The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Netherlands > Banking and finance: lender or arranger side

The 'balanced group of lawyers' which make up Clifford Chance's sizeable team bring together expertise across different types of finance and industry sectors, as well as qualifications in both English and Dutch law. Mark Huddlestone has considerable experience advising on all aspects of bank lending, including acquisition and project finance, structured trade and commodity finance, and general syndicated lending and restructurings. The firm also undertakes project funding work in industries including offshore and onshore wind, battery storage, and oil and gas. Titus de Vries is another key contact, along with Angela McEwan and Jelle Hofland.

NautaDutilh has considerable multijurisdictional reach, with Arjan Pors heading the team in the Netherlands and Elizabeth van Schilfgaarde leads the team in New York, which advises on the Dutch aspects of international finance transactions. The firm's focus on real estate financing was highlighted by its advice to Venn Partners and Mount Street on the acquisition and development of an office building located in Almere, the Netherlands. Another key area of strength is asset-based lending. The practice counts major Dutch and global financial institutions, including BNP Paribas Fortis, HSBC Bank and ING Bank among its notable clients. Walter Schellekens left the firm in July 2019.

At DLA Piper, Lex Oosterling regularly advises Rabobank, ING Bank and ABN AMRO Bank on leveraged finance, as well as assisting with asset-based and fund lending combinations. Max Mayer focuses on the private credit fund segment, and is also active in the corporate finance area. Another key contact at the practice is Gerard Kneppers, who advises clients in the energy and infrastructure project space on financing matters. In a recent example, Kneppers assisted ING Bank with the financing one of the largest  portfolios of ground mounted, solar and rooftop projects in the Netherlands.

Houthoff's team undertakes a wide range of work for lenders and arrangers, including high-end acquisition, real estate and project finance, syndicated and bilateral lending, and asset-based financing, with several matters involving cross-border elements. The practice is particularly active in assisting with large infrastructure investments for large wind power projects. In recent highlights, practice head Loet Venrooy led a team that advised a consortium of banks, including BNP Paribas and Citibank, on a senior-secured borrowing base facility of $600m to the Dana Petroleum Group. Jessica Terpstra is also recommended.

The 'easy to approach' team at Loyens & Loeff combines 'high knowledge and experience' with a thoroughly integrated approach, involving colleagues from practice areas including real estate and tax. Key areas of strength include providing project financing advice to clients in the transport and real estate sectors, assisting with securitisations and asset-based financing, and advising on acquisitions, a particular speciality of Gianluca Kreuze's. Other key names include practice head Kitty Lieverse, Kim Koops, who recently made partner, and senior associate Sabine Schoute. Sietske van ‘t Hooft left the practice.

At Simmons & Simmons, the team is 'very pleasant to work with'. It has been particularly active recently in financings related to the real estate sector, including advising ABN Amro Bank and ING Bank on the €460m bridge financing of the Woluwé shopping centre in Brussels and assisting ABN Amro with the financing provided for the acquisition of a portfolio of residential properties, known as Project Red. The firm is jointly headed by Jan-Joost van Rijsbergen, Marieke Driessen and counsel Frédérique Jacobse. Also recommended are managing associate Dirk-Jan Gerrits and senior associate Vincent Engel.

Key areas of focus for the 'always available' team at Stibbe are acquisition finance, corporate lending, real estate finance, project finance and derivatives. Longstanding clients include the European Investment Bank and Goldman Sachs, and the team also gained the Royal Bank of Canada as a new client. Rein van Helden, who heads the practice jointly with Maarten de Bruin, is the key contact for matters involving cross-border leveraged finance and syndicated lending. Also notable are counsel Robert Steeg, who is 'pragmatic and always available', and senior associate Suzanne van Boheemen.

Vincent Bettonville, practice head at AKD, advises clients, among them Dutch and international banks including JPMorgan, on a range of matters including acquisition, structured, asset and project finance transactions. Also notable in acting for lenders are Erwin Rademakers, who assists with Dutch law aspects of major cross-border bank financing transactions, and Jasper Verhoog, who acts as the main liaison between the firm's offices in Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Cathelijn Frederiks, formerly a counsel with the firm, is now with SBM offshore.

