The Legal 500

Within Arbitration , Loyens & Loeff is a third tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff’s team is led by Sidney Berendsen and acts for governments and corporations across a broad range of sectors but has particular expertise in foreign investment protection. Winfried van den Muijsenbergh has represented clients from various European jurisdictions in domestic and international proceedings.

Within Asset finance and structured finance, Loyens & Loeff is a second tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff’s Mariëtte van ‘t Westeinde is highly regarded for securitisation work, providing ‘in-depth knowledge of the RMBS and Dutch mortgage markets’, and worked on a number of Dutch RMBS transactions for Obvion during 2010 and 2011. The practice is also noted for ship financing, with Gianluca Kreuze recently representing ABN AMRO and Danish Ship Finance on a $198m transaction.

Within Banking and finance, Loyens & Loeff is a first tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff is ‘very focused on clients and results, and has much in-house experience to tap into directly’, particularly for advising borrowers on structuring financings. The practice advised IHC Merwede on €1.5bn of refinancing facilities and gave Dutch law advice to Arcadis regarding its US private placement. It also acted for Gilde and DIF on fund formation and investments. Willem Jarigsma and Kees Hooft both have ‘a flexible disposition and pragmatic approach, are never intimidated by the opposing party, and can offer creative solutions favouring their clients’.

Within Capital markets, Loyens & Loeff is a second tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff is active in both debt and equity transactions. It was Dutch counsel on several offerings including advising on VimpelCom’s $200m floating rate notes issue; Prada Holding in a Hong Kong IPO in Hong Kong; and the underwriters on the NYSE listing of Nielsen. Nelleke Krol and Peter Corten lead the team.

Within Commercial litigation , Loyens & Loeff is a second tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff handles a range of corporate and commercial disputes, with Winfried van den Muisenbergh acting for Lukoil interests in a joint venture dispute. Hans de Savornin Lohman represented Czech investment firm KKCG’s Dutch holding company in a shareholder dispute before the Enterprise Chamber. The practice is representing Rabo Vastgoedgroep Holding regarding the Dutch property fraud scandal. Sidney Berendsen specialises in professional liability cases.

Within Construction , Loyens & Loeff is a third tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff’s clients include contractors, developers, municipalities, public authorities and investors. Highlights included advising Schiphol Real Estate on a major hotel construction at Schiphol Airport. Practice head Jan Maarten Gerretsen focuses on residential and industrial developments. Senior associate Leen van der Marel is ‘an excellent tactician, who always has the right advice at hand’.

Within Corporate and M&A, Loyens & Loeff is a second tier firm,

‘Proactive, business-minded and solutions-driven’, Loyens & Loeff provides ‘good industry knowledge and very strong M&A expertise’. It advised Capital One on its €6.3bn acquisition of ING Direct and CB Richard Ellis on its €690m buyout of ING REIM. Bas Vletter leads the team, which includes Herman Kaemingk and Harmen Holtrop, who is recommended for corporate transactions.

Within EU and competition , Loyens & Loeff is a second tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff’s ‘capable and skilled’ team includes Maurice Essers, who is ‘one of the best Dutch lawyers in merger control and procurement law’. Essers led on Veolia Transdev merger clearance and acted for Orbis and Atrium on the largest hospital merger to be brought before the NMa. Gert-Wim van de Meent represented Henkel in the personal care product cartel.

Within Employment , Loyens & Loeff is a second tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff combines employment and tax law expertise. Hermine Voûte handles employee representation and collective dismissals. Newly promoted partner Klaas Wiersma is ‘an expert in his field’, focusing mainly on employment law aspects of M&A transactions. He advised CB Richard Ellis on acquiring ING Real Estate Investment Management.

Within Energy , Loyens & Loeff is a second tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff’s team has ‘in-depth knowledge of the energy sector and its recent developments’, particularly on renewables and tax regulatory matters. Highlights included advising on Oranje-Nassau Energie’s acquisition of Cirrus Energy Corporation, and on BARD’s winning bid to develop offshore wind farms in collaboration with investment firm Typhoon Capital. Corporate and regulatory expert Max Oosterhuis is recommended.

