of the major competition and trade cases in front of the Court of First Instance and the Court of Justice of the European Communities.

Jean-François Bellis's academic responsibilities and legal writing reflect the areas of focus of his legal practice. He lectures on EC competition law at the University of Brussels and taught WTO and EC trade remedy law at the University of Liège (Ulg) from 1990 to 2004. He has written several books and articles in the field of competition and trade law. He has spoken on these two subjects at numerous conferences and seminars.

http://www.vanbaelbellis.com