The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Netherlands > Environment and planning

‘The team is very experienced and has a very good in-depth knowledge of the laws and regulations of the practice area.‘

‘Erik Dans is very hands-on, is clever, quick and knows exactly the challenges firms like ours are facing.‘

‘De Brauw is an excellent law firm that has been highly regarded in the market for decades. The lawyers of the Planning and Environment practice area combine high legal quality with a practical approach.’

‘They are very approachable and very pleasant to work with.’

‘I have very good experiences with Nicolien van den Biggelaar.  She always knows how to outline the legal framework in a modest way. She is always solution oriented. There is no lawyer with such in-depth and broad knowledge in this area of law. It seems almost be scientific.’

‘Nicolien is creative, has humour, is easily accessible and is always on time. Her documents are accessible and good to understand. Working with her on a project is a real pleasure.‘

‘Nicolien van den Biggelaar is pragmatic, fast, to the point. High quality at high speed.’

‘Arjan Kleinhout is quick to understand underlying interests and knows where he can add value.’

‘De Brauw’s environmental law team actively participates in creating added value for its clients’ projects. The team has leading edge competence in this area and communicates proactively with it’s customers in a very effective way.’

‘In my view this is the best environmental and planning team out there. We worked with the team on various different matters and their expertise and ability to translate complex and not very accessible legal issues into very practical advice is to us very important.’

‘Arjan Kleinhout is also a valued resource. He knows a lot about economic regulation and is also broadening his expertise more towards the environmental and planning side.’

‘For both Nicolien and Arjan I have to say that they also very much invest in really understanding our business Oversight, good technical knowledge and ability to structure and solve complex matters.’

‘There is one central contact person who coordinates quotations, order confirmation, billing, etc. The team who advises on different aspects of our projects make sure that other colleagues within the firm (including the ones in other locations.) are well aware of the total scope and recent activities.’

‘In particular Marloes Brans and Jan Frans de Groot are very nice to work with. They understand the business we are working in, are easy to contact and quick to reply. They have a firm hourly rate, but it’s money well spent. They deliver clear advice that can be applied instantly.’

‘Pelsrijcken has a unique position in advising government on public law. As the fixed law firm for the national government they acquire a broad experience in assisting government in public law related cases. The team therefore has a broad experience. The people are competent lawyers. Their knowledge is complemental to the in-house knowledge of government lawyers‘.

‘Liesbeh Schippers and Roelof Reinders are very dedicated, accessible and easy to get along with. They are real team players and are able to make the team work in a very pleasant way‘.

‘Danielle Roelands is the guru in the field of environmental law (and actually all other administrative law matters). She always answers my questions quickly and in a pragmatic way. She does not have to do any research or write a memo before she is presenting me with the correct conclusion.’

‘Jim Zweers also responds very quickly to several ad hoc questions. We are also very pleased with their work when we need a complete due diligence research about the administrative aspects of an acquisition. The lawyers of the planning and environmental team of Pels Rijcken are very pragmatic without losing sight of the legal framework‘.

‘Liesbeth Schippers is a very enthusiastic and hard working attorney. She works very fast without compromising the impressive quality of her legal advice. With her inspiring personality, her knowledge covers a wide range of subjects and her effective and accurate way of thinking makes a difference in court‘.

‘Legal work has very high quality. Highest quality you can find in The Netherlands. The team is very dedicated and always accessible. Day and night‘.

‘Their legal knowledge stands out and all individuals are really great to work with. Besides that, they give confidence in complex legal projects‘.

‘Firm’s partner Jacques Sluysmans advised us on 2 regulation of ownership cases. He is very knowledgeable in his field of expertise‘.

‘At ENVIR they combine the quality services of a top tier firm with the personal attention of the partners of a boutique firm‘.

‘The team is very experienced, hands on and understands the business needs of the client and translate that into practical advice‘.

‘Iris Kieft is very knowlegdeable on sustainability; speaks the language of the client and understand the client’s business‘.

‘Very specialized firm in evironmental law. Highly professional and very up to date‘.

‘Both Marieke Kaajan and Fleur Onrust stand-out, whereby Fleur Onrust is known for her speed and pragmatic advice where such is required‘.

‘In depth knowledge of the relevant legal matters combined with the ability to maintain a comprehensive overview of the total situation‘.

