The Legal 500

Within Arbitration, Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV is a third tier firm,

Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV’s arbitration team is headed by René Kiers, who acts for the Dutch state in construction and public procurement disputes. Martijn Scheltema has experience in setting-aside proceedings.

Within Commercial litigation, Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV is a second tier firm,

Highly regarded for its Supreme Court litigation practice, Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV ‘gives accurate advice and is a first choice for civil law matters’. It is also ‘very knowledgeable on commercial disputes’ and is regularly involved in major cases on behalf of the state and public sector clients. Supreme Court litigation team leader Hans van Wijk, who is ‘impressive in complex cases’, represented the state in the Dutch Unbundling Act case and successfully defended the Dutch financial markets regulator against claims made by former banking group directors. Martijn Scheltema also handles commercial litigation.

Within Construction, Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV is a second tier firm,

Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV produces ‘fit-for-purpose solutions’ and acts for the state and public sector on major construction projects and contentious work. Recent matters include successfully representing the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment in a dispute over the framework agreement for road infrastructure development. Practice head Pieter Stuijt has expertise in regulations, procurement and litigation. René Kiers regularly represents the state in complex arbitration cases. Mark Birnage is ‘clever, sharp and pleasant to work with’. Georg Huith joined from NautaDutilh.

Within Corporate and M&A, tier 6

Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV predominately acts for the state, regional government and regulatory authorities, but also acts for private sector clients. René van de Klashorst leads the team, which is expert in corporate governance.

Within EU and competition, Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV is a third tier firm,

Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV acts for the state and regulatory bodies, and recently represented the NMa in litigation regarding unbundling of the energy sector. It also advised De Friesland on competition law issues regarding its takeover by Achmea. Berend Jan Drijber heads the practice.

Within Employment, Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV is a third tier firm,

Jan Pas heads Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV’s employment practice, which advises various governmental organisations on employment, works council and pension issues. Recent clients include Internal Revenues Service and KPN.

Within Energy Other recommended firms

Within Environment and planning, Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV is a first tier firm,

Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV advises government authorities and large municipalities on complex planning and environmental issues. Practice head Liesbeth Schippers advises the government on large infrastructure developments, and Hans Besselink acted in a dispute over permits granted for an RWE power plant project.

Within Project finance and PFI, Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV is a second tier firm,

As a key adviser to contracting authorities, Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV is regularly involved in major PPP projects and PFIs. It continues to advise on the €4bn Schipol-Amsterdam-Almere PPP road development as well as projects such as the HSL-Zuid high-speed rail link. Mark Birnage heads the practice.

Within Real estate, Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV is a third tier firm,

As well as representing the state and local government, Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV also acts for investment funds, developers, housing corporations and corporate occupiers and landlords. Drawing on its experience in the public and infrastructure sectors, the practice represented Almere Hart in a dispute with Unibail-Rodamco regarding the city of Almere development plan and also litigated for WSW regarding Vestia’s distressed portfolio. Tenancy law expert Alain de Jonge is recommended along with Maryse Mesu-Abbekerk, whose clients include not-for-profit organisations.

Within Telecoms, Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV is a second tier firm,

Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV advises OPTA on regulatory and litigation matters, and represented it during the appeals brought against its market analysis decisions regarding mobile tariff reductions. The practice also acted for Agentschap Telecom in disputes with Vodafone, Orange and Telfort regarding frequency licensing. Elisabeth Pietermaat, who has ‘in-depth knowledge of telecoms law’, co-heads the team with Arnoud Boorsma, who has‘outstanding knowledge, legal expertise, writing and debating skills’.