Allen & Overy LLP’s restructuring team is ‘very well versed in commercial matters and has excellent negotiating skills’. It advises clients on the full range of restructuring issues, from underperformance matters to workouts, and acts for companies, shareholders and all layers of debt providers. The practice is well placed to handle cross-border restructuring mandates by drawing on strength from its integrated international team. Sigrid Jansen heads up the team with considerable experience in corporate financings, secured lending matters, collateral arrangements and distressed debt trading work. Aroen Kuitenbrouwer handles restructuring transactions and also advises on asset finance, leveraged finance and general lending mandates.
Restructuring and insolvency in Netherlands
Allen & Overy LLP
Practice head(s):
Sigrid Jansen
Other key lawyers:
Aroen Kuitenbrouwer; Andrew Thomas; Brechje van der Velden
Testimonials
‘The colleagues work as a team, by jointly upholding quality standards’.
‘Due to high skill level, output quality does not noticeably vary when client coverage changes’.
‘Sigrid Jansen is skilled, no nonsense and straight forward’.
‘Sigrid Jansen is experienced in the restructuring environment, including the non-legal aspects’.
‘Very easy to approach and open to brainstorm on unrelated topics’.
‘The legal knowledge of the team is beyond reproach’.
‘Sigrid Jansen has excellent insolvency knowledge, communication skills and is a powerful presence in being able to project the voice of reason’.
‘A&O belongs to the top firms in The Netherlands in the restructuring and insolvency arena’.
Key clients
KLM
Vroon Group
ING Bank
Attestor Capital LLP
Crédit Agricole CIB
Bencis Partners
OLB Bank
IKB Deutsche Industriebank
Davidson Kempner
Wagenborg
EQT
Work highlights
- Advised the RCF lender consortium on the negotiations with the company and several classes of creditors leading to a balance sheet restructuring of the Dutch retail group HEMA.
- Advised KLM in its negotiations with the Dutch State and a number of domestic and foreign banks to secure €3.4bn in financing.
- Advised AS Adventure in respect of the financial restructuring involving a Dutch court procedure and one of the first uses of the Dutch scheme.
Clifford Chance
Clifford Chance is ‘very dedicated, client-driven and offers creative solutions’. It handles complex domestic and international restructurings, and acts for lenders, funds, alternative investors, sponsors and companies. The practice advises on both restructuring and insolvency matters, and has particular experience in contingency planning and refinancing work, enforcement strategies and shareholder disputes. The team is headed up by Ilse Van Gasteren and Jelle Hofland, with Van Gasteren recommended for cross-border restructurings and Hofland bringing valuable finance expertise to the team.
Practice head(s):
Ilse Van Gasteren; Jelle Hofland
Testimonials
‘Ilse Van Gasteren is involved, hands-on, straight forward, skilled, and dedicated’.
‘Jelle Hofland is practical, goal-orientated and experienced’.
‘Jelle Hofland is an authority in the field of restructuring’.
‘Jelle Hofland and Ilse Van Gasteren offer a very personal and tailor-made approach’.
‘Realistic and very practical in finding win-win solutions’
‘Amazing team’.
‘I have worked with the team for many years and they deliver great advice consistently’.
Key clients
Rabobank
ING Bank N.V.
ABN AMRO
Deutsche Bank
BNG Bank N.V.
TMF Netherlands B.V.
BNP Paribas
Hemisphere International Properties B.V.
Cureaos
Damen Shipyards
HEMA
Royal Imtech
De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek
With ‘high standards of knowledge and advisory skills’, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek acts on a range of cross-border restructuring and insolvency mandates. The practice has recently been assisting clients with the Wet Homologatie Onderhands Akkoord (WHOA) act, which came into effect at the start of 2021. Experienced litigator Reinout Vriesendorp co-heads the team and is a name to note for corporate restructurings. Ferdinand Hengst also co-heads the team and is recommended for finance matters and debt restructurings. Menno Stoffer acts for corporates, financial institutions and private equity investors on distressed finance matters.
Practice head(s):
Ferdinand Hengst; Reinout Vriesendorp
Other key lawyers:
Menno Stoffer
Testimonials
‘A perfect combination of pragmatism and in-depth knowledge of the law’.
‘All lawyers are pleasant to deal with and easy going characters’.
‘I selected Reinout Vriesendorp to assist me in a difficult engagement three years ago because of his reputation as one of the leading Dutch practitioners in this field (he is also a stellar litigator)’.
