The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Netherlands > Energy: transactional

‘Practical and commercially focused when needed combined with a broad and deep expertise on corporate law, finance, security, M&A, regulatory, etc. I am confident to tackle a new challenge or negotiation with Houthoff, and confident they can help settle a fair structure with a view to the real risks. Belong to the small group of the best finance and energy firms in the Netherlands.‘

‘Maurits de Haan and Kirsten Berger in particular embody the qualities described above, offering a broad range of skills for complex structuring, deals and negotiations.‘

‘Sound knowledge and outstanding expertise about energy business in general and our business in particular. In energy business relevant and practical experience is key, otherwise engaging outside counsel is useless. Houthoff has succeeded in locking in this experience and therefore is able to give high quality no nonsense and relevant advice. Compared to other firms the team holds a very competitive position, the number of law firms that can supply equivalent services is very limited.‘

‘Marc van Beuge’s knowledge about energy law in combination with commercial contracting is unrivalled. He is extremely motived, always delivers (day and night), easy going, very responsive and also a nice guy to closely work with. He easily blends into an organisation, to come to tailor made and practical advice.‘

‘The team is hands-on, services minded and very pleasant to work with. They bring ample knowledge and expertise and to the heavy lifting to get the deal done!‘

‘With Houthoff we found a dedicated team player that is geared towards swift, practical and strong solutions for international initiatives from multinational companies in pursuit of hitting their ambitious sustainability targets. They help us meet our challenges in putting in place renewable energy power purchase agreements across the world.‘

‘The team is led by Kirsten Berger who stands out as one of the best in her field. She is a clear expert. Sharp, practical and very professional. She delivers and clearly enjoys working her magic. I would strongly recommend her to any multinational with a challenging sustainable energy transformation agenda.‘

‘The client service is always high, as is the quality of the advice. The firm is especially strong in M&A work in the energy sector, and has an excellent track record. Hands-on, client driven and very easy to work with. Good value for money spent. Excellent alternative for the expensive ‘Zuid-As’-Firms.‘

‘Jeroen Terstegge is a  rising star in the M&A/corporate/energy sector, very pleasant to work with, dedicated and a very clever lawyer with in-depth knowledge. He delivers great work. He is able to understand very complex issues and to deliver clever solutions.‘

‘Stephan Sluijters –  very pleasant, fast thinking lawyer and an excellent dealmaker. He does understand what clients would like to see. Responsive and on the ball.’

‘Highly efficient and knowledgeable team. Always well prepared for calls and meetings and very communicative to clients and other parties involved.‘

‘Claudia Beele – sharp and pragmatic. Great communicator.’

‘More than other firms Stek delivers actionable advice. They probably would compete with others in terms of legal knowledge but the practical approach is of tremendous value to me as a client.‘

‘Jeroen Timmmermans –  senior partner but very hands-on and involved. Great to work with and actually get things done in short amount of time.‘

‘Stibbe’s energy team is unique in the sense that I have not yet found another law firm with a similar focus. Most of the time law firms are organised per field of law and not per market segment. The Stibbe team is well experienced in large energy transactions and at the same time well informed about current market developments. This makes it a so called one-stop-shop for parties doing business in the field of energy or other large capital goods.’

‘Martin In de Braekt is well informed and a great advisor. The fact that focusses on energy transactions makes his advice very relevant and not unnecessarily theoretical. At the negotiating table he can vary styles to suit any situation.‘

‘In touch with all rumours, developments in the sector Involved in most deals, so very up to date on market practice.‘

‘Martin In de Braekt has been involved in most deals for the past dozen years.‘

‘The team’s vast experience with deals in this industry and the deep understanding of how this industry works. They relate to what is going on behind the scenes and in a highly sophisticated manner help bring negotiations forward.‘

‘Two specific stand outs: Martin In de Baekt and Li Wee Toh. I value their deep understanding of the industry, their sophistication when it comes to understanding what is going on in board rooms and using their legal expertise to facilitate negotiations rather than creating obstacles.‘

‘From the start they were able to participate in the discussions and added value to the agreements. Keeping focused on our interest, they were able to find common grounds on hard topics. The combination of Rutger and Inge was very strong and we will for sure go to them a next time.‘

‘They comes with a HOW and WHY solution and not with the question how we think it should be done.‘

‘A benefit of Biesheuvel Jansen advocaten is that you get the personal attention of the partners, which all have extensive experience in M&A and energy matters. The team has in-depth knowledge of M&A transactions and the energy sector in general.‘

‘We mostly work with Rutger Jansen (trusted advisor when it comes to corporate and energy matters). He is an excellent M&A and energy lawyer who is a hard and loyal worker and has extensive experience in the energy sector (particularly in M&A transactions and renewable projects (such as wind, biomass and solar). A strength of Rutger Jansen is that he understands the business and financial rationale behind an energy M&A transaction or project which enables him to swiftly translate our desired business and financial terms in the documentation.’

I also recommend Inge Timmerman for M&A and energy work, because she is committed and knows her stuff.‘

‘Hands on team, flexible and pragmatic. Enthusiastic, and competent. Cheaper than larger offices.‘

‘They bring value for money. Enthusiastic, competent, result driven individuals.‘

‘They focus incredibly well on goals and results.‘

‘Extremely well organised.‘

‘CMS has one of strongest teams for renewable energy/energy related topics. From regulatory and tax to finance and transactional topics, CMS provides a high quality of services. They are unique in having done some of the premier deals in the Dutch market to date.‘

‘Cecilia van der Weijden is a smart, capable, and considerate M&A lawyer. She knows how to navigate negotiations and eloquently control winning positions. Her management of due diligence processes and promptly staying on top of deal topics demonstrates her decade plus of experience in the Dutch market. She is available for adhoc discussions and provides relevant negotiation tactics. She knows how to trouble shoot if/when issues present themselves.‘