The Legal 500

Allen & Overy LLP’s ‘high quality, very strong team has a good sense for what business wants’. It handles major state aid, merger control and cartel matters, and is particularly recommended for complex clearance matters. Recent highlights include advising the Dutch Ministry of Finance on an EU investigation into state aid in the financial sector and assisting Jumbo on merger control aspects of its acquisition of C1000. Practice head Paul Glazener ‘knows how to combine theory with practice’, and Tom Ottervanger is ‘a wise man – well respected, well connected and has in-depth technical strength’. Antitrust lawyer Kees Schillemans is ‘young, energetic, highly responsive, and intellectual’.

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek’s Erik Pijnacker Hordijk and Jolling de Pree co-head the practice, which represented Grolsch in a successful appeal against cartel allegations, and is advising an international bank in the Libor rate-setting investigations. It also acted for Philips on merger filing and in cartel investigation proceedings. Other clients include Ahold, Rotterdam Port Authority, Rabobank and GasTerra. Martijn Snoep and recently promoted partner Jaap de Keijzer are also recommended.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has recently handled state aid investigations for ING and ABN AMRO, and advised Betfair on free movement of goods issues at EC and local law levels. The team has been representing Shell in its appeal against an EC decision regarding the Dutch bitumen cartel. The ‘pragmatic’ Onno Brouwer and managing partner Winfred Knibbeler jointly head the department.

Stibbe has ‘excellent expertise in the field of competition law’ and gives ‘practical and street-smart advice’. Its particular strength lies in cartel work, and it recently advised Vodafone in a Dutch telecoms investigation. Other recent work includes defending Mars in an abuse of dominance case. Department head Christof Swaak is ‘practical, connected, no-nonsense, willing to do the dirty work, and very proactive in his advice’, and Jeroen Kortmann is ‘sophisticated, intelligent and understands complexities’. Rein Wesseling is ‘thorough, analytical, observes the strategic side of the matter, and is very well capable of translating complex issues into a non-legal level’.

Boekel De Nerée is particularly strong in private enforcement matters and also has been busy in cartel proceedings and matters pertaining to the healthcare sector. Practice head Frederieke Leeflang is ‘knowledgeable, well connected and has an ability to level with board members on issues’. She represented Japan Airlines in the air cargo cartel proceedings. Leeflang and Martijn van de Hel advised Klaas Puul on the EC investigation into anticompetitive behaviour in the North Sea shrimping industry. Other key clients include ENI, Academisch Medisch Centrum and OAD Groep.

Weyer VerLoren van Themaat leads Houthoff Buruma’s competition law group, which focuses on cartel defence and merger control matters. He acted for T-Mobile to settle a Dutch investigation into telecoms operators and has been representing Singapore Airlines in the air cargo cartel proceedings.

Loyens & Loeff has been involved in various merger review, antitrust, public procurement and state aid matters. The practice acted for Orbis Medisch and Atrium Medisch Centrum in the largest hospital sector merger to come before the Dutch Competition Authority (NMa). It also represented the municipality of Rotterdam in state aid proceedings and has been advising clients on alleged market sharing agreements in various industry sectors. Maurice Essers and Gert-Wim van de Meent are the key contacts.

NautaDutilh is best known for its merger control work and recently advised Elekta on its acquisition of Nucletron. Jaap Feenstra has been acting for the municipality of Rotterdam in a state aid investigation. Herman Speyart is ‘excellent’, and practice head Charles van Sasse van Ysselt is also recommended. Counsel Barbara Nijs joined from Clifford Chance in 2012.

Banning NV’s competition team has ‘good business acumen and gives practical advice’. It has been representing a number of companies in the European flour cartel proceedings and also acted for various real estate traders in Dutch cartel proceedings regarding forced sales of homes through foreclosure auctions. Practice head Minos van Joolingen and newly promoted partner Silvia Vinken are recommended.