Baker McKenzie team advises international and domestic clients on infrastructure developments, acquisition and leveraged financing, and syndicated, bilateral and club financings. It has notable strength in the industrial, hotel and leisure, logistics, and green energy sectors. Counsel Fedor Tanke has 'a thorough understanding of law and market practice in the real estate sector in the Netherlands', and also assists clients with project financing. Martijn van der Vliet is also recommended, especially for work involving export finance and restructuring matters.

Dentons' integrated and international approach is bolstered by the team's ability to 'rapidly pull out resources from other departments and other jurisdictions'. The firm counts among its clients alternative lenders, including Roundshield Partners, as well as an impressive roster of domestic and global banks. Key areas in terms of financing are energy and real estate. The practice is headed by Marcel Janssen, and Jacqueline Bell, who is a recent arrival from a sole practitioner position, and has a notable focus on trade commodity finance and transport finance in the aviation, shipping and offshore industries. Jeroen den Hamer left the firm in March 2019.

The 'pro-active and pragmatic' team at Hogan Lovells International LLP 'benefits from an international base' and is 'able to use that accumulated knowledge' to 'seek solutions that work for all parties involved'. The practice advises global banks as lead lenders' counsel, as well as assisting asset managers, debt funds, and domestic financial institutions with acquisition and real estate financings. The firm is also expanding its expertise into the unitranche debt market, working with non-bank lender clients on alternative lending products, and with banks to provide super-senior working capital facilities. The key contacts are Wouter Jongen, Robert Masman and senior associate Carola Houpst.

The team at Lexence assists with asset, real estate and acquisition finance for lenders largely active in the mid-market. The practice counts real estate consultants, private equity funds, manufacturers, and asset management companies among its clients. Practice head Charles Destrée is experienced in Dutch and English law. Associate Bas Zandvliet, who focuses on the logistics, infrastructure and food sectors, is also noted.

In line with its strength acting for leading Dutch domestic lenders, the team at Norton Rose Fulbright focuses on outbound finance and assisting with cross-border facilities. Practice head Wouter Hertzberger has extensive experience of a broad range of structured finance transactions, particularly in the energy sector; he acted for the lenders on the financing of Westermeerwind's near-shore wind farm project. Clients include Dutch and international financial institutions, among them BNP Paribas and HSBC. Other key names to note are Berend Crans and Paul Vine.

As well as assisting with acquisitions and leveraged finance, Stek's team, which stands out for its 'commercial' approach and 'good sense of judgement', also advises on general corporate lending and asset-based financing. Sharon Kaufmann advised longstanding clients ABN Amro and BNG Bank on the €95m financing of Stichting de Opbouw, which provides care for the elderly and disabled, showcasing the team's particular focus on the healthcare sector. Herman Wamelink, Frans Haak and Maarten van der Graaf, who is 'a real pleasure to work with', jointly head the team with Kaufmann.

At Van Doorne, the focus is on property financing, with work covering the full roster, including residential, retail, and office space, as well as hotels. In an illustration of this expertise, a team led by Stefan van Rossum advised Aareal Bank, as lender and arranger, on the €34.8m financing of the acquisition and renovation of the Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam. The firm's clients include Dutch and international banks, as well as alternative finance providers, among them funds and institutional investors, which the team assists with leveraged financing and corporate lending. Angelique Thiele is another key contact.

Clients including Dutch and global banks, lenders in the alternative funding sector, and newcomers in the financial markets instruct the team at CMS. Eduard Scheenstra and Marcel Groenewegen are key names and have considerable experience assisting with real estate financing, a core focus for the practice. The key contact for matters within the transportation sector is associate Jesler Hartman Kok. In recent highlights, the firm advised Lloyds Bank on its financing of the Starbed group's Clink Hostel in a deal worth over €56m. Deputy civil law notary Jan Joris van Kampen is also recommended.