The Legal 500

Within Arbitration , De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a first tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek has a strong international focus, notably handling price review arbitrations in the energy sector and setting aside proceedings in relation to investment treaty awards. Practice head MarnixLeijten is ‘an extremely smart lawyer, quick thinker, very eloquent and highly responsive’, and Bommel van der Bend is ‘one of the best in the field of arbitration – very intelligent, strong analytical abilities, highly persistent, and very pleasant to work with’. Eelco Meerdink is part of a team that is representing a number of Yukos Oil companies in various proceedings. Edward van Geuns and Bregje Korthals Altes-van Dijk were promoted to the partnership.

Within Asset finance and structured finance, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a second tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek continued advising Dutch Railways on restructuring its US lease portfolio pertaining to rolling stock, and also handles aviation financing. Menno Stoffer is highly experienced in rail sector asset financing. The group also recently advised Rabobank on the first Dutch issuance of a Basel III-compliant hybrid bond.

Within Banking and finance, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a first tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek predominately acts for corporate borrowers, and recently advised oil trader Vitol on financing its storage business, following the sale of a 50% share to a Petronas subsidiary. On the lender side, it advised Rabobank on credit facilities to Achmea to fund its acquisition of shares in Eureko. The practice also advises banking groups on regulatory matters. Jan Marten van Dijk is well regarded.

Within Capital markets, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a first tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek predominately acts for corporates and is better known for its equity work. Recent mandates include advising Unilever on a proposed €157m public offer; NXP Semiconductors on its NASDAQ listing; and advising a Dutch housing association on a €5bn bonds issuance. Jan Willem Hoevers leads the team and focuses on equity offerings. Niek Biegman and Jan Marten van Dijk are also recommended.

Within Commercial litigation , De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a first tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek’s lawyers are ‘experts in their specialist area of practices but combine this with a practical, down-to-earth mentality’. Marnix Leijten has ‘a wealth of experience’ in commercial litigation, and is representing major energy providers in a €150m claim against the state. Harm-Jan de Kluiver is ‘an expert in corporate litigation’ and ‘modest in approach, but sharp as a knife in legal debates’; he successfully represented Canon and Danone in shareholder disputes. Jan de Bie Leuveling Tjeenk is ‘an excellent litigator – softly spoken but with spot-on legal arguments: he wins his cases’. He is acting for Shell in the high-profile Niger Delta oil spill case.

Within Construction , De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a second tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek advises on contentious and non-contentious matters, notably in energy, infrastructure, PPP and PFI developments. Bommel van der Bend handles national and international construction arbitrations. He also advises the City of Amsterdam on public procurement and contract negotiations regarding transport infrastructure projects.

Within Corporate and M&A, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a first tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is praised for ‘preserving high quality across the board’. ‘Seasoned M&A lawyer’ Paul Cronheim was part of the team advising Brit Insurance on Dutch law aspects of its public buyout by Apollo and CVC. Arne Grimme and Dieter Wolff acted for Germany-based GEA Group on acquiring CFS Holdings, while Martin van Olffen was local counsel to Chinese manufacturer Youngman on establishing an alliance with Pang Da, Spyker and Saab to manufacture and distribute Saab vehicles in China. Other clients include Océ, Philips, NXP and Teleplan International.

Within EU and competition , De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a first tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek’s managing partner Martijn Snoep is highly regarded for his business acumen and client service, and Erik Pijnacker Hordijk is excellent for official investigations, displaying ‘good strategic insight and thorough execution’. The team successfully defended Unilever in a cartel investigation by the Dutch Competition Authority (NMa). The ‘smart, hands-on and pragmatic’ antitrust expert Jolling de Pree recently defended BA in class actions over the air cargo cartel.

Within Employment , De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a first tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek’s Evert-Jan Henrichs recently handled unfair discrimination issues and high-level dismissals. Stefan Sagel assisted Grolsch and Reed Elsevier in successfully defending unfair dismissal cases. Other clients include Achmea, Capgemini and KNVB (Dutch Football Association), and Supreme Court litigation remains a core focus. Rogier Duk retired.

Within Energy , De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a first tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is noted for its regulatory and litigation expertise, as well as its ‘good value for money’. Highlights included advising Electrabel in a contract dispute with Hitachi Power, and acting for TenneT on the Randstad 380kV electricity transmission project. Former practice head Rutger de Witt Wijnen joined Simmons & Simmons LLP, but remaining key partners Elisabetta Aarts, Marnix Leijten (‘very eloquent and highly responsive’), Nicolien van den Biggelaar (‘very knowledgeable and pragmatic’), and Erik Pijnacker Hordijk are all recommended.

