The Legal 500

Within Arbitration , Stibbe is a third tier firm,

Stibbe’s team includes Jeroen Fleming, who has represented foreign clients in domestic and international proceedings.

Within Asset finance and structured finance, Stibbe is a second tier firm,

Stibbe handles various asset financings and restructurings, including energy, shipping and real estate sector transactions. Clients include Vesteda Project, BNP Paribas, NIBC Bank and Barclays Capital. The team is led by banking and finance head Jaap Willeumier, with Maarten de Bruin focusing on securitisation and property finance.

Within Banking and finance, Stibbe is a second tier firm,

Stibbe represents a good mix of lenders and borrowers, with practice head Jaap Willeumier leading advice to Gamma on refinancings and to Rabobank and Friesland Bank on acquisition financings. Rogier Raas leads on regulatory matters for clients such as American Express, Swiss Re and NYSE Euronext. Other clients include TomTom, Gamma, NIBC Bank and Morgan Stanley.

Within Capital markets, Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe is particularly good for equity mandates, and recently advised the underwriters on the IPOs of Yandex and NXP Semiconductors. It also advised on telecoms operator Ziggo’s €1.2bn senior unsecured notes offering. Practice head Derk Lemstra focuses on equity issuances. Jaap Willeumier recently acted for corporates such as ENEL SpA, Peugeot Finance and British American Tobacco.

Within Commercial litigation , Stibbe is a first tier firm,

‘The responsive and very result-oriented team’ at Stibbe provides a ‘very hands-on, highly knowledgeable and professional approach’. Recommended lawyers include Jeroen Kortmann, who is ‘a business-oriented lawyer with a great strategic insight and an orderly way of working. He can be relied upon for help with critical decisions and is highly valued for his integrity’. Corporate disputes specialist Fons Leijten is ‘an excellent litigator, who being highly intelligent and creative is able to see angles that others cannot’.

Within Construction , Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe’s team, led by Joop Janssen, is noted for its practical, in-depth knowledge of construction law. David Orobio de Castro acted for Rabobank on its new headquarters in Utrecht and for Heijmans on procurement and contracts issues regarding the new Supreme Court buildings. The practice has a strong focus on infrastructure developments, and PPP and PFI projects.

Within Corporate and M&A, Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe is ‘top tier and a firm of primary choice’ for transactions and corporate governance – it is ‘business-minded and cost-effective, while advice is to the point’. Practice head Allard Metzelaar and Björn van der Klip, who is ‘a very quick thinker and a pleasure to work with’, advised Provimi on its $2.1bn takeover by Cargill. The practice is also advising NYSE Euronext on its proposed merger with Deutsche Börse, and acted for Celesio on the merger of its subsidiary group Lloyds Pharmacy with Brocacef Holding to create one of the biggest Dutch pharmacy chains.

Within EU and competition , Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe’s competition and regulatory practice provides ‘very creative and sound advice’. It has acted for clients such as Alstom, the Dutch Association of Banks and Cordenka. Christof Swaak has ‘the ability to analyse complex matters in order to build a strategy’ in antitrust matters. The highly regarded Rein Wesseling ‘can think ahead in a pragmatic way’. Wesseling defended Mars in abuse of dominance proceedings brought by Nestlé. Both he and Jeroen Kortmann have been defending KLM in the air cargo litigation.

Within Employment , Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe provides ‘tailor-made’ advice on labour law issues, and has strength in depth. It has acted for clients such as ING, KLM and British American Tobacco. ‘Creative, intelligent lawyer’ Jaap van Slooten is experienced in complex disputes, and the ‘cool and collected’ Paul Vestering is well regarded for his pensions law knowledge. Senior associate Hanneke Bennaars is also recommended.

Within Energy , Stibbe is a second tier firm,

Stibbe advised Eneco on the ENECOGEN project, its joint venture with DONG Energy. Martin In de Braekt leads the team, which includes newly promoted partner Kirsten Berger.

Within Environment and planning, Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe is ‘able to take industry objectives into account when providing advice’. It represented Eneco in successfully obtaining permits for large-scale wind farms, and advises various municipalities on planning and zoning issues regarding major development projects. Other clients include Merck, Electrabel and Nuon. Practice head Aaldert ten Veen is ‘valuable for strategic advice’. Senior associate Anna Collignon is also recommended.

Within Fraud and white-collar crime , Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe’s corporate criminal practice is led by Daan Doorenbos, who specialises in market abuse cases. The team recently defended a broadcasting corporation against allegations of Gambling Act violations.

Within Information technology , Stibbe is a third tier firm,

Stibbe’s IT practice is led by counsel Serge Gijrath, who handles contract issues, regulatory work and disputes. The team represents state authorities and financial institutions. Reinout Rinzema joined Ventoux Advocaten.

Within Intellectual property Other recommended firms

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 Other recommended firms

Within Private equity , Stibbe is a third tier firm,

Stibbe advises domestic and international private equity investors, including Egeria, Cyrte Investments, Bain Capital and De Hoge Dennen Capital. Recent highlights include advising on Dutch law aspects of Unitas Capital’s acquisition of Hyva. Practice head Björn van der Klip is ‘a very quick thinker and a pleasure to work with; private equity holds no secrets for him’.

Within Project finance and PFI, Stibbe is a third tier firm,

Stibbe was project counsel to Ballast Nedam and DG Infra Yield on setting up the Benelux Secondary PPP Fund I. It advised Heijmans on the RegioTram project, Supreme Court and National Military Museum developments. Practice head Joop Janssen and David Orobio de Castro are ‘highly qualified lawyers that combine thorough, in-depth, relevant knowledge with a practical approach’.

Within Real estate , Stibbe is a second tier firm,

Stibbe advised Blackstone Group on Dutch aspects of its Mint Hotels chain buyout, and ING Bank on the $940m sale of assets to CB Richard Ellis. Joop Janssen leads the team, which hired Jonathan Gal as counsel from Allen & Overy LLP.

Within Restructuring and insolvency , Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe advised UK administrators on the Nortel restructuring and Dutch creditors in the Landsbanki bankruptcy. The practice is also acting as court-appointed trustee to Indover Bank regarding the winding down of its operations. Karen Harmsen is recommended for insolvency work.

Within Tax, tier 4

Stibbe provides ‘very thorough, practical, business-oriented advice’ on tax aspects of cross-border transactions. Highlights included advising NYSE Euronext on its merger with Deutsche Börse, and acting on the sale of ING REIM to CB Richard Ellis. Maarten de Bruin and Michael Molenaars are the key contacts.

Within Telecoms,

Allen & Overy LLP draws on its regulatory, commercial and litigation expertise and remained involved in appeal proceedings regarding telecoms regulator OPTA’s market analysis decisions. Peter Eijsvoogel advised KPN on frequency auction bidding. Corporate lawyer Justin Steer ‘never loses track of relevant legal aspects’. Quinten Kroes joined Brinkhof, and senior associate Bas Braeken moved to Stibbe.