Rik Vanreusel studied law at Ghent University where he graduated with distinction in the specialisation criminal law. He also studied at the French university Rennes I. His predilection for criminal law already played a prominent role during his studies. His talent as a pleader was also rewarded in that period when he became a student laureate in the ‘Assize’ pleading competition. The jury at the time consisted of Master Marcel STORME, Master Piet VAN EECKHAUT and Professor Philip TRAEST.

After his studies, he worked briefly as a legal advisor before making the switch to the legal profession with a focus on criminal law. From 2012 to 2020 he worked at Stalmans – Vanmechelen Lawyers as an expert in criminal litigation including criminal files before the Court of Cassation.

Throughout the years, Rik has continued to learn and deepen his knowledge of criminal law. In 2012 he followed the training course “How to Litigate Before the European Court of Human Rights” in Strasbourg. In 2015, he obtained the certificate “Cassation in Criminal Matters”.

Following an examination of his competences in the field of criminal law and international criminal law, Rik was admitted to the list of “assistants to counsel” at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on 21 June 2017.
On 1 January 2019, he was admitted to the bar at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Since 2019, Rik has been appointed by the Order of Flemish Bars as a SALDUZ trainer. Thus, he provides training to lawyers on assisting clients during interrogations by the police or by an investigating judge. In addition to these activities, Rik was a volunteer translator for the Human Rights League for a number of years.
At the end of 2020, Rik became the third Belgian to be admitted to the list of “assistants to counsel” at Kosovo Specialist Chambers.

At De Groote – De Man, Rik is an Associate Partner for the Criminal Law Department. On a daily basis, he and his team assist both victims and defendants. Rik conducts proceedings in both Flanders and Wallonia. He is fluent in French, English and German.

Rik is an author for the legal publisher Larcier where he publishes in the annotated law books “Criminal Procedure”, “Criminal Law” and “Criminal Execution”. Rik also writes for the publishing house Politeia and a number of his judgments have been published in professional journals. Finally, Rik organises a series of courses focusing on the technical-scientific side of criminal law, such as DNA, toxicology, witness memory, the polygraph, etc.

Rik already defended the interests of the Iranian opposition in an international terrorism trial, assisted several multinationals in sensitive files and specialises in review cases.
Besides being a lawyer, Rik is also a keen table tennis player and cyclist.

Publications

• “Human Trafficking” [“Mensenhandel”], Wet en Duiding Strafrecht, Larcier, 2012
• “The territorial jurisdiction of the sentencing court” [“De territoriale bevoegdheid van de strafuitvoeringsrechtbank”], Wet en Duiding Strafuitvoering, Larcier, 2014
• “Human Trafficking (update)” [“Mensenhandel” (update)], Wet en Duiding Strafrecht, Larcier, 2015
• “The annulment of judgments” [“De nietigverklaring van vonnissen”], Duiding Strafprocesrecht, Larcier, 2016
• “The lawsuit of the future: a look at justice in 2050” [“De rechtszaak van de toekomst: een blik op justitie anno 2050”], Emile et Ferdinand, Larcier, 2016
• “Human Trafficking (update)” [“Mensenhandel” (update)], Duiding Strafrecht, Larcier, 2018
• “Illegitantly obtained private banking information: no need for Antigoon test” [“Onrechtmatig verkregen private bancaire informatie: geen nood aan Antigoon-toets”], in Tijdschrift Privacy & Persoonsgegevens, Politeia, 2018/4, 26-32