The Legal 500

Within Arbitration , Stibbe is a third tier firm,

Toni van Hees’ team at Stibbe has a portfolio of arbitration cases worth in excess of $1bn, and acts for some household names. The group regularly collaborates with the firm’s Brussels office, as well as with Herbert Smith LLP and Gleiss Lutz.

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

Jaap Willeumier’s team at Stibbe counts ABN AMRO, American Express and Bayer as clients. Recent highlights include advising Vesteda Woningen on its €1.6bn securitisation of a portfolio of residential property, and BNP Paribas on a $3bn term loan facility secured against crude oil.

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

Stibbe advised BNP Paribas on a $3bn term loan facility for the Angola unit of BP, and acted for Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse on a $1bn issuance of senior secured notes due 2018. Other clients include Impress Group, Uni-Invest, and TomTom. Jaap Willeumier leads the group.

Within Capital markets, Stibbe is a first tier firm,

At Stibbe, ‘answers are almost always instantly available with follow up where relevant’. Derk Lemstra has ‘tremendous knowledge of the Dutch legal system, particularly capital markets’, and acts for clients such as ING, JPMorgan, and Rabobank.

Within Commercial litigation , Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe’s ‘professional and knowledgeable’ group is called on when ‘losing is not an option’. The team acted for ABN AMRO and Fortis Capital Company on two disputes, worth €2.5bn, against former parent companies regarding the redemption of hybrid securities, and represented RWE in a control rights dispute against Delta. Toni van Hees and Gertjan Boekraad have ‘excellent tactical capabilities’, while Fons Leijten is ‘particularly good’.

Within Construction , Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Stibbe acted for the OptimA15 and OptimA12 consortiums bidding on the A15 and A12 road projects, respectively, and for MAB Bouwfonds and OVG on the €300m development of “The Rotterdam” building in downtown Rotterdam. On the contentious side, the group represented Vesteda in various disputes, including a completion dispute concerning 120 houses, warehouse space, and parking areas. Joop Janssen and David Orobio de Castro regularly act on large projects.

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

Stibbe’s ‘specialists easily work together on difficult issues, saving clients a lot of time and money’. Headline instructions include advising on ING Group’s restructuring. It also acted on Phillips-Van Heusen’s acquisition of Tommy Hilfiger. Additional key clients include ABP/APG, Canon and Tata. Practice head Allard Metzelaar is ‘first rate’, while managing partner Heleen Kersten and Gerhardt Vels are also recommended.

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

Stibbe’s ‘service is outstanding, and the fees are reasonable given the work product, complexity of matters, and the level of support received’. The team advised AkzoNobel and Akcros on the European Court of Justice case regarding the scope of professional legal privilege for in-house lawyers, and acted for KLM/Martinair in the air cargo cartel case. Christof Swaak gives ‘excellent legal advice balanced by practical business advice’. Swaak and Rein Wesseling, ‘whose ease and efficiency in dealing with complex business cases is remarkable’, are highly recommended. Marc van der Woude left to accept an appointment as the Dutch judge at the General Court in Luxembourg.

Within Employment , Stibbe is a first tier firm,

Jaap van Slooten heads the team at Stibbe, which advised Merck & Co on negotiations with Organon regarding the planned reorganisation of its R&D activities in the Netherlands. It also represented Shell Pension Fund in litigation against its participant’s council in a case about pension indexation. Paul Vestering is also recommended.

Within Energy , Stibbe is a second tier firm,

Stibbe offers ‘excellent lawyers, good service and high-quality work’. Martin in de Braek advised the Province of Gelderland, Nuon’s largest shareholder, on Vattenfall’s €8.5bn acquisition of Nuon, while Fons Leijten and Egbert Vroom represented RWE in a €9.3bn dispute with Delta regarding RWE’s acquisition of Essent.

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

Stibbe’s ‘whole team is impressive’, and is ‘certainly value for money – a high standard of advice and excellent response times’. Practice head Aaldert ten Veen and Tijn Kortmann advised Nuon and Electrabel on environmental and nature preservation permits for coal-heated power plants, and acted for Essent on the Netherlands’ second nuclear power plant. They act alongside Jan Reinier van Angeren and Tom Barkhuysen to advise governmental bodies on projects such as infrastructure and office developments in Amsterdam’s South Axis area.

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

Daan Doorenbos’ three-lawyer team at Stibbe handles all manner of corporate criminal law, including market abuse, tax, customs fraud, environmental, and working conditions cases. Recent highlights include successfully representing a former board member of a listed company faced with insider trading allegations.

Within Information technology , Stibbe is a third tier firm,

Stibbe’s clients include the Dutch government, ING and Translink. The team has acted on large-scale projects such as the implementation of road pricing in the Netherlands.

Within Intellectual property , tier 4

Stibbe acts for clients such as American Express, Ferrari and Mars. The team recently advised ING on the trade mark strategy regarding the separation of its insurance and banking activities. Janna van Olst and Hannes Bierman are the key contacts.

Within Legal market overview,

Leading Dutch firms such as De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, NautaDutilh, Stibbe, and Houthoff Buruma frequently compete with the local offices of international players such as Clifford Chance and Allen & Overy LLP. Howrey LLP closed its Amsterdam office after the intellectual property team left to set up Hoyng Monegier LLP in conjunction with former Howrey LLP colleagues in Brussels, Madrid, Paris, and elsewhere. The new firm opened in January 2011 and is not yet ranked but is widely expected to do well, thanks to the number of market-leading IP partners such as Willem Hoyng, who enjoys a ‘phenomenal reputation’.

Within Media and entertainment Other recommended firms

Within Private equity , Stibbe is a third tier firm,

Stibbe handles transactions for Cinven and Warburg Pincus, and recently advised Cyrte Investments on its acquisition of Spitfire Pictures. Other highlights included advising First Reserve on its €400m purchase of the Bahamas Oil Refining Company. Björn van der Klip heads the practice.

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

Stibbe is acting for the OptimA15 and OptimA12 consortia on bids for the A15 and A12 projects, respectively. David Orobio de Castro acted for Heijmans on its bid for the Eelde Airport DBFM contract, while Martin In de Braekt advised Eneco on its acquisition of rights to develop a 51MW wind farm. Joop Janssen heads the group.

Within Real estate , Stibbe is a second tier firm,

Joop Janssen’s team at Stibbe counts Vesteda, ProLogis and Accor as key clients. The group recently advised the Municipality of Waddinxveen on the Triangel housing project, and acted for Aareal Bank on the acquisition and subsequent sale of Hotel Lijnden. Maarten de Bruin advised Q-Park, a car park management company, on a €735m credit facility.

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

Stibbe’s Karen Harmsen and Toni van Hees are serving as trustees to Indover Bank, while Harmsen and Fons Leijten are acting for Kroymans, which declared bankruptcy in 2009. The group continues to act for the managing directors of Lehman Brothers Treasury, and is advising on Gamma Holding’s restructuring. The team advises banks such as Fortis and ING on problems arising from debtor insolvencies.

Within Tax, tier 4

Stibbe’s Michael Molenaars is advising on the tax aspects arising out of the separation of ING’s insurance and banking activities, and worked alongside Maarten de Bruin in acting for Ziggo on the placement of €1bn senior unsecured notes. Other clients include Bayer, BNP Paribas and DP World.

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