The Legal 500

Within Arbitration , Clifford Chance is a third tier firm,

Counsel Juliette Luycks leads the arbitration practice at Clifford Chance, which handles a range of commercial, corporate and finance disputes as well as investment treaty cases.

Within Asset finance and structured finance, Clifford Chance is a first tier firm,

Clifford Chance’s ‘very high-quality’ team recently advised DBS Bank, ABN AMRO and Tam Linhas Aereas on aircraft financings, with Jelle Hofland a key name for asset finance. The group also acts for domestic and international financial institutions on structured financings. Pieter van Welzen is ‘experienced, creative, and consistently high quality, and has strong industry knowledge’.

Within Banking and finance, Clifford Chance is a first tier firm,

‘Very client-oriented and always available for negotiations’, Clifford Chance is ‘efficient, prompt, proactive, and has the market-leading knowledge required on transactions’. Notable acquisition financings included acting for banks on Oranjewoud’s takeover of Strukton Group, and on Gilde Buy-Out Partners’ acquisition of Roompot. ING, Rabobank, RBS and FMO are key clients. Practice head Mark Huddlestone is ‘very experienced, constructive and a problem-solver’. Jelle Hofland is ‘very flexible, pragmatic and has a solutions-driven way of working’. Counsel Jackie Jones and senior associate Titus De Vries are also recommended.

Within Capital markets, Clifford Chance is a first tier firm,

Clifford Chance’s six-partner team includes Frank Graaf, who specialises in international debt issues, and Hans Beerlage, who focuses on equity capital markets. The practice advised Deutsche Bank and Intertrust on the second public sale of a European CLO transaction, worth €864m. It also advised Nielsen Holdings on the first major private equity-backed IPO in the US in 2011.

Within Commercial litigation , Clifford Chance is a third tier firm,

Clifford Chance’s notable cases included practice head Jeroen Ouwehand acting for Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the class action litigation against Ageas (formerly Fortis) brought by the Dutch association of shareholders (VEB).

Within Construction , Clifford Chance is a third tier firm,

Clifford Chance is noted for its advice on construction law aspects of major real estate, infrastructure and energy projects. It advised construction companies Strabag and Colas on the A11 PPP project, and contractor Permasteelisa on building contracts. Jaap Koster heads the practice.

Within Corporate and M&A, Clifford Chance is a second tier firm,

Clifford Chance continues to demonstrate its strength on cross-border matters, with practice head Jeroen Koster acting for Netherlands-based Royal DSM on its joint venture with Sinochem. The team also advised Sanoma on taking over SBS TV operations from ProSiebenSat.1, and acted for Nieuwe Steen Investments on its merger with Vastned Offices/Industrial to create a major Dutch real estate investment fund. Jeroen Thijssen was promoted to the partnership.

Within EU and competition , Clifford Chance is a second tier firm,

Clifford Chance is recommended for its financial sector expertise, and ‘proactive, creative and very client-focused’ approach. It represented the Dutch Central Bank in an appeal against the EC regarding state aid provided to ING. The practice also advised Sanoma and Royal DSM on merger clearances regarding major cross-border transactions. Antitrust team head Steven Verschuur joined from KienhuisHoving. He and associate Pier Posthuma de Boer ‘go the extra mile, seemingly without effort’. Frances Dethmers is well regarded for merger control matters. Barbara Nijs left the firm.

Within Employment , Clifford Chance is a third tier firm,

Clifford Chance recently advised CVC Capital Partners, Sanoma and Maxeda Retail Group on employment aspects of M&A. Practice head Ruth van Andel is ‘creative, solutions-driven and a strong negotiator’. Counsel Sara Schermerhorn ‘goes the extra mile to deliver outstanding support’.

Within Energy , Clifford Chance is a second tier firm,

Clifford Chance’s capabilities include financing, M&A and regulatory advice, which are brought to bear on projects, transactions and disputes. Highlights included advising financial institutions on trade agreements, acting as project counsel to the ENECOGEN joint venture, and advising Abengoa on regulatory issues regarding a biofuel plant. Jaap Koster and Jelle Hofland are recommended.

Within Environment and planning, Clifford Chance is a second tier firm,

Clifford Chance focuses on environmental matters, and recently advised Royal DSM on its joint venture with Sinochem Group and Rotterdam World Gateway on the Maasvlakte 2 development. Jaap Koster leads the team.

Within Information technology , Clifford Chance is a third tier firm,

Clifford Chance acts for corporates and IT businesses on data protection, compliance, disputes, acquisitions, and outsourcing. Clients include LG Electronics, Pfizer, Autodesk and Accenture. Alvin Khodabaks leads the team.

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 Mediation , Clifford Chance is a first tier firm,

Clifford Chance has mediation experience in telecoms, energy and transport.

Within Private equity , Clifford Chance is a first tier firm,

Clifford Chance handled a number of cross-border deals, including Maxeda’s disposal of fashion retail businesses; acting as Dutch counsel to Nielsen Holdings on the biggest private equity-backed IPO in the US to date; and advising Glide Buy-Out Partners on acquiring shares and making a public offer for Gamma Holding. It also acted for PGGM on the sale of AlpInvest Partners to Carlyle and AlpInvest’s management team. Thijs Alexander and Gregory Crookes co-head the team.

Within Project finance and PFI, Clifford Chance is a first tier firm,

Clifford Chance’s lawyers ‘know what it takes to close a deal; they always deal with reason and respect for the counterparties’. The team is particularly recommended as lender’s counsel but it also advises sponsors and authorities. The practice advised lenders on the €7bn Nord Stream gas project and also Strabag and Colas on the A11 PPP project. Other clients include Royal BAM Group, Enecogen, ING and Heijmans. Jaap Koster and counsel Nanette Rutgers are ‘first class’.

Within Real estate , Clifford Chance is a second tier firm,

Clifford Chance, which is recommended for cross-border mandates, recently advised Carlyle on redeveloping commercial office property into student accommodation and RREEF Investment on a €112m property acquisition. It also acted on the merger of Nieuwe Steen Investments and VastNed Offices. Jaap Koster leads on transactions and project developments. Jan-Joost van Rijsbergen recently became counsel and handles financing.

Within Restructuring and insolvency , Clifford Chance is a second tier firm,

‘A good-quality practice, with a focus on pragmatism’, Clifford Chance mainly acts for financial institutions. Jelle Hofland is ‘not afraid to use unorthodox methods in order to achieve a solution’. Bas Boris Visser is ‘solutions-driven and very good in documentation’, and associate Mirjam van der Kaay is one to watch.

Within Tax, Clifford Chance is a third tier firm,

Clifford Chance provides ‘service that lives up to its reputation’, as well as ‘in-depth knowledge and a drive for results’. Clients include PGGM, ABN AMRO, Morgan Stanley and Sanoma. Practice head Frank de Vos is ‘very client-focused and gets to solutions rather than issues’. Ate van IJlzinga Veenstra focuses on funds work, and counsel Michiel Sunderman specialises in corporate tax matters.