The Legal 500

Andrew Thomas heads the highly regarded banking practice at Allen & Overy LLP, boasting excellent international and domestic experience in advising large and medium-sized companies, financial institutions, listed companies and governments. Among the team’s highlights was advising ABN AMRO in relation to a €110m credit facility to finance the acquisition of Stage Ticketing. The team also advised Ranstand in relation to its credit facility to finance the public bid for Vedior. Clients include ING, Rabobank and Fortis. Ben Fox and Sophie Chamberlin are recommended by clients.

Clifford Chance ‘has better knowledge of documentation and industry than most other firms in the Netherlands’ and offers both Dutch and English law expertise. The team boasts, ‘outstanding lawyers, all are very down to earth and available for all levels of transaction’, and acted for Barclays, ING Bank N.V. and Bank of Ireland in the acquisition financing of Ad van Geloven. On the lending side, the practice has advised BNP Paribas and ABN AMRO. Bas Boris Visser and Jelle Hofland have ‘an active approach to solving issues and good knowledge of the latest market developments’. Practice head Mark Huddlestone is singled out for particular praise by clients, with Angela McEwan and Jackie Jones also recommended.

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek enjoys a first-class reputation in the banking and finance sphere, acting for a number of Dutch, as well as international corporates, and banks. The team advised Fortis on several financing projects in relation to the public offer for ABN AMRO, and assisted Danone Groupe on its €12bn credit facility to finance its public offer for Koninklijke Numico. Menno Stoffer is recommended.

International clients choose Nautadutilh as it is ‘well known for its knowledge of specific Dutch law issues’. The ‘knowledgeable and enthusiastic’ team is led by Jan van Rijswijk and includes over 20 partners. In the acquisition finance sphere, Arjan Pors acted as local counsel to ING Bank, the European Investment Bank and a syndicate of ten international relationship banks in connection with the €745m debt financing of the so-called GATE terminal. On the regulatory side, the team advised Fortis Bank and Ping An on worldwide regulatory filings in connection with their partnership. In banking litigation, the team represented ABN AMRO in a class action relating to alleged prospectus liability. Dirk van der Stelt recently retired from the partnership, with Arjen Tillema and Daan Lusingh Scheurleer taking over his practice. Thijs Lommen and Teun Struycken are highly recommended by clients.

Thijs Flokstra has replaced Jeroen Thijjsen, who retired in 2008, as lead partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. The team often acts on the side of borrowers. Recent noteworthy transactions include advising Rabobank on a €100m export credit facility to a Mexican borrower for the finance of a number of vessels which will be built in the Netherlands. The team also advised Mecom on a €1bn refinancing of Koninklijke.

Managing partner Martijn Koopal leads Linklaters’s banking and finance practice. The team recently assisted Rabobank International with the €400m financing of Eriks Group. Highlights also include assisting HgCapital on its €345m facility in connection with the secondary buy-out of Fabory group. Clients include ABN AMRO, Fortis, ING, and Rabobank. Paul Kuipers recently joined the team from Simmons & Simmons.

Loyens & Loeff has a strong banking practice. Willem Jarigsma is recommended as head of practice, as is Kitty Lieverse, head of the financial markets regulatory team. Highlights include advising CVC Capital Partners on the financing of all shares of Schuitema from Koninklijke Ahold and others. The team recently started up a dedicated Islamic finance team.

Baker & McKenzie Amsterdam N.V.’s team enjoys ‘a good reputation’ coupled with ‘a willingness to honour tight deadlines, along with a commercial approach, and international reach’. The team, led by Piet Schroeder, is assisting the lenders (Fortis, BNG and SMBC) of the consortium with Macquarie Infrastructure, Royal BAM group and GTI, in the tender procedure for the Kromhout army barracks PPP. Fedor Tanke is recommended by clients.

Boekel De Nerée receives excellent market feedback for property finance work. Head of practice Hans Sachse leads ‘high-quality professionals who are extremely dedicated, includingoutstanding professional Angelique Thiele’. The team advised Industrial Securities Group on a high-value pan-European property and project finance agreement with HBOS, and is also engaged in leverage finance transactions.

DLA Piper’s Bart Joosen receives high praise, as a ‘proactive and client-focused’ lawyer. The team recently advised Ballarpur Industries, India’s largest paper manufacturer, on the restructuring of acquisition finance facilities. The practice was bolstered by the arrival of leverage finance partner Gerard Kneppers from De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek in 2008.

Houthoff Buruma’s Loet Venrooy is highly recommended for demonstrating ‘in-depth knowledge of the Dutch finance market and commercial awareness’, as well as‘very fast reaction time and flexibility’. The team has been active in real estate financing, and recently advised ING Real Estate Finance. Oscar van Angeren joined the team from De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek in 2008.

Lovells LLP’s international scope provides clients with ‘smooth communication across jurisdictions’. The team advised Deutsche Beteiligungs on the management buy-out of the ICTS group, and offers both Dutch and English law capabilities.

Norton Rose LLP’s practice covers the gamut of banking advice, and has seen a large number of regulatory instructions over the past year. Head of practice Gijs van Leeuwen is particularly expert in this field and recently assisted Fortis Bank Global Clearing. The team has been active on the leverage finance side, advising a number of banks on high-value transactions. Wouter Hertzberger recently acted for Deutsche Land on its large property finance facility.

Simmons & Simmons counts a number of Dutch banks as clients, and the team advised DVB Bank America on a senior loan facility agreement for shipping and mortgage, as well as assisting Amsterdam Trade Bank on a ship loan agreement. Gerhard Gispen heads the practice. Arend-Jaap van der Lely and Daphne Brinkhuis are recommended.

Jaap Willeumier leads the eight-partner banking team at Stibbe which advised Tom Tom on the €1.9bn all cash offer for the digital map maker Tele Atlas. In the syndicated loan arena, the team assisted CSM on their €700m multi-currency revolving credit facility. The team has an excellent market reputation for its project finance work.

Van Doorne’s ‘excellent’ banking team is ‘extremely responsive and works well with other firms in providing a seamless and efficient service to clients’. The team recently advised Deutsche Bank in the financing of the successful public offer by Novator for shares in pharmaceutical company, Actavis Group. Stefan van Rossum is recommended as ‘very user-friendly and practical’, and for his ‘broad knowledge’.