‘As a cross-border legal business adviser and counsellor, I engage legal teams worldwide to assist me and my clients; Reinout Vriesendorp is my go-to lawyer for The Netherlands’.
‘They are experts in their field’.
‘You can be certain of the best advice’.
‘Ferdinand Hengst is an absolute expert in his field’.
‘Ferdinand Hengst is a quick thinker with thorough knowledge’.
Key clients
Hema B.V.
Centerbridge Partners Europe LLP
Hertz Corporation
Nederlandsche Algemeene Maatschappij van Levensverzekering “Conservatrix” N.V.
Premier Oil Plc
DeepOcean Group Holding B.V.
Beter Bed Holding N.V.
Jet Airways (India) Limited
AMP Management
ING Bank N.V., ABN AMRO Bank N.V. and Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A.
Work highlights
- Acted as global lead counsel on the comprehensive financial restructuring to deliver and recapitalise the HEMA Group.
- Assisted Centerbridge with the global restructuring of the Steinhoff group.
- Advised Hertz in relation to all restructuring steps, including several amendments (through consent solicitations) of the bonds documentation, the preparation for a scheme of arrangement, consensual negotiations on new money facilities and extensive legal advice for the use of the new Dutch Scheme.
Houthoff
Houthoff offers clients ‘a combination of professional excellence and great soft skills’. The practice is known in the market for its high-profile insolvency work and its ability to act on all sides of distressed situations. It handles both domestic and international restructuring and insolvency work, litigation and often acts as court-appointed bankruptcy trustee. Christiaan Zijderveld heads up the team and is active in the real estate, retail, and oil and gas sectors. Frédéric Verhoeven is recommended for the banking and finance aspects of cases, and is a founding member of the Dutch Restructuring Association (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Herstructurering). David Heems was promoted to partner.
Practice head(s):
Christiaan Zijderveld
Other key lawyers:
Frédéric Verhoeven; David Heems
Testimonials
‘I have had the pleasure to deal with the team in a cross-border insolvency dispute and what struck me most is the high level of knowledge and legal skills applied to the subject matter’.
‘Creative and constructive’.
‘David Heems offers a very thorough and personal approach’.
‘They are approachable and never tire of explaining complicated matters’.
‘They are tough when they need to be but never lose touch with the human side of things’.
‘People you can trust’.
‘Frédéric Verhoeven is knowledgeable, professional and well connected’.
‘Really impressed with the way the team has handled a complex case’.
Key clients
Steinhoff International Holdings N.V.
Fortenova Group
Dümmen Orange
Finqus
Lehman Brothers
Goldman Sachs
ING Bank
NPM Capital N.V.
CBRE Global Investors
Redwood Capital Management
Solarnow (Shell / Novastar JV)
Kroonenberg Groep
Imtech N.V.
Libbey, Inc
Indofin
Amvest
Attestor
Director of the Fortress group
Work highlights
- Appointed as joint administrators in the suspension of payments of Steinhoff International Holdings N.V., a South African-based retailer with operations worldwide.
- Continuing to advise the Fortenova Group, which is the continuation of what was previously called Agrokor, an Eastern European food retailer that went through a major restructuring process in 2017–2019.
- Advising Finqus, a hive-down of DSB Bank, as DSB’s activities – roughly €7.8bn – were operationally restructured to it, requiring an intensive restructuring of the bank as well as a tailor-made regulatory process.
Loyens & Loeff
Loyens & Loeff handles multi-jurisdictional matters with ease by virtue of its network of offices in the financial hubs of London, New York and Hong Kong. The team takes a holistic approach to restructuring and insolvency matters and has ancillary support in the form of civil-law notaries and tax lawyers. Vincent Vroom leads the practice and is recommended for contentious and non-contentious restructuring mandates, and also financing matters; he acts for investors, debtors and financial institutions. Loek Kerstens left for Rutgers & Posch.
Practice head(s):
Vincent Vroom
Other key lawyers:
Joris Dunki Jacobs
Testimonials
‘They demonstrated a unique ability to navigate certain unprecedented areas of the law and their advice was timely and creative’.
‘The end result was very satisfying’.
‘Great collaboration between them and with us as client’.
‘The entire Loyens team shows strong technical knowledge, good communication, and constant support’.
‘They are also very pleasant to work with’.
‘Full-service, client-focused firm with credibility in the market’.
‘Responsive and hard-working’.
‘Vincent Vroom is fantastic, likeable, engaged and dynamic’.