Within Environment and planning, Loyens & Loeff is a first tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff advises on planning and environmental aspects of large-scale infrastructure and commercial developments. It recently advised retail sector clients such as IKEA and Dirk van den Broek on permit and agreement matters relating to store expansions. It also advised Cargill on site developments. The team includes Henk Breeman, André van der Kolk and Remco Bäcker.

Within Fraud and white-collar crime , Loyens & Loeff is a second tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff’s enforcement and sanctions group is led by senior associate Remco van Heffen, who advises and litigates on financial regulatory enforcement. Recent matters include anti-corruption advice and assisting real estate holding companies in environmental compliance investigations.

Within Information technology , Loyens & Loeff is a second tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff has recently handled a range of transactions, software implementation programmes and disputes for Quion, Nuon and Fortis Real Estate. Serge Zwanen focuses on contracts, outsourcing and litigation.

Within Insurance , Loyens & Loeff is a second tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff acts for insurers and corporate insureds. The team recently represented an insurance company in a class action regarding the DSB Bank bankruptcy. Kitty Lieverse leads the team, but Natalie Vloemans joined Ploum Lodder Princen Advocaten en Notarissen.

Within Intellectual property Other recommended firms

Within Media and entertainment Other recommended firms

Within Mediation , Loyens & Loeff is a first tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff mainly focuses on corporate, commercial and tax matters as well as disputes with the state. André van der Kolk and senior associate Jurgen Kuiper head the practice.

Within Private equity , Loyens & Loeff is a second tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff effectively combines transactional and fund formation work with tax expertise to advise clients such as ABN AMRO, AAC Capital Partners, PGGM, CVC Capital Partners, and Bouwinvest. It acted for Carlyle in acquiring a 60% stake in AlpInvest, as part of a joint acquisition with the management team. The practice provided Dutch law advice to Bain Capital on its acquisition of chemicals distributor IMCD. Herman Kaemingk and Harmen Holtrop are ‘very practical deal lawyers’.

Within Project finance and PFI, tier 4

Loyens & Loeff’s core areas are transport, real estate and renewables. It advised the BARD consortium on its winning bid for North Sea wind farms developments, and gave pro bono advice to Hivos on financing its biogas programme in Indonesia and Africa. Willem Jarigsma and Gianluca Kreuze lead on project financings.

Within Real estate , Loyens & Loeff is a first tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff ‘understands the market and organises its team efficiently’, and is noted for its ‘one-stop-shop’ service that includes tax law expertise. Practice head Wilfred Groen is ‘a strong communicator with practical knowledge and a sense for delicate situations; he is also an excellent team leader’. He advised ABN AMRO on disposing of real estate assets following its merger with Fortis. Bram Linnartz acts for international investors, and recently advised Hannover Leasing on acquiring turnkey projects in the Netherlands. ‘A good sparring partner’, Paul Kerckhoffs advised Dutch National Railways on selling non-core assets.

Within Restructuring and insolvency , Loyens & Loeff is a second tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff advises lenders and borrowers on corporate restructurings. It also acts for bankruptcy trustees and is advising a number of Lehman Brothers bondholders. Hendrik van Druten and senior associate Vincent Vroom are recommended.

Within Shipping, aviation and transport , Loyens & Loeff is a third tier firm,

Loyens & Loeff is highly regarded for its ‘excellent’ ship financing work, with both Gianluca Kreuze and Willem Jarigsma noted for their strong negotiating skills. It also focuses on regulatory matters regarding transportation and advises seaports on financing and transactions. Clients include Rabobank, ABN AMRO, Arriva/Deutsche Bahn and government municipalities.

Within Tax, Loyens & Loeff is a first tier firm,

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.

Within Telecoms Other recommended firms