‘Michael always pick up his phone and takes the time to understand the issue. The key succes of Michael is that even how big or difficult the situation is. Michael can explain it in simple words so everybody can understand it‘.

‘To the point, in depth knowledge, accessible and open minded, explore alternatives. Ability to really argue and reason from the perspective of the client‘.

‘Good connection and engagement to the position of the company. Excellent knowledge of applicable law, experienced in high exposure cases and know how dealing with authorities‘.

‘Stephan Sluiter is a pleasure to deal with. He has a lot of expertise and is able to translate the input of the business quickly and correctly in legal documents. He is sensitive in relationships of the business with competent authorities and always looking for more permanent solutions than going to court. Furthermore, he has a good sense of humour and he is modest‘.

‘The team is headed by Maayke Maas and Stephan Sluyter. Both are very capable and have extended knowledge of the relevant case law concerning environmental issues, especially in harbor related cases‘.

‘Alexandra Danopoulos – Very practical, good listener and knows how the business thinks‘.

‘Six advocaten is a no nonsense boutique firm specialised in Real Estate and connected fields of interest. The partners and employees are knowledgeable, they are easily accessible and respond quickly‘.

‘The interest of the client is well understood and the solution of problems is considered more important than the strict legal approach without going beyond their own competences (good sparring partners)’.

‘Hanneke Ellerman, very good in her field, experienced and with an eye for commercial interests‘.

‘Irma is very capable and has far-reaching legal and strategic ideas and advice. Wouter is a very reliable consultant with a broad perspective on his profession‘.

‘This practice is unique for me because of it’s dedicated approach. They deliver sharp written advice in time; high knowledge of our business; good personal approach‘.

‘The individuals (A. Ferwerda, F. van Nouhuys, S. Tichelaar) I worked with are all dedicated to the case, always deliver in time, are (very) sharp in mind and are  normal and down to earth. All of these  aspects that  for me are what makes them different to their competitors‘.

‘Specialists in multiple fields‘.

‘Expertise and creativity‘.

‘We work with Jan Jakob Peelen and really appreciate working with him. We are quite selective when working with lawyers. In these busy times we need lawyers that act as an extension of our team. Lawyers that are responsive, knowledgeable, hands-on, pragmatic, deliver easy to understand advice and that can take us by the hand if needed. He definitely qualifies as such. We look forward to working with him in the many years to come!‘

‘They are well aware of the latest developments. They can analyze our questions well and ask the right questions. They are reliable in quality, comply with agreements and are involved. They are cost-conscious and there is sufficient time to discuss matters‘.

‘Dentons is able to develop a planning strategy in a very early stage together with us and thus based on our desired real estate development strategy, which allows us to develop a project based on our strategy, but ensuring that we are able to get zoning/building approval in time‘.

‘Valentijn Leijh is a real sparring partner for us in our strategic decisions. Because we involve Dentons in an early stage, Dentons is able to develop a planning strategy advise and combined with our development efforts the advice has to date been 100% successful: it has led to 2 irrevocable zoning plans, 4 irrevocable building permits and 2 water permits for over 1,000 dwellings in the last 5 years. The costs invested in the planning advice in the pre-phase are easily returned, since it also leads to the outcome that we hardly have to fight appeals against zoning plans/permits‘.

‘The team has acurate up-to-date knowledge of all legal matters concerning real estate and adjacent legislation. They come up with creative practical solutions. We have worked with them for years and will continue to do so‘.

‘Eefje van Bommel MRE MRICS is the go-to name for complex inner city (re)developments, having handled many significant permit and planning procedures, for domestic clients. Eefje is solution driven, has a good technical knowledge and provides practical and focused advise‘.

‘Eefje van Bommel at Hemwood is an extremely intelligent and practical lawyer. She has excellent legal skills and does what it takes to reach her client’s goals. She has shown to be responsive, proactive and attentive to her client’s needs. Moreover she is pleasant to work with and a true professional‘.

‘Hemwood is highly specialized but also broad; I can call them for any matter in relation to any type of legal issue regarding property so Hemwood for me is a one-stop shop. I have built relationships with different partners of the firm. They are all leaders in their field, highly knowledgeable but also efficient and pragmatic in their approach because they are able to take my business perspective into account in their advice. I have worked with other firms but have not found this unique combination of knowledge and business sense‘.