Key clients
Sun Capital
Prudential
Toys R Us
GLAS
Zilveren Kruis
Sete Brasil
QGOG Constellation
Lebara
Goldman Sachs
KKR
Zurich Insurance Company Ltd
Pierre & Vacances SA
DTEK Finance PLC
Swissport International AG
Ferroglobe PLC
Floatel International Limited
Work highlights
- Assisted the ad hoc group of senior secured notes in continuous and intensive negotiations with inter alia HEMA, its shareholders and its other financiers with a view to agreeing upon a deleveraging plan that would result in a sustainable capital structure for HEMA.
- Acting for an ad-hoc group of noteholders of the Steinhoff group ever since the fraud allegations came to light in December 2017.
- Assisted Pierre et Vacances S.A., which heads up the Dutch Center Parcs group, with its debt restructuring.
NautaDutilh
The ‘very experienced and well-connected’ NautaDutilh advises on a range of distressed situations, including out-of-court restructurings and litigation before the courts. It acts as lead counsel to debtors, directors, insolvency trustees, sponsors and alternative debt providers, and also acts as local counsel to large international law firms on high-profile cross-border matters. Robert Van Galen focuses on insolvency matters and is admitted to the bar of the Dutch Supreme Court. Barbara Rumora-Scheltema is a name to note for corporate and commercial litigation.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Teun Struycken; Marc Orval
Testimonials
‘Down-to-earth, making difficult items easy to understand’.
‘The team was highly proficient and great to work with’.
‘They understood our challenges in a complex transaction and provided fitting support’.
‘Marc Orval brought together a great team from Nauta to support the bank and was able to link both workstreams effortlessly’.
‘Marc Orval is a great coordinator and is always on top of the issues’.
‘Robert Van Galen is a veteran who has played a part on nearly all the big restructurings and insolvencies in the Dutch market over the last two decades’.
‘Teun Struycken is very experienced, knowledgeable, commercial and used friendly’.
‘Great team with a wide area of expertise’.
Key clients
Deutsche Bank
BNP Paribas
Nordic Trustee
Forever 21
DTEK
Deloitte Accountants
Odeon Cinemas Group Limited (AMC Entertainment)
Econocom
Rabobank
Ramphastos
ABN AMRO
ING
McDermott International Inc.
Hexion Inc.
Maersk Supply Services
Partners Group
HIG
Work highlights
- Advising the senior lenders on the financial restructuring of Curaeos, a network of dental clinics and labs in continental Europe.
- Advising the DTEK group of companies on their nearly $2bn financial restructuring, including representing several Dutch DTEK companies before the Dutch court in summary proceedings to lift freezes imposed at the request of certain banks.
- Advising Dutch professional football club ADO Den Haag with respect to its Dutch Scheme process (WHOA).
AKD
AKD‘s restructuring and insolvency group is composed of ‘dedicated, creative and pleasant communicators’. With an integrated Benelux team, the practice is well placed to handle cross-border work across the region. It assists clients in financial distress on reorganisations, recapitalisations and winding-ups, and members of its team are regularly appointed as bankruptcy trustees and administrators. Barend de Roy van Zuidewijn heads up the team and has over 30 years’ experience in the sector. Fouad el Houzi and Thijs Hekman were both recently promoted to the partnership.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Paul Peters; Fouad el Houzi; Thijs Hekman
Testimonials
‘Fouad El Houzi is very skilled and very nice to work with’.
‘Fouad El Houzi’s advice is always clear and well thought through’.
‘Great insight into the legal sides of the matter’.
‘Thijs Hekman is very skilled, proactive and always available’.
‘AKD has helped a lot of companies in streamlining their businesses again’.
‘Barend de Roy van Zuidewijn is very dedicated, very client-focused and very helpful if you need creative solutions’.
‘Thijs Hekman is very knowledgeable, client-friendly, commercial, responsive and efficient’.
‘Thijs Hekman communicates the relevant concepts under Dutch law clearly and in simple terms’.
Key clients
Bankruptcy of Royal Imtech N.V. and its group companies
Cerberus Capital Management LP
Bankruptcy of De Donge group companies
Bankruptcy of Veldhoven Group
Ortolan Nederland Credit Oplossingen GmbH
Svenska Handelsbanken AS
Bankruptcy of Atlantic Marine Services B.V
Bankruptcy of Fortress group companies
Berzona
Centraal Beheer Achmea
Bankruptcy of E.P. Trade Support (affiliated with the Enecogroup)
Crowe Horwath
Libyan Foreign Bank
Administrator MiniBrew
Administrator Nightwatch
Work highlights
- Acting as the trustee in the high-profile bankruptcy of Royal Imtech N.V. and several of its subsidiaries.