Within Environment and planning, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a first tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, which focuses on infrastructure projects, is advising Port of Rotterdam on gaining planning and environmental permits for the Maasvlakte 2 port development, and acting for BARD in judicial review proceedings regarding offshore wind farms. The practice successfully defended TenneT against objections to its Randstad 380kV electricity transmission project. Other clients include Tata Steel and Akzo Nobel NV. Practice head Nicolien van den Biggelaar ‘has excellent, in-depth know-how on environmental risks’.

Within Fraud and white-collar crime , De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a first tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is recommended for complex, multijurisdictional matters. The ‘very knowledgeable and trustworthy’ Marnix Somsen leads the team, which represents corporations and financial institutions. Somsen and Patrick Ploeger represented Philips in the Dutch real estate fraud litigation.

Within Information technology , De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a first tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek’s Bart van Reeken focuses on outsourcing, and Lokke Moerel handles compliance issues. The team also handles litigation, recently representing Insinger de Beaufort in a €20m-plus claim regarding IT outsourcing. It also advised Royal Ahold on a cloud computing deal. Other clients include IBM and Philips.

Within Insurance , De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a second tier firm,

‘A top-quality law firm, with experienced lawyers who use their experience to support clients legally and strategically’, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek provides regulatory, corporate governance and litigation advice to clients such as Eureko, Allianz, AkzoNobel and ABN AMRO. Practice head Eelco Meerdink is ‘a strategic sparring partner’, while senior associate Dennis Horeman is ‘a skilful, accurate and very approachable lawyer’.

Within Intellectual property , De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a first tier firm,

‘An outstanding law firm for IP matters’, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is ‘reliable in terms of strategy, and has extraordinary technical leverage’. Tobias Cohen Jehoram and Koen Limperg lead on trade mark matters for clients such as PepsiCo and Unilever. Jan Pieter Hustinx and ‘top patent litigator’ Gertjan Kuipers defended Sara Lee in an infringement suit brought by Nestlé regarding its Nespresso coffee capsules. Kuipers also acted for Nokia in Dutch proceedings against Apple regarding its iPad and iPhone devices.

Within Legal market overview,

The Dutch legal market is saturated with law firms, with major local players such as De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, Houthoff Buruma, NautaDutilh and Stibbe competing closely with international firms such as Allen & Overy LLP and Clifford Chance. Firms are increasingly looking to gain an international foothold or focus on niche areas such as intellectual property in order to establish points of difference to compete in a highly competitive market.

Within Media and entertainment, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a first tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek ‘fully understands client service and provides prompt, business-savvy advice’. Tobias Cohen Jehoram acted for Universal Music in litigation against Tuff Gong record label, and advised The Walt Disney Corporation on media law. Koen Limperg ‘always gets to the heart of any issue, drawing on his considerable experience. He provides clear advice and solid judgement’.

Within Private equity , De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a third tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek’s lawyers ‘bring more than just legal advice: they also provide real business insights’. Arne Grimme is ‘a talented lawyer with solid experience in private equity – he gets deals to a close’. Paul Cronheim advised Brit Insurance on its €1bn buyout by Apollo and CVC. The practice also advised AAC Capital Partners on transactions, and advised other investors on fund structuring. Anthonie Schutte ‘keeps the overall deal in sight; he understands what it means to work with private equity’.

Within Project finance and PFI, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a second tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek stands out for its ‘definite advice and understanding of the Dutch market’. It acted for Royal BAM Group on forming its joint venture with PGGM and on its Regio Tram project bid. It also advised NRG on procurement and contracting for a nuclear plant. Menno Stoffer is highly recommended.

Within Real estate , De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a second tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek provides ‘a hands-on attitude and high-quality work combined with practical advice’. The team is led by Annemieke Wessels, who advises corporate clients such as Shell and Philips, and recently advised investors on restructuring and divestments. Other key clients include TenneT, Vesteda and Rabo Real Estate. Koos de Blécourt is ‘a specialist in leasing matters and a strong leader in negotiations’.

Within Restructuring and insolvency , De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a second tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek’s Ruud Hermans leads the practice, following Jan Willem de Boer’s departure to Linklaters. Hermans recently advised on Dutch law aspects of the Almatis restructuring. The practice also advises banks, bankruptcy trustees and liquidators.

Within Shipping, aviation and transport , De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a second tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is well reputed for its aviation work, with practice head Berend Crans handling aircraft finance and leasing for FirstRand Bank and RBS Aerospace. The ‘accurate and convincing’ Menno Stoffer acted on financing and acquisitions in the railway sector.

Within Tax, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a third tier firm,

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’.

Within Telecoms, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a third tier firm,

De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek’s telecoms expertise spans regulatory, litigation and transactions. Competition law head Jolling de Pree leads the team.