The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Netherlands > Real estate

‘The team operates effectively, each specialist taking their role and dedicated to delivering within the set time frames. They don’t rush things off, but make sure to address all due diligence items diligently.‘

‘Houthoff has some excellent partners and associates, they have a thorough and very good understanding of the transaction being worked on. To me, the partner and associate that we highly recommend is Herman Lohman – very committed, pro-active, analytical and keeps a close eye on the ultimate goal of the client, so has a commercial mindset as well.‘

‘Best in class legal advisory firm in the Netherlands.‘

‘Lucas Louwerier is one of the best real estate lawyers (notaries) in the Netherlands. He is involved in high end transactions and complex projects. Lucas has very good technical skills and market knowledge. It is a pleasure working with him and his experienced team members. He is a nice person and has a very practical approach.‘

‘Large team, so always available, even on last-minute large assignments. Able to support in all legal aspects (acquisitions, notary, banking, zoning, etc), all coordinated by the same partners, which is very convenient and efficient for clients.‘

‘Jan Cees Kuiken is highly respected and (in my opinion) the best real estate notary in the Netherlands. Marco Witmer is great support, always thinking about solutions and always available in the notary department. Andre de Neve is exceptional in terms of case knowledge and being able to anticipate the implications of all aspects when in negotiations.‘

‘The team is both very knowledgeable and practical. They are well informed and pleasant to work with. We have built a trusting relationship with the team.‘

‘Dolf de Jong and Thijs Harperink both act as true advisers to the client but are also committed to finding a solution to get the deal done. Thus, they keep in mind the specific requirements of the client.‘

‘The Houthoff team is highly professional, no nonsense and not too aggressive. They are very responsive and really support their clients.‘

‘We work with great pleasure with Lucas Louwerier and Pieter Tieskens and their team.‘

‘One of the largest real estate practices in the Netherlands. A real one stop shop.‘

‘Felicitas Stern (senior associate) is extremely responsive and always delivers on time. Jurriaan van der Stok (partner) is very knowledgeable and deal focused. The team assisted us with a complex structured sale of the yet to be constructed project SPOT in Amsterdam Southeast to Amvest comprising 880 turnkey apartments, 20,000 square metres of office space and commercial space.‘

‘L&L: One stop shop – Performed a dedicated job with a big team on a complex transaction with many disciplines involved.‘

‘Steven Lucas – is a no nonsense partner with the ability to keep complex matters simple and true to their essence. In that way solutions and options become clear.‘

‘Steven Lucas has built a strong team. It’s still expanding and he is always able to deliver a full-service real estate due diligence team within one day, ready to enter the dataroom. They are all highly qualified and motivated.‘

‘Steven Lucas is extremely smart and a good communicator. This combination makes him very strong. He is definitely going to be an established player in the real estate market. What I also like about him is that he still litigates. This keeps the knife sharp while drafting our contracts. I really like working with him.‘

‘Taco de Lange and Reint Bolhuis both helped us. Taco is very senior, has a lot of knowledge and is a strategic thinker. He always keeps the interests of clients in mind. Reint is pro-active and able to use his legal knowledge on a project. He creates the documents, drafts emails to third parties and helps us with complex ownership situations.‘

‘The team always sees the bigger picture and easily combines experience from various practice areas.‘

‘AKD is highly regarded in the construction, real estate and PFI practices. They are very good and have in-depth knowledge of the real estate market.‘

‘Marc Wintgens is an excellent lawyer, with plenty of experience and outstanding negotiation skills. He is very smart, creative and has leadership. Teije van Dijk is a strong real estate litigator who can act very well in large cases and projects. He is an excellent lawyer and very practical.‘

‘Knowledge, skills and personal engagement are excellent.‘

‘Marc Wintgens is one of the sharpest analytical legal minds. He always surprises me with his ability to “hit the nail right on the head” – he is always able to address the vital issue in a case (especially with regards to contractual issues). The same is applicable for his associate Jeannette Luijten. She has excellent knowledge and experience in international cases.‘