- Appointed as trustees in the insolvency of the Veldhoven Group.
- Providing litigation and insolvency advice to Promontoria Holding 107 B.V., a group company of Cerberus Capital Management LP.
CMS
The restructuring and insolvency team at CMS handles the full range of Dutch insolvency issues and often advises on high-profile cross-border restructuring matters. Members of the team are regularly appointed by the courts as bankruptcy trustees and administrators. Marc van Zanten is name to note for insolvency matters, civil procedural law work, litigation, and directors’ and officers’ liability claims. Marcel Groenewegen counts banks, financial institutions, lease and factoring companies among his clients and is recommended for asset-based lending and restructuring work; and Jan Willem Bouman is recommended for corporate and financial restructuring mandates.
Practice head(s):
Marc van Zanten; Marcel Groenewegen; Jan Willem Bouman
Testimonials
‘Senior, convincing, with knowledge on many aspects’.
‘CMS has an important team in this field in the Netherlands’.
‘I like to work with Marcel Groenewegen’.
Key clients
Slotervaartziekenhuis B.V. (trade name MC Slotervaart)
Thomas Cook
Swets & Zeitlinger Group
McGregor Fashion Group
AEB Holding
Ardenberg Group
Portugal Telecom International Finance B.V.
Heiploeg Group
Work highlights
- Advised the Thomas Cook liquidators/special managers on all Dutch corporate, tax and insolvency law related issues in connection with the envisaged liquidation of three Dutch Thomas Cook entities.
- Acting as trustee in the bankruptcy of Swets & Zeitlinger Group B.V. and its 30 domestic and foreign subsidiaries.
- Acting as trustee in the bankruptcy of McGregor Fashion Group, dealing with many cross-border insolvency law issues and complex shareholders’ concerns.
Dentons
Dentons stands out in the market for its strong debtor-side practice, representing foreign and domestic companies in financial distress, and also for its corporate restructuring work, where it acts as court-appointed formal receiver in insolvency proceedings. Leaning on its global network for support, the practice is well placed to handle cross-border restructurings. Krijn Hoogenboezem leads the team and is recommended for restructuring, financing and litigation mandates, and is often appointed as a bankruptcy trustee in administration proceedings.
Practice head(s):
Krijn Hoogenboezem
Other key lawyers:
Wouter Jongepier
Testimonials
‘The Dentons Amsterdam restructuring team is made up of a group of extremely accessible and knowledgeable lawyers’.
‘Having years of hands-on experience in debtor representation, both as debtor counsel and as bankruptcy trustee, they provide valuable practical advice to lenders as well’.
‘They are skilled at handling cases, including obtaining and managing foreign counsel, in an international context’.
‘Krijn Hoogenboezem is referenced as “probably the coolest lawyer in Amsterdam”, this year, again, he lived up to these high expectations’.
‘Krijn Hoogenboezem is highly regarded and a pleasure to work with’.
‘The team are very accessible and knowledgeable’.
‘They are proactive and fun to work with.’
‘Krijn Hoogenboezem has a certain coolness that is unusual in the legal profession.’
Key clients
Steinhoff
Aspria
Belvar
Colorado Bankers Life Insurance Company
Digital Media Centre
Estro Kinderopvang
Gibson Brands
Herman Jansen Beverage Group
OSX Leasing Group
PayPal
Work highlights
- Advising Gibson Brands on a high-profile bankruptcy linked to the demise of the iconic American guitar company, Gibson.
- Continuing to work on the bankruptcy of Digital Media Centre, a Dutch media company which provides digital services to international broadcasters such as AMC, Fox News and Liberty Global.
- Advising on a long-running and high-profile case in the Netherlands centred on the collapse of the country’s largest childcare provider, Estro Kinderopvang, which had 3,600 employees and €180m revenue just prior to its insolvency.
Florent
Florent is ‘very capable of handling complex bankruptcies’ and acts for companies, financial institutions and creditors in financial distress. It often handles cases with cross-border aspects and its team members are frequently appointed as administrators and bankruptcy trustees. The practice is headed up by Hanneke De Coninck and Kees van de Meent ; they are described by clients as ‘a pleasure to work with’ and De Coninck is recommended for trustee work and liquidations. Rob van den Sigtenhorst left the firm for TOON Advocaten.
Practice head(s):
Hanneke De Coninck; Kees van de Meent
Testimonials
‘Florent is a “modern” law firm in the best sense’.
