The Legal 500

Loyens & Loeff ‘has the edge on the tax market due to its strength in depth’ and specialist expertise. Clients include Sara Lee, OPG, CapGemini and Alpinvest. The practice recently advised on tax aspects of Brocacef Holding’s acquisition of Lloyds Pharmacy and the Nieuwe Steen Investments and Vastned Offices merger. Maarten van der Weijden is ‘excellent’, and Marco de Lignie is recommended for investment fund issues.

Baker & McKenzie Amsterdam N.V. provides strong technical expertise, ‘excellent advice on transfer pricing’, and ‘an ability to combine tax structuring advice with transaction drafting’. Recent work includes litigation, customs and international trade-related issues. Herman Huidink heads the team. Counsel Marco van Bladel and Marc van Campen both left the firm.

Allen & Overy LLP advises on tax aspects of M&A transactions and infrastructure projects, including Johnson & Johnson’s takeover of Crucell and PGGM’s joint venture with Royal BAM Group. Practice head Olaf van der Donk focuses on M&A, while John Brouwer handles financings and Godfried Kinnegim has international tax planning expertise.

Clifford Chance provides ‘service that lives up to its reputation’, as well as ‘in-depth knowledge and a drive for results’. Clients include PGGM, ABN AMRO, Morgan Stanley and Sanoma. Practice head Frank de Vos is ‘very client-focused and gets to solutions rather than issues’. Ate van IJlzinga Veenstra focuses on funds work, and counsel Michiel Sunderman specialises in corporate tax matters.

DLA Piper provides strong capabilities on international tax structuring for clients such as Pfizer, Ballarpur Industries and Remobis. Roderik Bouwman heads the practice, which also includes Boris Emmerig, who is ‘highly skilled and very good to work with; his knowledge of Dutch tax law is superb’.

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is highly recommended for cross-border investment structures and M&A transactions. The ‘phenomenal’ Dick Hofland is ‘one of a very rare breed of tax lawyer that thinks like a corporate adviser – commercial and incredibly authoritative’. He advised Royal BAM Group on its joint venture with PGGM, and Intel on its acquisition of Silicon Hive. Paul Sleurink is ‘a wise tax partner who can see the commercial solution to issues’.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s tax team, led by Machiel Lambooij, advises on high-value, cross-border transactions, including Prysmian’s public bid for Draka. Eelco van der Stok focuses on financial restructuring for clients including Rabobank and Providence Equity Partners.

Norton Rose LLP acts for international clients in the energy and infrastructure sectors. Practice head Gesina van de Wetering advises a number of Turkish companies, and Remco Smorenburg recently advised BMW and Morgan Stanley.

Bird & Bird focuses on corporate, real estate and telecoms sector transactions, representing clients such as BT, Numisma Group and Yorkville Advisors. Pieter Camps heads the team, and also co-heads the firm’s international tax group.

Greenberg Traurig LLP provides ‘good-quality, practical and timely advice’ on cross-border matters. John Linders heads this ‘proactive’ team, in which of counsel Rogier van Schalkwijk is highlighted as ‘an excellent lawyer with a great client focus – he often provides valuable ideas to improve structures or explore new opportunities’. Global head Peter van Langeveld is ‘very knowledgeable, understands US corporate culture and takes a practical approach’.

Boutique firm Hamelink & Van Den Tooren provides ‘quality service for lower fees’ on local and international tax matters. Recent highlights include advising on international fund structuring and cross-border transactions, particularly for clients in the CIS. Jan van de Tooren and Servaas van Dooren are recommended.

Linklaters advised on cross-border transactions, including Deutsche Börse’s merger with NYSE Euronext and the joint venture between Carlyle and TPG Group. Olaf Kroon heads the practice and focuses on private equity.

NautaDutilh produces ‘high-value, top-level work’ relating to tax aspects of transactions. Clients include Tullow Oil, European Directories, J&J and Apollo Management. Chris Warner and Nico Blom are ‘exceptionally good – very user-friendly and committed’.

Simmons & Simmons LLP focuses on transactional and restructuring advice, with clients including UBS, Caja Mediterráneo and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria. Peter Flipsen is ‘an outstanding lawyer and very client-friendly’.

Stibbe provides ‘very thorough, practical, business-oriented advice’ on tax aspects of cross-border transactions. Highlights included advising NYSE Euronext on its merger with Deutsche Börse, and acting on the sale of ING REIM to CB Richard Ellis. Maarten de Bruin and Michael Molenaars are the key contacts.

Van Doorne has ‘strong experience in M&A and international transactions’. Practice head Ewout van Asbeck is ‘an excellent lawyer who can make very complicated tax structures look simple. On top of that he is proactive and very service-minded’. Clients include Citibank, Yandex, OAO Lukoil and PPR.