‘Superb knowledge, creativity in searching for solutions, truly supportive in solving business challenges.‘

‘They are very focused on getting the deal done and solve problems.‘

‘Marlies Pierik is very hands-on, is clever and knows exactly the challenges firms like ours are facing. Reint Bolhuis is very dedicated, accurate and always willing to assist.‘

‘AKD delivers quality and does it in a careful and diligent manner. They act as a partner in the development of the deal and give us legal and overall counsel. Also, they helped us in negotiations.‘

‘Frenk Huisman has proven to be an experienced and hands-on lawyer who acted on several cases on our behalf.‘

‘Frenk Huisman: a terrific lawyer and well spoken. Always eager to achieve the most for his client and will do his best.‘

‘Frenk Huisman is a very knowledgeable real estate lawyer. He is able to convince counter parties of his point of view. In addition he is a nice person to work with.‘

‘Frenk Huisman is a legal expert in real estate transactions involving Amsterdam data centre assets – he has showcased his astute ability to represent and defend clients’ interests in complex issues, and has an in-depth knowledge and expertise in this area of work. Frenk is a responsive, competent and effective lawyer that any client should have to see through their complex transactions.‘

‘Joanna Bebenek: very experienced notaries, precise, service orientated, great SPAs.‘

‘Very knowledgeable people and service providers of the kind you would like to have.‘

‘Accurate and cooperative.‘

‘The team has diverse disciplines covered, such as law, notary and tax.‘

‘Hands on practice, committed to deals, punctual.‘

‘The team is accurate and quick to respond. Furthermore, their commercial skills are high. The office offers all-round and wide-scale professional real estate assistance, not only transactional, but also notary, finance, environmental, technical/software, tax, etc.‘

‘Eager to do the transaction, highly dedicated, quick, flexible and creative.‘

‘Easy to work with, flexible and very knowledgeable.‘

‘Arnout Scholten: open minded, carries out risk-based analysis, advises outside the strict boundaries of the project. Can play different roles.‘

‘Their broad experience and in-depth knowledge about the real estate market make this firm one of the best and finest to work with in the Netherlands.‘

‘Hein van der Meer and his team have an outstanding reputation to make things happen. Together with his associates, he can make a real difference.‘

‘It was very pleasant to work with experts in their fields who were efficient and cooperative.‘

‘The Dentons team provided solid and clear advice on a large construction project. They are reliable and provide the full range of services necessary for a real estate developer.‘

‘The team is well organised and have a good knowledge about the subject. The team we work with knows us really well and this creates a good relation between us and them. This also makes sure that we both know what we can expect from each other.‘

‘Wendela Raas and Jeroen Leclerq have a very clear way in which they analyse the problem at hand and can explain in a clear way which are the legal options to deal with the situation.‘

‘Dirk-Jan Gondrie is a great person for legal advice, solution-oriented and thoughtful, especially at the negotiation table.‘

‘Highly specialised and dedicated team with very pragmatic lawyers.‘

‘They are always there for us. They go that extra mile and they involve specialists if necessary.‘

‘Very good communication skills, very pragmatic, they make difficult things simple and easy to understand.‘

‘Specialised in tenancy law. Quick responses.‘

‘Best in class in terms of knowledge and on time delivery of advice. Well designed strategical and practical solutions.‘

‘As a large international company with presence in over 100 countries, the DLA Piper network is invaluable. We have been working with projects in Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland simultaneously and that the teams have been able to cooperate cross-border has been key for us. The team provides top level legal services. We are also impressed that they are able to advise us on commercial issues and we use them more as a partner for entering the market, than just a legal service provider.‘

‘Hans-Mark Giezen is a very experienced and all-around lawyer who is capable of providing sound legal advice. He is pragmatic and is focused on finding a solution in order for the client to achieve the best deal. I would described Hans-Mark as a lawyer that knows what he is talking about. He always thinks from a commercial perspective and that is an added value for a lawyer. Kirsy Corten is a young rising star within the practice group. She has an excellent eye for details. She is skilled, (commercially) fast thinking and provides excellent legal advice that is practical. She is a legal jewel.‘

