The Legal 500

Within Arbitration , Houthoff Buruma is a second tier firm,

Houthoff Buruma’s arbitration team is led by Rotterdam-based Dirk Knottenbelt, who is appreciated for his ‘independent and uninfluenced approach’ to disputes. The practice represents corporations in commercial, construction and real estate cases at both domestic and international level. Ongoing matters include representing Heijmans in an ICC proceeding against a power plant employer.

Within Asset finance and structured finance, Houthoff Buruma is a third tier firm,

Houthoff Buruma’s Loet Venrooy advised Amvest on €320m of real estate asset-backed facilities; Doctors Pension Fund Services on illiquid asset portfolios; and Helaba Bank on the mortgage-backed securities pertaining to PwC’s Amsterdam headquarters, which was acquired by NordCap.

Within Banking and finance, Houthoff Buruma is a second tier firm,

‘Combining in-depth knowledge with creative solutions’, Houthoff Buruma is seen as a strong competitor in the domestic lending market, with Loet Venrooy and Jan Veeningen both recommended. Recent highlights include advising Van Oord on a €405m credit facility and a US private placement, and acting for Wells Fargo on refinancings. Investment funds expert Oscar van Angeren is ‘a great motivator during tough times, always keeps the big picture in mind, and has a keen eye for detail’. Hugo Oppelaar focuses on regulatory matters.

Within Capital markets, Houthoff Buruma is a second tier firm,

Houthoff Buruma acted for several corporates on US private placements, including that of Van Oord, and advised JPMorgan on Bumble Bee Foods’ $605m senior secured notes issue. The team includes Matthijs van den Broek, who advised Accsys Technologies on its AIM and NYSE Euronext listings.

Within Commercial litigation , Houthoff Buruma is a first tier firm,

Houthoff Buruma is noted for its ‘business-oriented’ advice and strength in international insurance matters. The practice recently acted for ING and the City of Amsterdam in bankruptcy proceedings. Albert Knigge has ‘deep knowledge and experience’ in financial litigation, and Huib Lebbing has ‘a great analytical mind, excellent intellectual capability and reasoning’ in liability cases.

Within Construction , Houthoff Buruma is a first tier firm,

Houthoff Buruma has been handling construction matters for local municipalities, and for healthcare and infrastructure sector clients. Highlights included advising Erasmus Medical Centre on a €449m development and the Rotterdam government on redeveloping its central district. Procurement specialist Jan Michiel Hebly is ‘a strategic thinker’.

Within Corporate and M&A, Houthoff Buruma is a second tier firm,

‘The high-quality and experienced team’ at Houthoff Buruma ‘brings top-notch service and seniority to the table’. It advised North Sea Group on its merger with Argos Oil and acted on Dutch law aspects of China Huaneng Group’s purchase of a 50% stake in InterGen. Both Jan-Paul van der Hoek and Michiel Pannekoek are ‘relatively young but highly experienced, very well rounded and can change and set the atmosphere during negotiations very well’. Casper Banz is ‘practical without sacrificing detail; willing to be part of the client’s team’. Willem de Nijs Bik is ‘an exceptionally prudent lawyer’.

Within EU and competition , Houthoff Buruma is a second tier firm,

‘Partner-led, willing to take a position and defend an opinion’, Houthoff Buruma is representing Total in third-party proceedings brought by Shell regarding the Dutch bitumen cartel litigation. It is also defending Singapore Airlines and Cargolux in air cargo cartel proceedings and advising North Sea Group on clearance for its joint venture with Argos Oil. Weyer VerLoren van Themaat is recommended.

Within Employment , Houthoff Buruma is a second tier firm,

Houthoff Buruma recently advised Siemens and LyondellBasell on reorganisations, and represented Connexxion group in disputes, including an appeal against a works council regarding a public contract. It also advised on establishing the first Dutch pension scheme joint venture, set up between Delta Lloyd and Binck Bank. Edward de Bock leads a four-partner team. Louis Kuypers joined the Dutch Central Bank.