‘They are team and service-oriented with flat hierarchies and are up to date with technology’.
‘You can feel the positive spirit and that they love what they’re doing’.
‘They’re all approachable, pragmatic professionals, you easily feel comfortable working with and relying on’.
‘Kees van de Meent is a great guy; easy to talk to, keeps his promises and delivers on time’.
‘Florent provides excellent support in challenging circumstances’.
‘They make an effort to understand the big picture and the context in which the company operates’.
‘Kees van de Meent has an unique quality to be both extremely knowledgeable and pragmatic’.
Key clients
Bankruptcy of the FNG group of companies
Bankruptcy of Theo Henkelman Schoenen B.V. en Only A Shoes B.V.
De Keizer International B.V. and De Keizer Marine Engineering B.V.
Former CEO of Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. and group companies
Bankruptcy of V&D
Bankruptcy of La Place
Bankruptcy of Thomas Cook Nederland B.V.
Bankruptcy of the Doniger group of companies
Liquidation of Van der Moolen group of companies
Bankruptcy of the Leapp group
Court-appointed receiver of Libratone A/S
Work highlights
- Appointed as trustees in the bankruptcy proceedings for V&D, the renowned and iconic chain of 62 department stores in the Netherlands, with some 5,500 employees and 2,800 suppliers.
- Appointed as trustees in the bankruptcy proceedings for La Place, the renowned and iconic chain of more than 250 restaurants in the Netherlands and abroad.
- Appointed as FNG Group’s bankruptcy trustee in €100m cross-border insolvency proceedings involving multi-brand and multi-financier aspects.
Norton Rose Fulbright
Norton Rose Fulbright fields ‘an excellent team with cross-border restructuring capabilities’, which advises on contentious and non-contentious restructuring matters. It acts for financial institutions, distressed companies, secured creditors, and managing directors, and works closely with practitioners in its international network. The team was recently bolstered by the arrival of Omar Salah, who joined from De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, and is ‘a technically strong lawyer and very good at building relationships’. Wouter Hertzberger and Yke Lennartz are also key practitioners.
Practice head(s):
Wouter Hertzberger; Yke Lennartz
Other key lawyers:
Omar Salah
Testimonials
‘Omar Salah is strong new team member’.
‘The addition of Omar Salah makes this the restructuring firm to watch in this space’.
‘NRF have a well-resourced team that is able to deal with complex matters’.
‘I believe the team has benefited from the hiring of Omar Salah’.
‘I worked closely with Omar Salah and highly recommend him’.
‘Pleasure to work with and very much up to speed with latest legal developments’.
‘Very pragmatic, eager and excellent business sense’.
‘I worked with Omar Salah numerous times and he stands out from the rest’.
Key clients
ABN AMRO Bank N.V.
AEB (Afval Energie Bedrijf Amsterdam)
AIG
Banco Santander S.A.
Bank of America, N.A.
BNP Paribas
Danish Ship Finance
DNB Bank ASA
DVB Group Merchant Bank (Asia) Ltd.
HSBC Bank
ING Bank N.V.
Intertrust Nederland B.V.
MS Mode Group B.V.
Nordic Trustee AS
Pareto Bank ASA
PVH
Rabobank
Trustee of Lehman Brothers Inc.
Stichting Uniconsult
Vistra
Work highlights
- Successfully represented Stichting Uniconsult in legal proceedings initiated by D-Reizen, by means of which D-Reizen requested the court to force a restructuring plan upon Stichting Uniconsult.
Stibbe
The restructuring and insolvency team at Stibbe provides advisory and litigation services to both domestic and international clients. Members of the team are often appointed by the courts to act as a bankruptcy trustee or administrator in suspension of payment proceedings. With an international network, the firm is well equipped to handle cross-border matters and is active in the financial, energy, healthcare, retail and real estate sectors. Toni van Hees focuses on financing, liability and insolvency mandates, while Job Van Hooff is recommended for cross-border financial restructurings. Marieke Driessen joined from Simmons & Simmons.
Practice head(s):
Toni van Hees; Job van Hooff
Other key lawyers:
Gertjan Boekraad; Rein van Helden; Marieke Driessen; Daisy Nijkamp
Testimonials
‘They have a very practical approach and have an outstanding understanding of cross-border issues’.
‘They are my firm of reference in The Netherlands for Spanish/Dutch cross-border files’.
‘Job Van Hooff and Daisy Nijkamp demonstrated high availability and quick responses to the client’.