‘Leen van der Marel is the best in the Netherlands.‘

‘Pragmatic, client focused, always available.‘

‘Monique Laenen and Axel Visschedijk are very client focused, very quick to respond, pragmatic and solution-focused when dealing with complex and difficult negotiations.‘

‘DLA’s real estate team is put together in such a way that all legal disciplines relevant in this respect are represented (private/civil law, leasing law and administrative law), and not many Dutch law firms have this in order.‘

‘Monique Laenen stands out as a notary and leader of the real estate team. She is a very solid legal expert and is pleasant to work with.‘

‘Knowledge combined with creativity and response time!‘

‘Rutger Oranje and Monique Laenen form a winning team.‘

‘The real estate practice of DLA is one of the best practice groups in real estate in the Netherlands. The team is knowledgeable and pragmatic.‘

‘Michiel de Wit: great expertise and pragmatic goal-oriented approach in commercial letting. Thorough legal analysis and quick pro-active ad-hoc advice. Reliable lease house-keeping.‘

‘Good team with excellent knowledge in different fields concerning development, construction, and operation of real estate.‘

‘They are quick and pro-active. Their knowledge is excellent.‘

‘Practical, capable and 24/7 service.‘

‘High level of legal knowledge which is of use during transaction negotiations.‘

‘High level of knowledge. Practical approach towards problems and always thinking in solutions. Fine people to talk with and always ring back or send an email on short notice. Good understanding of deadlines.‘

‘They are very practical and to the point. They are pro-active and quick.‘

‘Practical and creative, look for solutions rather than only warning about problems.‘

‘Worked with Michiel de Wit for a couple of years already – a very precise and reliable lawyer. It’s also worth mentioning that he is very capable of dealing with foreign companies.‘

‘Good experience. Long term relationship. Very experienced.‘

‘The team is very committed to its clients.‘

‘They are committed and they seem to understand everything with one explanation. They produce deeds in any form very quickly.‘

‘We have been working with Simmons & Simmons for quite some years. It goes without saying that we are provided with sound legal advice and solutions, that Simmons is responsive and gets the job done. However, what makes the team we work with stand out from others, is that we know Simmons truly wants to understand our business, our concerns and our goals, which goes beyond having good sector knowledge. They have made a lot of effort to understand our business, and continue to do this. They feel it is very important to ensure we get advice that is of value to us, that caters to our needs and which we can implement easily as it fits our business. We also appreciate that they work and staff matters as efficiently as possible. We know there is always a well experienced lawyer on top of a case.‘

‘In particular we work frequently with head of real estate Luc Cohen, and managing associate Andrea Chao who is specialised in project development and construction. We know Luc and Andrea are dedicated to working with us, are very excited about the projects we are developing, and take a lot of pleasure and pride out of working with us. We know they deal with the most innovative and challenging types of projects, so we know we are in good hands with Luc and Andrea.‘

‘Jan van Oosten: exceptional engagement and professionalism. It feels like Jan is your in-house team member. Manages a team of expert lawyers very well, also those more senior than himself. Advice is always on time and very useful, which is not always the way on the Dutch legal service market. Jan has led our project and our team through the difficult legal and business reality of the Dutch real estate market. Anne-Marie Span: very engaged with a very good level of legal knowledge. Anne-Marie has grown together with our project and is currently one of the strongest elements in the team dedicated to our project.‘

‘The real estate team has a lot of experience and is capable of scaling up the effort/team if necessary.‘

‘The partner was honest, stable and versed.‘

‘Strengths: their wide spread knowledge, flexibility, experience and perfect price/quality ratio. And the people are very friendly and respond quickly.‘

