EU and competition in Netherlands

‘One of the top-notch competition law firms. Always available and quick to respond with excellent advice.’

‘Jolling de Pree is one of the best professionals in this field. His knowledge and experience in competition law are abundant. I especially value his clear and pragmatic way of advising. He knows his clients well, therefore he is even better at giving pragmatic advice and taking into account the business priorities.’

‘Helen has broad experience both as an external lawyer as well as an in-house lawyer. She fully understands the position and needs of her corporate clients and can offer very pragmatic and ready-to-use advice. In particular, in an area like competition law, it is very important that you find an adviser who offers a clear and well-reasoned position.’

‘Excellent team on all fronts, superb handling of cross-jurisdictional litigation cases, including the manner of client communication.’

‘De Brauw’s EU and Competition team are exceptional. They have a very large team that operates seamlessly and to a very high standard, with an appropriate mix of seniorities involved. Their partners are accessible, strategic and practical, and the more junior lawyers, are all very bright and hungry to achieve client goals.’

‘Jolling de Pree is smart, able to give pragmatic advice in complex matters and is always available.’

‘Best independent Dutch law firm. Great team of partners and associates to work with. Competition practice stands out with a large diverse team of highly skilled practitioners.’

‘Highly qualified, experienced and nice to work with. Stephanie The is a great recent addition to the partnership.’

‘The Stibbe competition team has great expertise, which they apply in a very pragmatic manner. They are very customer focused and quick in responding.’

‘The team at Stibbe is simply the best. There is no comparison to other teams.’

‘Rein Wesseling is a great lawyer, and more importantly, a pleasure to work with. And rightly a tier-one lawyer. Additionally, I have never seen a better associate than Stijn de Jong. If you are talking about up-and-coming lawyers Stijn is the one you need to focus on.’

‘The team at Bird & Bird is very professional, always up to date with the latest case law and acts proactively. They have profound knowledge of sector-specific regulation and of competition law. But most of all, they are unique in dealing with their clients: very accessible and very respectful to their clients.’

‘The team is consistently professional, available to claimants whenever necessary and proactive in sharing advice.’

‘Pepijn van Ginneken – Incredibly knowledgeable, approachable, proactive and always happy to support the wider team in any way. A true team player.’

‘Brinkhof’s EU competition practice is very approachable and always able to deliver.’

‘Hanneke Kooijman is the rising star within the ranks of Brinkhof’s EU and competition practice.’

‘The key contact is Pepijn van Ginneken, who is an extremely assured and well-connected lawyer. In particular, he is precise and brief, and an extremely good adviser (not always the case in NL, even where the lawyers are very knowledgeable). I’ve worked with many of the best known competition lawyers in NL and Pepijn/Brinkhof is my preference.’

‘The knowledge about competition law within the pharmacy market is excellent. I have dealt within Pepijn van Ginneken. I have great confidence in his knowledge in this area. He does his best to understand what the issue is. He gives well-considered advice appropriate to our organization and the presented problems. He is very approachable. He is able to bring complex problems back to basics.’

‘Very hands-on team. Quick in the “turn-around.” And knowledgeable people.’

‘I have worked for a long time with the partner, Pepijn van Ginneken. Very knowledgeable and extremely skilled. Knows also about the industry!’

‘The team at Dentons guarantees triple-A advice, which is on time and easy to work with. Asking this team for help means you will actually be helped instead of receiving new questions or obstacles. Dentons stands for innovation and collaboration, which is illustrated by several online tools for clients.’

‘Marc Kuijper knows our business extremely well, which contributes enormously to the added value of his advice. We appreciate his contribution as a business partner, whilst also providing legal advice of the highest standard at the same time.’

‘Marc is a super legal professional, very focused and a real team player.

‘Bram Braat is very proactive, thinks along with the client and its business and keeps his eyes on the solution.’

‘The team advised us on a difficult state aid matter. They were very well informed and were available night and day.’

‘They’re highly knowledgeable, proactive and well equipped to coordinate work across jurisdictions.’

‘Bram looks always further than just the legal side of the case, it feels like he is part of our management team.’

‘Dentons’ competition team truly operates as a team and gets you the expert advice you need when you need it.’

‘Very much on the ball, Gerrit Oosterhuis and Victorine Dijkstra are calm and dedicated, which contributes to the quality of the responses.’

‘The team is very supportive and responsive, meeting all of our needs. The team is very meticulous in all of its legal analysis and focused on preparing for important court filings well ahead of time.’