Key clients
a.s.r.
Bain Capital
DeepOcean
Dutch State
Enerray DT B.V.
EY
Former Supervisory Board members of SNS
Getronics (Digitran Innovations B.V. and PomGen Holdings B.V.)
Goldman Sachs
ING Bank N.V.
Intertrust
Management Board of HEMA
Nomura
Noteholders of DTEK Finance Plc
PwC
Stichting Humanitas
Work highlights
- Advised the DeepOcean group on its restructuring via three parallel restructuring plans under the new Part 26A of the UK Companies Act 2006.
- Advising an ad hoc committee of noteholders on the restructuring of the 10.75% Senior PIK Toggle Notes due 2024 issued by DTEK Finance PLC with total liabilities worth approx. $1.5–2bn.
- Advised HEMA’s management board on the implementation of a complex multi-jurisdictional restructuring and recapitalisation process. The outstanding debt (prior to restructuring) amounts to approx. €830m.
DLA Piper
DLA Piper is well equipped to handle cross-border restructuring and insolvency mandates by virtue of its international network. It offers broad expertise in the sector, drawing on strength from corporate and financial practitioners to assist with contentious and non-contentious matters. Marc Molhuysen heads up the practice and counts banks, financial institutions and companies in distress among his clientele.
Practice head(s):
Marc Molhuysen
Testimonials
‘Marc Molhuysen is very pragmatic and knowledgeable’.
‘Marc Molhuysen pursues solutions, is straightforward and always available’.
‘The team were focused and delivered quality work within required timeframes’.
‘They thought out of the box and came with pragmatic solutions’.
‘We are a large and agile business and we needed, and received, close client attention’.
Key clients
Aberdeen Standard
ABN AMRO Bank
Deutsche Bank
Diebold Nixdorf
European Bank of Reconstruction and Development
HEMA works council
HPS Investment Partners
ING Bank
Oost NL
Standard Investment
Work highlights
- Advising Diebold Nixdorf on the controlled wind-down and bankruptcy process of its SecurCash entities.
- Advising DEME on the restructuring of IHC, of which DEME is the largest customer.
- Advising Standard Investment in its capacity as the potential purchaser of BCC, a large retail electronics chain in financial distress whose shareholders launched a distressed M&A auction process.
Jones Day
Jones Day advises on formal insolvencies, corporate restructurings and financial restructurings, on a national and global scale, working in tandem with other offices in its network. It handles both contentious and non-contentious matters under the leadership of Jasper Berkenbosch, who is experienced in cross-border insolvencies and is often appointed as administrator by the courts.
Practice head(s):
Jasper Berkenbosch
Other key lawyers:
Gerjanne te Winkel; Anna Zwalve; Ben Fox
Key clients
Intertoys
Syncreon Group B.V.
Esperaza Holding B.V.
Nordics Onsite B.V.
Barcelona Investments B.V
Van Doorne
The Van Doorne team is ‘always on the ball and keeps you up to date with the right level of detail’. It is well known in the market for financial restructuring and distressed debt transactions, litigation and tax advice. Practice head Stefan van Rossum has notable experience in financial restructurings on the lender side and acts for Dutch banks and distressed investors. Senior associate Jelmer Baukema focuses on insolvency, bankruptcy and debt restructuring transactions.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Jasper Leedekerken; Jelmer Baukema; Joost Volkers
Testimonials
‘Van Doorne’s restructuring practice is first class in the Dutch market’.
‘Highly innovative, very skilled, professional and practical lawyers who succeed in restructuring the most complex cases’.
‘Stefan van Rossum is an excellent restructuring partner with very good knowledge of the restructuring market’.
‘Stefan van Rossum is highly creative and innovative, easily reachable and fully involved from A to Z in your case’.
‘Van Doorne’s restructuring and insolvency practice is strong, mostly because of its exceptional partner Stefan van Rossum’.
‘Stefan van Rossum has extensive and detailed knowledge’.
‘With Stefan van Rossum as your counsel, you know you have the best legal adviser you can potentially have in these situations’.
‘Very responsive and commercially savvy’.
Key clients
Aluminium Delfzijl (Aldel)
Byldis
Centerbridge
Davidson Kempner
Green Swan
IHC IQIP
Innsworth Advisors Limited
King Street
NIBC Bank
Nordic Trustee
Rabobank
Waarborgfonds Sociale Woningbouw
York Capital
Valtech
Work highlights
- Advised Byldis (a major construction company) on its financial restructuring involving negotiations with ABN AMRO and ING and its shareholder (private equity fund Opportunity Partners).