Within Energy Other recommended firms

Within Environment and planning, Houthoff Buruma is a second tier firm,

Houthoff Buruma’s Marry de Gaay Fortman advises Tata Steel and Chevron on environmental issues, and represents McDonald’s on planning matters. Jan Frans de Groot’s focus is real estate and public sector work, and Robert Crince le Roy specialises in litigation. Associate Hanneke Ellerman has ‘a sharp legal mind’.

Within Information technology , Houthoff Buruma is a second tier firm,

Houthoff Buruma advises clients such as eBay, Ford, Atos Origin and Paypal on litigation, outsourcing, data protection and e-commerce matters. Wolter Wefers Bettink is ‘a good litigator and negotiator’.

Within Insurance , Houthoff Buruma is a first tier firm,

‘A top firm for insurance and liability’, Houthoff Buruma has been acting for the D&Os of Lyondellbasell on an international coverage issue. Hans Londonck Sluijk is ‘able to provide useful, practical solutions alongside legal advice. He has an ability to easily get down to the very core of the matter’. However, Willem Hengeveld retired from the practice, and Peter Drion and Derk-Jan van der Kolk both joined Van Traa Advocaten.

Within Intellectual property , tier 4

Houthoff Buruma’s Bas Le Poole focuses on trade mark and copyright matters. Recent matters include acting for Ryanair, Philips and Fujifilm in online copyright cases. It also acts for eBay in domain name disputes and represented the rights holder of the Miffy character in infringement proceedings against Sanrio regarding its Cathy character.

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, Houthoff Buruma is a first tier firm,

Houthoff Buruma advises Telegraaf Media Groep on freedom of expression issues and successfully represented news broadcaster NOS in proceedings against a political party regarding coverage of the national election debate. Other clients include Endemol and IDTV. Bas Le Poole litigates for media and entertainment companies and shows ‘experience, authority, and talent as a debater’.

Within Mediation , Houthoff Buruma is a first tier firm,

Houthoff Buruma’s Marry de Gaay Fortman is a mediator. Her focus includes public procurement and healthcare.

Within Private equity , Houthoff Buruma is a third tier firm,

Houthoff Buruma acts for Dutch and Belgian private equity firms, including advising Egeria and H2 Equity Partners on acquisitions. It also advised on the €525m sale of Dutch manufacturer Hyva to Unitas Capital, and assisted on Doughty Hanson’s €350m acquisition of Equity Trust. Eddie Meijer and Michiel Pannekoek are recommended.

Within Project finance and PFI, Houthoff Buruma is a second tier firm,

Houthoff Buruma advises on domestic infrastructure projects, with practice head Peter Habraken acting as Dutch counsel to the consortium on the €4.4bn Schiphol-Amsterdam-Almere motorway project. Other recent matters include financing advice to the contractor of the Belwin offshore wind farm and advising a municipality on a €800m housing project.

Within Real estate , Houthoff Buruma is a first tier firm,

Houthoff Buruma is ‘an excellent, number-one practice’ for Dutch real estate finance and transactions. It advised a consortium of owners on the sale of the Wilhelminahof commercial complex, which was the biggest single real estate transaction in the Netherlands during 2010. Jan Cees Kuiken advised Unibail-Rodamco on the €1bn aggregate sale of retail and commercial properties. Aart Barkey Wolf is recommended for financing.

Within Restructuring and insolvency , Houthoff Buruma is a first tier firm,

Houthoff Buruma leads on Dutch insolvency matters. Both Rutger Schimmelpenninck and Frédéric Verhoeven are ‘superb lawyers – very financially sophisticated and extremely practical. They have done transactions no other trustee has done and also have a fundamental sense of justice and fair play’. The practice recently negotiated settlement agreements for Lehman Brothers and DSB Bank. It also represents trustees of the KPNQwest bankruptcy, and is acting for Goldman Sachs in restructuring a real estate fund.

Within Tax Other recommended firms

Within Telecoms Other recommended firms