‘I would like to recommend Rick Cornelissen, who is very client-oriented and provides appropriate measures when needed.’

‘Houthoff is strong in international matters. Good network, high quality.’

‘We worked with Gerrit Oosterhuis on many projects. Gerrit is a true go-to lawyer who I would always recommend for competition law issues. Excellent in his field, very friendly and strong at analytical thinking. He was always available for us and could always give good and reliable answers to our questions.’

‘Houthoff has a swift and responsive team with good sectoral knowledge. They are also very proactive in suggesting new ways of collaborations and billing.’

‘The Houthoff team is very knowledgeable and all-round which enables them to serve as our “one-stop-shop”’

‘Rick Cornelissen: Simply an amazing lawyer with a great sense of humour and great character. Rick is approachable, available and extremely knowledgeable.

‘Good knowledge of our organization and the market we operate in.’

‘Besides its on-the-spot knowledge and vast experience, involved team members are a real joy to work with.’

‘Marc Wiggers (partner): on the job, always available, experienced, very efficient in/on strategy, ability to understand client’s business in very limited time. Robert Fröger (associate): always available, able to consume vast flows of information in a short time and able to understand the actual business, which results in him becoming a full sparring partner with the client to get the job done.’

‘Very good industry knowledge, practical, nice people to work with.’

‘In our opinion, the team is unique in the Netherlands in combining a top-class competition practice with an unmatched healthcare regulatory practice. No other firm in the Netherlands can offer this combination (at least not with a team of this quality, size and experience), which is why Loyens & Loeff has for many years been the logical choice for us.’

‘Partner Marc Wiggers is singled out for competition work. Marc is a true super-competition specialist. Marc possesses a unique combination of knowledge and expertise of competition law on the one hand, and specific knowledge and experience in the healthcare (insurance) sector on the other hand.’

‘We have been working with Arnout for several years and I have got to know him as a very smart lawyer who is very client-oriented and very experienced in the field of competition law. He has a hands-on mentality and is always willing to help.’

‘Nima Lorjé; he proves that modesty and excellence are perfectly compatible in the legal sector. A top-quality all-around competition lawyer. We will hear a lot more about him in the near future.’

‘The team stands out for its technical knowledge, its practical approach and speed of response.’

‘Mauricette Schaufeli has done a great job re-building the competition team in the last couple of years. The hiring of Nima Lorje as an associate partner was also a good recruitment move and I would expect him to develop well in this role over the coming years.’

‘Mauricette is calm, measured and astute. She is has a collaborative working manner and gets things done on time.’

‘The team we work with provides good and quick advice. The advice is of an excellent nature and does not need a lot of adaptations/corrections. The team understands quickly what is the problem and what is expected.’

‘Mauricette Schaufeli: Very responsive and sound legal advice. A seasoned competition lawyer who has her client’s interests in mind and stays true to her values and principles while staying constructive with a “problem solving” attitude.’

‘The team combines good knowledge of competition law (and economics) with a pragmatic approach. They also take time to design an appropriate (and creative) fee arrangement suitable for any particular project.’

‘Working with Erik Pijnacker Hordijk is such a pleasure. He understands the business, is available, is always fast and sharp in his assessment and is practical in terms of advising. “The standard” for a competition lawyer.’

‘Pels provides calm support on the spot with relevant legal knowledge and proactive suggestions that go further than the principal matter at hand. The key distinguishing characteristic of Pels is that they really have adapted their approach on legal matters to the modern age. Instead of supplying only legal theoretical surveys, they take a practical approach taking into account the day-to-day business of my organization. So there is a clear link between a solid legal foundation and options on how to act. Fantastic!’

‘Dedicated and well-informed team. Willingness to think a long while case develops.’

‘The practice is unique because it has all the in-house expertise needed for providing full-service legal advice to the public sector. If necessary, a team of lawyers will be put together. The Pels Rijcken lawyers are also renowned for their expertise and have an excellent reputation in the academic field.’

‘I have worked together with Erik Pijnacker Hordijk and Georges Dictus on several court cases. They have shown a good insight into the way high court judges are likely to react to a given degree of technical reasoning, allowing us to have reached jointly supported written submissions and plea strategies in the past.’

‘The team displays a hands-on mentality when it comes to advising the client. It doesn’t matter whether the case is complex or not. Every case gets the attention it needs. They carefully dissect the issues at hand and provide practical solutions.’