- Advised York Capital and Alumunium Delfzijl on its debt restructuring.
- Advised Innsworth Advisors Ltd. on legal proceedings against Steinhoff Holdings N.V. to recoup the losses suffered by investors in Steinhoff shares.
Wijn & Stael Advocaten N.V.
Wijn & Stael Advocaten N.V. fields ‘a very experienced and professional team’, which advises clients on domestic and international restructuring and insolvency matters. Its practitioners are frequently appointed by the courts as trustees in bankruptcy cases and has a strong track record in insurance insolvencies. Willem Jan van Andel acts for financial institutions, directors, shareholders and creditor groups and is an experienced arbitrator; Remco Vermaire is recommended for restructuring work; and Noor Zetteler focuses on financing, securities and insolvency law.
Practice head(s):
Noor Zetteler; Remco Vermaire; Willem Jan van Andel
Testimonials
‘Top-notch firm in the Netherlands in the area of restructuring and insolvency’.
‘They have extensive experience and a very good theoretical and practical approach’.
‘Willem Jan van Andel has a lot of experience’.
‘Remco Vermaire is an excellent communicator’.
‘The Wijn & Stael insolvency and restructuring team has excellent individuals and truly operates as a team’.
‘They are a highly regarded player in the field.’
‘Noor Zetteler and Willem-Jan van Andel are analytical, efficient and excellent lawyers’.
‘Remco Vermaire is a very smart solution-driven lawyer with excellent analytical capabilities and social skills’.
Key clients
Conservatrix
Boemer Rental Services Group
Rabobank (Eurocommerce)
Blokker
Hudson
RNHB
V&D
De Lage Landen
Phone House
Work highlights
- Appointed as trustees to administer the insolvency of Conservatrix.
- Assisted the financing parties including Rabobank and De Lage Landen with the restructuring of the pan-European Boemer Group and its subsequent insolvency.
- Acted on behalf of RNHB regarding the termination of a €20m finance facility and the execution by RNHB of its security rights resulting in several preliminary relief proceedings.
Boels Zanders Advocaten
Boels Zanders Advocaten is based in South Netherlands and handles a range of restructuring matters, with a particular focus in the engineering, trade and construction sectors. The team is jointly led by Jeroen Bakkers , Peter Brouns , Flip Schreurs and Remco Rosbeek , and its members are often appointed by the Dutch courts as trustees in insolvency procedures and as administrators in restructuring procedures.
Practice head(s):
Jeroen Bakkers; Peter Brouns; Flip Schreurs; Remco Rosbeek
Testimonials
‘The team is extensive and has lots of experience’.
‘They are all nice to work with’.
‘Partners are hands-on.’
‘Peter Brouns is very professional, and always gives quick advice’.
Key clients
Marsna Papers
Just Welness
Componenta BV
Brabant Alucast The Netherlands site Heijen BV
Rendiz Horeca
Roorda Machinery
Smeets Electro
Work highlights
- Appointed as one of the insolvency trustees of the Lips Real Estate Group.
- Appointed by the district court as a court appointed administrator for Brabant Alucast Site Heijen BV.
Buren
Buren is well positioned to handle cross-border mandates, with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, The Hague, Luxembourg and Shanghai. Martijn Vermeeren heads up the team and acts as adviser and receiver in the settlement of insolvency issues, acquisitions, real estate matters and corporate disputes.
Practice head(s):
Martijn Vermeeren
Testimonials
‘Buren is very good value for money and has a proactive approach’.
‘Buren is not only a law firm, but also a real advisory company with a matter of fact approach’.
‘Buren has always been close to me and supported me’.
‘Perseverance, pragmatism and professionalism’.
‘Very strong focus on building hands-on working relationships with clients and other advisors alike’.
‘Buren has a team called Japan Practice, which often helped me with difficult legal events in Japanese as needed’.
Key clients
Oceanco
Vacansoleil
Milos
Enerray
Royal van Lent Shipyard
Royal Hakvoort Shipyard
Royal De Vries Shipyard
Healthcare institution Pluryn
Optixolar / Coolback Company
Mooy Beheer B.V.
De Roo Taxi B.V.
Ruwaard van Puttenziekenhuis
Work highlights
- Advised shipyards Alblasserdam Yachtbuilding B.V. (Oceanco), Royal van Lent Shipyard B.V., Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw B.V. and Royal Hakvoort Shipyard B.V. in an uncertain period with regards to the financial position of De Keizer Marine Engineering B.V., a key supplier to the shipyards.
