HOUSTON, (Nov. 23, 2004) -- At its recent Annual Meeting in Auckland, Lex Mundi's Board of Directors voted to admit new member firms for Belgium and the Netherlands. Both firms are leading independent firms in their jurisdictions. The newly admitted firms are:

-Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick, Belgium
-Houthoff Buruma, the Netherlands

Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick was founded in 1965 and is acknowledged as Belgium's premier independent law firm. The firm enjoys an international reputation for experience and expertise in business law. Many Liedekerke partners are also renowned Academics at various Belgian or foreign universities, confirming the firm's reputation for excellence and the thoroughness of its advice. Liedekerke is recognized as one of the leading firms in Belgium for corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance, tax and estate planning, litigation (including a highly regarded supreme court practice and a reputed international litigation department), administrative and environmental law, real estate, European and international law, intellectual property and new technologies, labor relations, transportation and insurance. The firm has 115 lawyers, including 31 partners, registered with the Flemish (Dutch speaking) and French-speaking Bars in Brussels.

Houthoff Buruma is one of the largest and most highly regarded independent law firms in the Netherlands. The firm has more than 300 lawyers who provide legal and tax assistance to both domestic and international companies, non-profit organizations, financial institutions and others. The firm is a leading advisor in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, IPOs and financing transactions. Houthoff Buruma has one of the largest litigation and arbitration practices in the Netherlands, including in the area of Supreme Court litigation. Other areas in which the firm has an excellent reputation are property and real estate, infrastructure, insurance and reinsurance, insolvency, IT, IP, automotive, telecom, energy, public law and labor law. In addition to its Dutch offices in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, Houthoff Buruma also has offices in Brussels and London.

Carl Anduri, President of Lex Mundi, stated that, “We are pleased to welcome to Lex Mundi two highly regarded full service independent firms that share our member firms' commitment to excellent client service.” Aimery de Schoutheete, Managing Partner of Liedekerke, says, “We are delighted to be part of Lex Mundi and to be able to utilize its resources to serve our clients.” Michiel Wesseling, Co-Managing Partner of Houthoff Buruma, notes that, “We are continually striving to develop ways to serve clients better, and membership in Lex Mundi will provide an enormous boost to our efforts.”

Lex Mundi is the world’s leading association of independent law firms. The association has 163 member firms around the world, representing approximately 16,000 lawyers. The organization provides for the exchange of professional information about the global practice and development of law, facilitates and disseminates communications among its members and improves the members’ abilities to serve the needs of their respective clients. Member law firms are located throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. http://www.lexmundi.com/

A downloadable version of this press release can be found at: http://www.lexmundi.com/images/lexmundi/PDF/PR_NewMbr04.pdf