‘Georges Dictus stands out for his expertise in state aid law. His pragmatic approach is very effective in figuring out what the issues at hand are and which solutions fit best for the client.’

‘The Pels team is very pleasant to work with. They have a good understanding of our position and prove to be a good sparring partner.’

‘I much appreciate the quality of Minos’ work (crisp, to-the-point, smart), his availability, experience in the field, and also that he is a genuinely kind person. I have referred several of our clients to him and received only good feedback.’

‘Very experienced team, very responsive, longstanding cooperation in different (cross-border) engagements.’

‘Minos van Joolingen: excellent, outstanding antitrust lawyer’

‘Banning’s team is very capable of understanding customer needs and converting them into concrete and effective solutions.’

‘In addition to being an excellent lawyer, Mr Van Joolingen is an extremely pleasant person to work with, a sparring partner and a person who proposes workable solutions. Not unimportant, this partner also has a dose of healthy humor.’

‘The person we work with is a top specialist in our sector. He is familiar with the newest national and European developments. Since he has been our advisor for many years now, he knows the context of our organisation. He is always available for quick questions, as well as for strategy and tough negotiations.’

‘Structured team, very professional, supportive, delivers well and quickly. Very nice to work with.’

‘Many law firms are well-prepared and give detailed and exhaustive legal counsel, but Banning’s team are also very friendly and have an informal approach.’

‘A team of very knowledgeable competition experts that translates the legal theory and nuances to lawyers and non-lawyers (including board room members) who are less knowledgeable. They keep up to date with the latest and greatest in competition law and give excellent training to in-house teams on compliance matters.’

‘Due to the longstanding relationship that is present between our company and BarentsKrans, it is always possible to exchange thoughts on business topics without a further introduction on the connected conditions. This makes for a great collaboration.’

‘Communication is one of Tim’s strengths. Tim is almost always available in case of ad-hoc questions and thinks on his feet. This flexibility, paired with exceptional knowledge on EU competition law, contributes to a great overall experience.’

‘Preeminent competition damages litigation group works in a very tight and seamless manner. Every team member has considerable individual merit and experience.’

‘Bas Braeken is a respected competition lawyer with excellent technical skills.’

‘Bas and his team, including notably Jade Versteeg, work as an integrated machine, delivering what they promised as they promised.’

‘The partner I work with has a high level of knowledge and is able to use this to present clear advice and practical recommendations in complicated business situations.’

‘The team has depth and knowledge of the courts and judicial thinking in the Netherlands, which gives it an edge over its rivals.’

‘The reason for working with this team is their no-nonsense approach, pragmatic and to the point advice. Janet Meesters and her team are experts in their field. The very pleasant additional advantage is that the team is friendly and fun to work with. And they always keep their word.’

‘Janet Meesters is a businesswoman with a human touch and that is simply very pleasant.’

‘Deep competition law knowledge. Down to earth. Pragmatic. High availability.’

‘A team of people who were dedicated to getting all the information related to our case right.’

‘Maverick is in a very specific niche (competition), and within that niche with a clear strategy to represent the market against regulators. The team is well attuned to each other, and as to the (legal) merits ‘clearly on the ball’.’

‘Martijn van de Hel: a sharp, strategic lawyer with humor, who feels ‘at home’ against the regulator. He is very well aware and knows the relevant context, environment and factors in a file. And more importantly: the regulator knows he knows.’

‘The Maverick team is not only amongst the top firms in their field in The Netherlands, but it also provides consistently better value for money. They deliver when promised and give us advice that is actionable. I wish we could find similar teams in other jurisdictions.’

‘Martijn van de Hel is one of the most entrepreneurial and committed advisers I have come across. He thinks like his clients, he advises them like a friend and, when necessary, fights for them like family. His legal expertise is amongst the best. He is incredibly proactive, diligent and fair. Not afraid to stick his neck out. Most Valuable Player in his field, as far as I can tell.’

‘Diederik Schrijvershof is proactive, approachable and very responsive.’

‘We have a very good overview of the market in EU and competition law in the Netherlands. Maverick stands out for its thorough and well-thought-out advice that is practical.’

‘Small team with excellent expertise: can match the quality of the big firms, with the guaranteed engagement of the partner(s) on the file as you find with niche firms. Their marketing campaigns are always innovative and daring with a funny link to latest developments in competition law.’