‘Friendly and flexible with high knowledge.‘

‘The real estate team at Van Doorne is very knowledgeable and able to adapt to different (difficult) counter parties. Their responses are swift and efficient. They are committed to the deal.‘

‘Arien van Heesen, Dennis Sloot, Tess Lont and Puck Nannes are all pleasant and efficient to work with. They are committed and client-oriented. They know what the client is looking for and act as a trusted adviser.‘

‘Good mix between the experience and knowledge of the “old hands” and the eagerness and new views of the “new gang”. Solid and balanced service and advice at good rates.‘

‘Annerie Ploumen carries a ton of knowledge and experience and puts it to work for the client. She is well respected by her peers (the opposition) and sees right through the younger ones.‘

‘Smart, capable team that knows their trade. Experienced counsel who are technically strong and also commercial thus able to progress transactions smoothly without always waiting for clients’ feedback.‘

‘Arien van Heesen, Friso Foppes and Desiree van der Veer are our go-to team for real estate transactions.‘

‘High flexibility and availability.‘

‘Very high knowledge of the case involved.‘

‘The team has the strength to advise on all the facets of real estate. Providing both legal advice and also a notary is a big plus for this company.‘

‘Besides the fact that we are working with nice people they also have a hands-on mentality which is something that fits to our company philosophy.‘

‘The Eversheds team are very knowledgeable, professional, efficient and personable. I have always been very satisfied and confident with all the work they have done for us, both in the UK and The Netherlands.‘

‘All disciplines covered, personal, high level staff that will actually be involved in your case.‘

‘Femke Borst: razor sharp and helps close deals by finding solutions during negotiations that work for both parties.‘

‘The Six Advocaten team distinguishes itself by the fact that they are very approachable and combines this with really great legal knowledge and also commercial knowledge of the market in which they operate. Within the expertise of their boutique, they offer advice on all relevant jurisdictions, each partner with their own speciality. We are happy to refer work and clients to the Six Advocaten team. As you can see from the growth of the firm and the development of their client portfolio, the firm is truly one of the important players in real estate.‘

‘Leon Burgersdijk is truly an authority in his field of construction law in the broadest sense of the word. He is very pleasant to work with, reacts quickly and deals with his clients in a pleasantly informal but professional manner. Benno den Teuling is for us the person to refer everything that has to do with procurement law. Pleasant lawyer, great dedication to his cases and clients. And, not unimportantly, a good sense of humour.‘

‘The firm provides all legal services needed for real estate projects at the top level, whether it is real estate development or real estate transactions. They are truly excellent value for money with low fees compared to other firms.‘

‘Anne-Marie Ferwerda has an incredible knowledge of public law, especially zoning law. Wilfried Koster is not only an excellent lawyer, but he also has a profound understanding of my business. He always keeps my business goals in mind when advising on legal aspects. He is a truly trusted adviser. He also brings humour to the table, which can be very helpful in tough negotiations.‘

‘In my opinion the juridical help and advice of Straatman Koster is very accurate, linked with the practice of real estate (and not only theoretical), all-round and specific if needed. Very nice personal contact, friendly, reasonable and a joy to work with.‘

‘For years I have worked with Olivier Vermeulen as a juridical adviser, sometimes in the role of a lawyer (law cases). In these situations Olivier has the excellent qualities for being diplomatic and emphatic at the same time (besides the excellent juridical knowledge of matter) and seeking solutions. By this positive and emphatic position, a lot of cases can be solved quite easily and smoothly. In fact Bas Razenberg, Violet Acar and Thérèse Fraai have these qualities in common with Olivier. Enthusiastic, accurate, friendly and always provide good advice leading to solutions.‘

‘They have a lot of knowledge. Understand the situation from both sides, which give them the ability to find the right legal solution.‘

‘Have the ability to explain the problem and solution in simple Dutch words. They also have an eye for the social aspect of our work.‘