- Advising Enerray DT B.V., part of the Maccaferri Industrial Group, on restructuring its debts.
- Assisted and advised Greenco Holding B.V. inter alia on preparing a bid for a purchase out of bankruptcy of certain assets and activities of Green4Health B.V. and GH Vastgoed B.V.
HVG Law LLP
The insolvency and restructuring team at HVG Law LLP has broad experience in corporate restructurings and insolvency administrations, and individuals in the team are frequently appointed as trustee. The firm is part of the EY global network and often handles international cases. Robin De Wit, Jan Padberg and Johan Westerhof are the key practitioners.
Practice head(s):
Robin de Wit; Jan Padberg; Johan Westerhof
Testimonials
‘In-depth knowledge of insolvency law and cooperation with the EY restructuring team’.
‘Jan Padberg is amicable and solution-driven’.
‘Robin de Wit is knowledgeable and understands the business’.
‘Strong involvement and dedication’.
‘Knowledgeable and keen to keep the project efficient’.
‘They look beyond the legal scope and support the wider process’.
‘The team is very well connected within an international practice group and is therefore excellently positioned for cross-border cases’.
‘Robin de Wit is a Partner with exceptional legal skills and a great understanding of client needs’.
Key clients
TravelBird
Court appointed liquidation of Allegretto Fund / Dutch Authority of Financial Markets
Joost Zorgt
M.J. Weerman Bloemengroothandel
Court appointed liquidation of GFH Paraplufonds / Dutch Authority of Financial Markets
Nortel Networks
Charles Vögele
TCN Urop SE
Stichting Legal Owner Melanion Dividend Fund
NV Rendo Holding
Tidal Operations Netherlands B.V.
Work highlights
- Acted as bankruptcy trustee of Travelbird, a high-tech online travel and leisure platform with 350 employees.
- Acting as trustee to Tidal Operations (Netherlands) B.V.
- Acting as bankruptcy trustee to TCN Urop S.E.
Linklaters
Linklaters is well known in the Dutch market for handling high-profile restructuring and insolvency work for financial institutions and corporates; it also handles large international cases. Paul Kuipers heads up the practice and acts for Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. and certain subsidiaries in relation to the restructuring of circa €14bn of its holding company debt.
Practice head(s):
Paul Kuipers
Testimonials
‘Very good team’.
‘Practical and perfect legal skills’.
‘They are dedicated, always reachable and result-oriented’.
‘Extremely efficient’.
‘Paul Kuipers is first class’.
‘Its approach is above par’.
‘Very approachable and far from arrogant’.
‘Paul Kuipers is an outstanding lawyer; approachable, fast, inventive and courageous’.
Key clients
Steinhoff International Holdings N.V.
Windt Le Grand Leeuwenburgh
Windt Le Grand Leeuwenburgh has considerable expertise and experience in advising Dutch and international creditors and debtors on a range of restructuring and insolvency matters. Marcel Windt is often appointed as trustee or liquidator by the courts and Richard le Grand is experienced in investigating the financial mismanagement of companies. Ruben Leeuwenburgh is also recommended and Michiel Bindels was promoted to partner.
Practice head(s):
Marcel Windt; Ruben Leeuwenburgh; Richard le Grand
Other key lawyers:
Michiel Bindels
Testimonials
‘Their strength is that they are always available and respond quickly’.
‘Experienced and knowledgeable team of high-quality insolvency practitioners in a smaller setting’.
‘Very user-friendly.’
‘Marcel Windt is very seasoned, reasonable in approach, solution-driven and open-minded in problem fixing’.
‘The firm has a strong presence in restructuring and insolvency in the Dutch legal market’.
‘Marcel Windt is an experienced attorney in his field who brings his experience as bankruptcy trustee, advocate and trusted counsel together into a balanced approach for each issue on his plate’.
‘Marcel Windt’s approach allows input from others and he genuinely takes those into account, whilst at the same time instilling confidence by providing his expert advice’.
‘Marcel Windt is a real pragmatic thinker as well’.
Key clients
Management Participation vehicle IHC B.V.
Verolme
County Hoeksche Waard
Fitland Groep
Mercon B.V.
RMC
Work highlights
- Appointed trustee in the bankruptcy and insolvency of Verolme.
- Advised County Hoeksche Waard on dealing with the demise of HMC.
- Assisting Fitland with stakeholder management further to the divestment of its hotel and fitness facilities to Fletcher Group and Basic-Fit.