Her expertise includes providing legal assistance in the areas of individual and collective dismissals with a particular focus on closures of undertaking and collective redundancies, working time issues, social inspection audits, employee benefits, and the drafting of all employment law-related documentation (such as contracts, work rules and policies).
In addition, she often advises on the employment and social security law aspects connected to (cross-border) M&A transactions, including the information/consultation of employee representative bodies and the rights of employees and formalities in the framework of the transfer of undertakings.
Sara has specific experience regarding the employment law aspects linked to restructuring files such as major judicial reorganisation and bankruptcy files.
She has also developed a niche practice in the area of pension matters (legal pensions and occupational pensions).
She represents clients in all employment-related matters before the labour courts.
Client, Legal 500 2025, Employment law“Sara Beutels is the key employment lawyer to go. She is super responsive and provides high-quality advice in a practical manner with a very good business focus.
Representative matters
- Acting for Survitec Service Distribution in relation to the closure of their Ostend site.
- Acting for listed company EPAM as trusted employment advisor on day-to-day HR topics such as secondments, terminations of employment contracts, mobility budget, CLA 90 bonus plans, etc.
- Advised Gedeon Richter on the employment law aspects linked to its strategic acquisition of 100% of the shares in a distressed context of Estetra and Neuralis and the transfer of the employees, and certain assets of Mithra Recherche et Développement, from Mithra Pharmaceuticals.
- Assisting a major international distributor in relation to the end of career schemes of several executive employees, including calculations from a pension perspective.
- Assisting a logistics company with a closure of their warehousing activities and collective lay-off of the warehouse employees with a move of the white-collar employees to another location as well.
- Assisting an international life science company with an internal investigation in relation to sexual harassment by a managerial employee.
Professional
- Admitted to Brussels Bar, 2009
Academic
- Master of Laws, KU Leuven, 2009 (cum laude)
- L.M in pension law, KU Leuven, 2014 (magna cum laude)
- EELA (European Employment Lawyers Association)
- IBA (International Bar Association)
- IEL (International Employment Lawyer)
- Next generation partner, Legal 500 for Employment (Tier 4), 2025
- “Sara Beutels is simply the best out there today.’” Employment: Legal 500, 2025
- “The team is relatively young, but with powerhouse Sara Beutels very well positioned. They are keen to provide excellent work, deliver fast, know their way around in corporate matters, and are fun to work with.” Employment law: Legal 500, 2025
- De nieuwe ontslagregeling voor arbeiders en bedienden: een (voorlopige) aanzet tot eenmaking van beide statuten? NJW 2011, afl. 251,1-15: co-author
- Het Hof van Cassatie verduidelijkt: “het leveren van standby-diensten maakt de werknemer niet per se rijker”, RW 2012, afl. 39, 1714: author
- Internships in Belgium, for the FAIB (Federation of European and International Associations) in March 2014: co-author
- E-commerce. Uw webshop fiscaal en juridisch doorgelicht, Kluwer, 2016 (labor law related part): co-author
Speaking engagements
- Flexible hours and flexible working arrangements: what is allowed under Belgian labour law?, Brussels, 18 October 2018: speaker
- Updates on Belgian employment law, Brussels, 21 March 2019: speaker
- How to ensure compliance with applicable legislation in a mostly virtual working environment, Brussels, 3 March 2021: speaker
- Updates on Belgian employment law, Brussels, October 2024: speaker