Bird & Bird has a strong focus on regulated markets and continued to act for Tele2 in proceedings regarding the fixed telephony tender. It is also representing T-Mobile in a Dutch cartel investigation. Other clients include PPG Industries, Mastercard, Nestlé and Discovery Channel Europe. Pauline Kuipers is ‘an expert in her field, who delivers sound, practical and timely advice that shows how she understands clients’ commercial needs’.

Steven Verschuur heads Clifford Chance’s antitrust group, which has expertise spanning merger control, state aid, public procurement, and cartel investigations. The team advised CVC Partners on its sale of C1000 and represented Dutch Central Bank in a state aid appeal. Other clients include Vodafone, Samsung, DSM and Enexis. Frances Dethmers is also recommended.

Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV acts for the state and regulatory bodies, and recently represented the NMa in litigation regarding unbundling of the energy sector. It also advised De Friesland on competition law issues regarding its takeover by Achmea. Berend Jan Drijber heads the practice.

Van Doorne is recommended for public procurement matters, and other recent work includes advising on international damages claims pertaining to EC decisions. Team head Sarah Beeston, who is ‘an expert in competition law matters’, has a particular focus on the healthcare sector, and successfully challenged cartel verdicts brought against healthcare organisations. Gijs Verberne is recommended for public transport matters, and is ‘professional in his advice; professional in litigation’.

AKD has particular expertise in public procurement and state aid matters, and is increasingly handling merger control and cartel cases. Recent highlights include assisting Intres with a merger filing and acting for various Dutch provinces regarding a complaint concerning alleged state aid provisions. It also regularly advises postal service provider Sandd on competition law. Pieter Kuypers heads the practice.

BarentsKrans N.V. focuses on cartel damages claims and regulatory investigations. It recently acted for TUI Nederland regarding an NMa investigation into a price-fixing scheme in the tour operator market, and is also representing numerous companies in a damages claim against members of the air cargo cartel. Pierre Bos heads the team. Senior associate Joost Fanoy, who joined from Straatman Koster Advocaten, provides ‘good quality, practical advice’.

Brinkhof’s practice, which focuses on regulated industries, is best known for its merger control work in the telecoms sector and is also active in cartel cases. Pepijn van Ginneken has ‘excellent knowledge and leads a very reliable team’, which recently acted for defendants in the paraffin wax cartel litigation and North Sea shrimp traders price-fixing case. The team also advised Reggefiber regarding its merger with KPN.

CMS has been handling a number of merger control and cartel investigations by the EC and NMa. The ‘excellent’ Robert Bosman leads the team and successfully represented Ballast Nedam and Ranks Meel in reducing fines imposed in cartel cases. Other clients include Diageo, Suzuki International Europe and Pioneer Benelux.

DLA Piper has been representing Cathay Pacific in third-party proceedings relating to the EC’s air cargo cartel decision. It has also been acting for Repsol in the paraffin wax cartel litigation. Léon Korsten heads the practice, which also represents Kraft Foods, Alticom, Securitas and Tech Data Corporation.

Greenberg Traurig LLP advises on merger filings, abuse of dominance matters and other investigations. Clients include Roche, Tele2 and Hotwell. Hans Urlus heads the department.

Kennedy Van der Laan’s Annemieke van der Beek has ‘excellent knowledge of payment services and competition law, and is very experienced in this field’. The practice recently advised university hospitals VUmc and AMC on merger issues and advised a client on an NMa investigation into e-book price-fixing. It also advised a consortium of banks and telecoms operators on competition law aspects of a joint venture project.

Stek successfully represented a German company in appealing against a fine imposed by NMa and defended real estate website Funda against alleged abuse of dominance claims. Other clients include Delta Lloyd, Essilor and L’Oréal. Jan Erik Janssen and senior associate Ruben Elkerbout are ‘great at analysing complicated issues’.

Marco Slotboom joined Brussels-based VVGB Advocaten/Avocats from Simmons & Simmons LLP, where he continues to handle both Dutch and international matters. Slotboom has strong experience in cartel and merger control work and recently defended the EC in the Dutch beer brewing cartel case.