The Legal 500

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

Although Loyens & Loeff is not cheap, ‘the overall service is very good and worth it’. The group actively represents clients across a wide range of industries, and has a strong offering in both Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Sidney Berendsen leads the practice.

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

Loyens & Loeff offers a ‘very good level of service, with short response times and direct access to the team’. The group advised Fortis Bank on establishing its covered bond programme, and the SPVs and security trustees on DSB Bank’s post-bankruptcy securitisation programmes. Marriëtte van‘t Westeinde is ‘knowledgeable and experienced in RMBS’.

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

Headed by Willem Jarigsma, the team at Loyens & Loeff acted for ING Commercial Finance regarding a €50m standby nonrecourse factoring arrangement. Additional clients include ABN AMRO, FGH Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, and GE Financial. Kitty Lieverse is recommended, while Gianluca Kreuze recently made partner.

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

Loyens & Loeff advised the underwriters on Nielsen Holdings N.V.’s proposed IPO on the NYSE, and acted for LBi Netherlands regarding its IPO and rights offering on Euronext Amsterdam. Nelleke Krol and Peter Corten co-head the team and are recommended along with Kitty Lieverse.

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

Loyens & Loeff houses a ‘well-motivated team with a lot of experience’ that is recommended for ‘big, complex, international business situations’. Jeroen van den Brande led the team that successfully represented the Municipality of Rotterdam against claims by Barclays and Achmea in the Amsterdam and Rotterdam district courts and at appeal in Amsterdam. Other clients of the ‘professional, dedicated, knowledgeable and to-the-point’ team include Heineken, Bayer, and RBS.

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

Loyens & Loeff has ‘excellent response times and is very commercially aware’. The group advised NS Poort on a passenger tunnel at the Amsterdam Central Railway Station. Other clients include BAM Wegen, MAB Development and the Municipality of Amsterdam. Leen van der Marel is ‘excellent in every respect’.

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

Bas Vletter’s team at Loyens & Loeff advised Phoenix Pharmahandel on its merger with Celesio. The practice also advised GMAC on selling its European mortgage business to Fortress Investment Group and acted for the supervisory board of Super de Boer on the sale of its business to Jumbo Groep Holding. Herman Kaemingk is also recommended.

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

Loyens & Loeff has ‘good knowledge and connections with Dutch competition authorities’. The team successfully persuaded the Netherlands Competition Authority (NMa) to review five decisions and to reduce fines in five other cases. The team represents adidas, Dell, and Bayer, and recently added National Railways to the client roster. Maurice Essers has ‘enormous drive to provide good legal services, and stays involved with all aspects’ of a matter.

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

Loyens & Loeff advised ABN AMRO Bank NV during a high-profile dispute over a compensation package. It also acted for Standard Aero, an accessory repair and overhaul business on restructuring. Notable individuals include Hermine Voûte and Tom Claassens.

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

Loyens & Loeff is recommended for corporate, regulatory and tax expertise in the energy sector, and pays ‘impressive attention to client care’. Corporate and regulatory expert Max Oosterhuis led the team advising Alliander, the Netherlands’ largest energy distribution company, on its acquisition of Endinet. The group also represents Centrica Energy, Gaz de France and Nexen Inc.

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

Planning work at Loyens & Loeff included advising on the development and turnkey sale of two large projects in Rotterdam for Provastgoed, and acting for Stadsgewest Arnhem-Nijmegen (a large public authority) regarding the award of transport concessions for public authorities. Environment work included advising the Municipality of Barendrecht on plans for a carbon capture and geological storage under its grounds, and acting for HEJA on a significant mixed-use development. Henk Breeman and André van der Kolk lead the team.

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

Hertoghs Tax Lawyers represents clients facing prosecution under penal and criminal tax law. Roel Kerkhoffs is recommended.

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

Loyens & Loeff is advising Nuon on transactions relating to the nationwide rollout of smart meters, and acting for Pensioenfonds Horeca & Catering on the implementation of enterprise, resource and planning systems. Serge Zwanen is recommended along with senior associate Edward de Lange, who is a ‘practical lawyer with a high standard of service’.

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

Loyens & Loeff’s team largely focuses on credit insurance and liability matters. The team acts for major insurers such as Aon and AGEON, and recently advised Credit Agricole Assurance and London General Insurance on regulatory insurance law matters. Natalie Vloemans and Kitty Lieverse are the key contacts.

Within Intellectual property , tier 4

Loyens & Loeff’s Serve Zwanen successfully represented Chubb Insurance’s insureds in a worldwide infringement case brought by Johnson & Johnson, and advised Compass Group on a trade mark case. Other clients include Pernod Ricard, Nuon and Bayer.

Within Media and entertainment Other recommended firms

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

André van der Kolk and senior associate Jurgen Kuiper lead the mediation practice at Loyens & Loeff.

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

Loyens & Loeff has an ‘excellent combination of tax and private equity experts’. The team recently advised Bain Capital Partners on the $1.63bn acquisition of the Styron division of The Dow Chemical Company. Herman Kaemingk uses ‘good common sense regarding risks’; he ‘is able to read people and understand their respective points, so he can move the deal along’. Clients also appreciate Mark van Dam’s ‘in-depth knowledge of fund terms and structures’.

Within Project finance and PFI, tier 4

Loyens & Loeff has a strong presence in the renewable energy sector, and served as Belgian and Dutch counsel to Belwind on a €600m offshore wind farm. The group has an impressive client roster that includes names such as Rabobank, EDF, ING Bank, and Maersk Oil and Gas. Gianluca Kreuze leads the three-partner team.

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

Loyens & Loeff is ‘expert, accurate, innovative, respectful, and swift’. Its clients include ABN AMRO, the municipalities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and the British Land Company plc. Recent highlights include acting for Corio on its €1.3bn acquisition of a pan-European, prime retail development portfolio. Practice head Wilfred Groen is ‘open for discussions outside of legal knowledge’, and has a good grasp of all aspects of large and complex developments and transactions.

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

Loyens & Loeff offers ‘succinct, well written, commercial advice from a user-friendly team with excellent response times’. The team is advising Oaktree Capital as the largest senior lender in the Almatis restructuring. Hendrik van Drutten is ‘absolutely first rate’.

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

Loyens & Loeff’s Maurice Essers advised Siemens on bids for contracts relating to vehicles and systems for the Amsterdam Metro, while André van der Kolk acted for Stadsregio Arnhem Nijmegen, Stadsgewest Haaglanden and the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe on bus concessions and rail-related matters.

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

Loyens & Loeff is ‘outstanding, with its width of services and large network’ of almost 400 tax specialists. The team recently advised Corio on tax aspects of its acquisition of an operating portfolio from Multi Corporation, as well as a five-project development portfolio. Bart Rubbens is ‘particularly good’, while Gijs Melching is recommended for his ‘excellent experience, practical approach, and good international tax background’.

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