‘Straatman Koster is a highly specialised niche firm with 25 lawyers. I appreciate its pragmatic approach and engagement at the strategic level, followed by executing on contracts and litigating when necessary. They have a team with specialists, mostly senior lawyers, the team acts very quickly, and is responsive and pro-active. They know the market and work for both private and public parties, which makes them good all-round lawyers as well.‘

‘My contact person is Joost Hoekstra. I consider him to be a leading real estate lawyer with a broad experience in project development. He combines broad experience and knowledge of private and environmental law, which is very helpful in negotiating and drafting agreements relating to project development. Furthermore, he is a specialist in transformation projects, which is one of the hot topics in Dutch real estate these days, and public-private partnership contracts.‘

‘Price versus quality; quality of good contracts is very good. Fast delivery and contact response, pro-active discussions during negotiations. Able to discuss legal items with non-legal counterparts. Clear use of language in contracts – no archaic language. Good social skills.‘

‘Joost Hoekstra: clear language, amiable, pro-active in pointing out potential pitfalls, able to explain legal discussions to non-legal counterparts. Knowledge of all relevant items in real estate. Good at deducing potential fiscal consequences as well as seeking additional advice, good social skills. Marinda de Smidt: clear language, good social skills, very good with additional knowledge on spatial and environmental legislation as well as real estate. To the point and good at explaining legal concepts, to both legal counterparts and non-legal counterparts. Bas Razenberg: good at planning, always delivers within the planned time frame, knowledgeable about real estate.‘

‘Pro-active mindset, not shying away from solving difficult problems.‘

‘With regards to real estate, Peter Jansema has been very diligent in assisting us with various issues. Always ready to provide his experienced advice.‘

‘Focused and dedicated real estate practice. Top notch.‘

‘Gijs Heutink and Karin Markerink: sharp, clear, knowledgeable, good communication.‘

‘The lawyers at Hemwood are not only knowledgeable, but also understand the business. This I find very important. And, they win many cases for us in court.‘

‘Personal approach, detailed knowledge about specific topics, fast, solution-oriented.‘

‘Practical, service-oriented and a great deal of knowledge/expertise in the real estate area.‘

‘Sonja van der Kamp is a great personality, a pleasure to work with and gives a clear and practical picture of how to solve any case.‘

‘Good and quick responses. Clear service and direct contacts.‘

‘Down to earth, high quality, good in-depth knowledge, great service.‘

‘They excel in their field. They work quickly, thoroughly and effectively. They are easy to approach. They can make difficult material understandable for lay people in a good way.‘

‘Gijs Heutink: top negotiator.‘

‘Very good practice. Always available for the best legal solutions and advice.‘

‘Astrid Temmerman and Karin Lemckert are very good.‘

‘Pels Rijcken is unique, because the team has a broad knowledge of planning and environmental law. They always respond to our questions very quickly and accurately. No other law firms answer questions so quickly as the lawyers of Pels Rijcken do. The advice is pragmatic and useful and not just a legal plea.‘

‘Daniëlle Roelands-Fransen 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 presents 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 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.‘

‘Pels Rijcken & Drooglever Fortuijn specialises in providing legal advisory services for government companies. This requires, for example, high-level subject-specific knowledge in general administrative law. In practice these issues often arise from other fields, such as real estate, tenders, notaries, etc. This combination of knowledge makes it pleasant to work with this firm.‘

‘Very personal approach to the working relationship.‘

‘Accurate, fast and compelling advice.‘

‘Very broad knowledge of both civil and public building law.‘

‘Very good communication skills also with regard to non-lawyers (both management and technicians).‘

‘The team is very responsive and always provides exactly what is needed.‘

‘Great attention to detail and they really understand what is needed from a business perspective.‘

‘Highly skilled, professional and friendly.‘

‘Very accurate team.‘

‘Very in-depth and professional knowledge.‘

‘It is a large office with many different areas of expertise. The different fields of expertise have good contact with each other. A cross-expertise question can be answered quickly in this way. Compared to other offices, the in-house expertise is considerable. People are also always willing to help.‘

