The Legal 500

Allen & Overy LLP provides ‘practical advice that takes into account the commercial particulars of a transaction’, and is especially recommended for larger, cross-border financings. Representative clients include ABN AMRO, Rabobank, Randstad, and Bencis Capital Partners. Ben Fox led advice to ING on a €1bn-plus hybrid-structured refinancing of Q-Park. Department head Femke Bierman has ‘such broad knowledge and experience, and has the solution to the most difficult queries’. Herman Wamelink joined Norton Rose LLP.

Clifford Chance is regarded as a leading choice on larger, cross-border transactions, and has recently advised banks on a number of acquisition financings as well as other lending and refinancing arrangements. Highlights included acting for Rabobank on financing 3i’s acquisition of Action and working as part of a cross-office team to advise Arle Capital Partners on refinancing Stork’s business units. Jelle Hofland focuses on acquisition, asset and real estate finance as well as restructurings, and Mark Huddlestone heads the practice.

Linklaters’ practice head Onno Bakker focuses on acquisition financings, and recently advised the syndicate of lenders on financing Jumbo’s takeover of C1000 from CVC Capital Partners. Bakker also acted for De Persgroep on the financing of its acquisition of VNU Media. Other clients include RBS, Barclays, ABN AMRO and Citigroup. Martijn Koopal is ‘very good’ on leveraged finance and banking transactions.

‘A true partner in business’, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is best known for representing corporate borrowers on financing transactions but also advises banks on lending and regulatory matters. It recently advised China Development Bank on loans to Telefónica and helped BAM to obtain credit facilities. Jan Marten van Dijk leads the team, which includes Niek Biegman, the ‘pragmatic, innovative and client-focused’ Berend Crans, and Menno Stoffer, who has ‘a lot of transactional expertise’.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advises lenders and borrowers on various financings, and clients include Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Endemol and Boskalis. Department head Thijs Flokstra advised ABN AMRO on a facility to finance Aarding’s takeover of Stork Special Products, and acted for the arrangers on a €240m PIK facility by Stork. Newly promoted partner Mandeep Lotay advised Rabobank as syndicate agent on amending a €1bn credit facility for FrieslandCampina.

Loyens & Loeff’s broad practice handles a range of financing, and is particularly highly regarded for its international ship financing expertise. Practice head Willem Jarigsma adopts ‘a practical, no-nonsense approach, and is strong in negotiations’. He advised LBi on refinancing credit facilities with Danske Bank. Gianluca Kreuze advised Intertrust Group on an acquisition financing arranged by ABN AMRO to buy Walkers Management Services. Senior associate Kees Hooft is ‘an upcoming talent’, and co-heads the Islamic finance team. The investment management group, which is led by Marco de Lignie, recently advised on the formations of Bencis Buyout Fund IV and Gilde Healthcare Fund III.

Arjen Tillema leads the team at NautaDutilh, which recently acted as Dutch counsel to JPMorgan Chase on the $600m refinancing of Ametek and also advised ABN AMRO and Rabobank on refinancing and acquisition financing arrangements. Pim Rank and Larissa Silverentand handle banking regulatory matters, and recently advised ABN AMRO on settling with Vestia over interest rate swaps. Erik Geerling and Thijs Lommen are key contacts for acquisition financing and general bank lending.

AKD’s ‘good-quality’ team focuses on serving US and Asia-based clients, acting as Dutch counsel to clients such as Berau Coal and Sumitomo Corporation on various bank lending arrangements. Practice head Vincent Bettonville is experienced in syndicated loan and security transactions.

Baker & McKenzie Amsterdam N.V. is regularly involved in cross-border financing transactions. Recent instructions include advising Riwal Holding Group on restructuring a revolving credit facility, and acting for Dexcom on amendments to financing arrangements in relation to its buyout by B.A.S. Group. The team also advised Intrum Justitia on regulatory aspects of its acquisition of Buckaroo. Practice head Corinne Schot’s experience includes derivatives and structured finance. Fedor Tanke handles asset financing and restructuring.

Boekel De Nerée’s practice head Hans Sachse leads on financial regulatory matters, advising regular clients including Citco Bank, the Dutch Central Bank and the Dutch Financial Services Authority. The team also has a strong focus on real estate asset finance and restructuring, and recently advised The Social Housing Guarantee Fund (WSW) on Vestia’s restructuring. Angelique Thiele relocated to London.

DLA Piper’s client roster of financial institutions includes Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Santander and Rabobank. Recent highlights include working as part of a cross-office team on Ballarpur’s public bond issue in India. The team also advised Dexia and ING on the €100m financing of Infracapital’s acquisition of Alticom. Gerard Kneppers leads the team, which hired Charles Destree from ING and senior associate Tim Alferink from De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek.

Set up by former lawyers of Spigt Litigators, Hart advocaten N.V. is highly recommended for advising financial institutions on regulatory matters. Frank ‘t Hart and and Noelle Wijnstekers ‘have passion for their profession. They speak the language of their clients’.

Hogan Lovells International LLP’s Ken Breken focuses on leveraged financing, syndicated lending and securitisation, and is recommended.

Houthoff Buruma has recently been advising on restructurings, including assisting Vestia with its asset finance portfolio. André de Neve advised Petrobras on asset financing. Loet Venrooy has ‘industry knowledge and excellent transaction management skills’. He has been advising Hatfield Philips on restructuring a securitised real estate portfolio. Oscar van Angeren, who is ‘effective during negotiations’ and has ‘great knowledge on Dutch investment funds’, forms a strong team with associate Daan Horsthuis.

Norton Rose LLP has ‘a smaller, more focused and efficient set-up, which can supply tailored solutions and good value’. Wouter Hertzberger, who advised Fairstar Heavy Transport on ship refinancings, and Paul Vine, who is ‘good at getting English law deals done for Dutch clients’, advised ICICI Bank on restructuring a €100m facility. Gijs van Leeuwen leads the team. Herman Wamelink, who joined from Allen & Overy LLP, is ‘very hands-on and knowledgeable’ about general corporate lending and acquisition finance.

Simmons & Simmons LLP advises banks and corporates on lending transactions, restructuring and refinancing. Daphne Brinkhuis’ expertise includes structured finance and securitisation. Energy expert Rutger de Witt Wijnen joined from De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek to lead the finance team.

Stek is ‘a price-conscious and no-nonsense alternative to larger firms’ for mid-market corporate and leveraged finance transactions, and its clients include ABN AMRO, Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch and FMO. Frans Haak and Maarten van der Graaf are recommended.

Stibbe’s finance team, led by Jaap Willeumier, is best known for representing corporate borrowers but increasingly has been advising lenders. It advised Q-Park on a €1bn-plus refinancing and was Dutch counsel to HSBC and BNP Paribas on a $2.5bn secured loan to Lundin Petroleum. Regulatory expert Rogier Raas is ‘very skilful, knowledgeable, responsive, and creative’. Senior associate Joannes de Bont is also recommended.

Van Doorne has ‘excellent market and technical knowledge’ for local law matters and domestic transactions. Practice head Roel Botter is recommended for financings and has recently been handling hospital-sector transactions. Restructuring expert Evert Wiggers is also recommended. The practice recently advised Goldman Sachs on the $625m financing of Permira’s acquisition of Genesys.