‘Martijn van de Hel is a seasoned and excellent lawyer combining technical expertise with a hands-on approach and a down-to-earth mentality. Able to level with the client and other counsel in an amicable and constructive manner, yet firm when required.’

‘The specialised, dedicated and highly skilled staff members make Stek unique. It’s a true niche office in which you find partners and other members of the team that are fast-moving, flexible and available for their clients. In contrast to the large law firms, you mostly deal with partners and are never ‘handed over’ to associates.’

‘Berend Reuder is the partner at Stek dealing with competition law and is a dedicated, highly skilled and down-to-earth professional. He is not only an excellent lawyer but thinks further than the case at hand. Always one step ahead, and always there for his clients. A lawyer you can truly rely on.’

‘The Stek competition team delivers high-quality advice and service which is comparable to top law firms in the Netherlands. Thereby charging fees that are very reasonable. Exceptional value for money.’

‘Berend is able to deliver very clear-cut and pragmatic advice on a subject (ie competition) on which competitors tend to be somewhat vague.’

‘Very practical advice, great training skills.’

‘Berend Reuder was very easy to work with, he quickly understood our business and corresponding needs.’

‘Van Doorne N.V. may commend itself for its high-quality opinions that demonstrate a very thorough knowledge of competition law and related branches of law. They put the client’s needs first and try to propose creative solutions that meet the client’s demands.’

‘Sarah Beeston excels because of her many years of experience regarding damages in competition cases. This enables her to give very efficient and thorough advice on this complex matter. And all that with a sincere smile. Nina Korstenbroek is very hands-on and pleasant to work with.’

‘The EU and Competition team is always on call, never fails to deliver legal support of the highest value. International, female-led, very good collaboration with in-house lawyers and business.’

‘Sarah Beeston is one of the best EU and competition lawyers in Europe. She is always thoroughly professional, quick and client-oriented. She understands the business and does not try to be too ‘lawyerly’ when an effective way forward lies in a balanced sales-oriented approach. And she is wonderful in conversation, always listens and has a good sense of humor.’

‘We are happy to have been working with van Doorne for several years now. They know our business and the market well. They also know how we work. The lines of communication are short. We can pick up the phone to brainstorm about issues. We have worked with other firms in the past but choose Van Doorne.’

‘Our primary point of contact is Sarah Beeston. She is very approachable and practical. Her advice is always spot on. We also have good contact with Maurits Terlouw. When Sarah and Maurits give training to our sales personnel they are clear, practical and fun. Teamwork is clearly key to the relations within Van Doorne and between Van Doorne and us.’

‘The van Doorne team is great to work with! They are slightly smaller than the heavy hitters but this makes it particularly easy to establish a close working relationship.’

‘Their antitrust team is very solid and they are trusted partners.’

‘Joost Houdijk is an excellent EU and competition law specialist. He has the knowledge to do a deep-dive in this complex area of expertise, but at the same time, he is able to come up with quick, pragmatic solutions.’

‘Very flexible in planning and always provides an understandable explanation of complex issues, even for non-lawyers.’

‘The team is able to put the right person forward with the relevant capabilities very fast. So no time wasted on internal discussions.’

‘The person we work with most, Joost Houdijk, is first of all knowledgeable, but secondly can formulate it short, compact and to the point. This is important in a business context where the legal details matter, however have to be translated into business decisions. Thirdly he’s always very fast to respond, mostly within the hour.’

‘Joost has extensive experience in all aspects of competition law. He is a rock-solid adviser and a great litigator with great knowledge. This makes him a hard opponent for other lawyers.’

‘Our AKD lawyers are always ready to perform and always perform.’

‘Always accurate, available and outplaying others’ legal advice.’

‘The individuals all have a lot of knowledge. Besides this, they are very friendly and open. You truly feel that they support you and that you work together with them. Also, they ensure that I feel understood as a client and that I also understand the process and different steps we are going through.’

‘Practical advice that is both timely and insightful.’

‘Frans Muller is the absolute best. Responsive, smart and practical.’

‘Very smart practitioners. Easy to work with.’

‘Yvan Desmedt in Amsterdam is fantastic.’

‘Jones Day’s lawyers provide quick and timely services and they not only have legal viewpoints, but also business views. They always consider and propose countermeasures for future risks. This is a very good point for private companies.’

‘Highly skilled team with an ability to give practical answers aligned business needs.’

‘Prompt, direct to the point and business-focused advice from the individuals. Yvan Desmedt is a very skilled and business-oriented lawyer able to advise in a variety of legal aspects.’