‘We work with Kirsten Prick and Artie Chinnoe. They are both fully aware of the laws and regulations with regard to the work we have assigned to them. Both can also be approached for advice and they will pro-actively contact us if the situation gives them cause to do so.‘

‘Practical and no-nonsense approach.‘

‘Good internal communication and hand-over amongst the various team members. This also applies to cases where advice is required in different legal areas where they utilise their all-round team with (solicitor) colleagues covering different legal areas. In addition they have strong ties with third-party service providers like translators for legal documentation and overseas legal advice.‘

‘Consistent output and good dependability. Kirsten Prick and Lous Vervuurt do not shy away from sharing their thoughts and personal views on our sometimes atypical and complex questions.‘

‘What makes the practice unique, I think, is the focus of Fort Advocaten on real estate, the size of the firm (not too big, not too small) and the professionalism and informality of the team.‘

‘I work closely with Jodit de Bruin and Berth Brouwer.‘

‘Solid, reliable, all relevant disciplines are in-house. Very quick responses and reactions.‘

‘Most of the time I worked with Katinka Verdurmen. She is a very hard working lawyer with a sharp mind and often has out of the box creative solutions to problems. She is polite, a quick thinker with humour, and knows how to ease tensions. This style is reflected in her team, Maaike Boomsma and Mirjam Davelaar.‘

‘The real estate team is at a high level. The response speed is good. The price-quality ratio is good.‘

‘Katinka Verdurmen and Maaike Boomsma: the lawyers are friendly. Quick understanding and fast to the point. Very accurate.‘

‘Good knowledge about the retail real estate market.‘

‘Clear communication, pragmatic, open to feedback, active approach.‘

‘Great dedicated team. Friendly, accurate and knowledgeable.‘

‘Personal attention.‘

‘Great team with expertise and knowledge. Their response is swift, the content is accurate and helpful for the business.‘

‘Sander van Leeuwen is a very competent lawyer, an expert in real estate. He is sharp, accurate and his eagerness to win the case or to seek a solution is praiseworthy.‘

‘Besides being strong negotiators, HVG Real Estate is keen to serve its clients pro-actively and responsively.‘

‘Sander van Leeuwen is very responsive, ambitious, connected.‘

‘In depth knowledge of the Dutch real estate market.‘

‘HVG Law LLP has a very hands on approach and has been able to put the clients’ interests first.‘

‘Sander van Leeuwen has always made himself available and managed to get an experienced team to solve matters. He is not shy to tell you if he is not completely sure on things and will make sure next time we meet he is sure. I would call him a “practical” lawyer which makes him valuable and someone you want on your side.‘

‘The team is able to quickly process new information and developments and provide us with advice, even when they need to involve new colleagues and expertise.‘

‘Sander van Leeuwen was quick to understand the complexities of our cases and able to provide us quickly with input and advice.‘

‘The team and individuals go above and beyond the brief. They are not there to provide the agreed services but they are there to help the client close the case/ deal/ etc. For us as a client that’s the only way to move forward. Not many teams from other firms are as dedicated.‘

‘Excellent expertise.‘

‘Pro-active approach.‘

‘In particular the actual knowledge of legislation combined with knowledge, clear analyses, and a personal touch and approach. We are interested in short analyses, provided with specific advice.‘

‘A very good protracted professional relationship based on trust, integrity and respect.‘

‘The unique thing about Russell Advocaten is the honest and quality service you get. You work with a small team, that is very efficient and high standard. They can guide you through difficult proceedings and help you perfectly get the right answer to your questions. Simply a pleasure to work with.‘

‘Reinier Russell (Managing Partner) is always a very open and direct person, whom will give you always a straightforward answer. A perfect combination with his knowledge of the subject. I also love the business man in Reinier, he understands the business of clients. Ynze Kliphuis (associate) is a very solid lawyer. He is young, but already very experienced. Not afraid to say his mind and to defend a difficult case in front of the courts. Exceptional.‘