Firm Profile > BarentsKrans > The Hague, Netherlands

BarentsKrans
LANGE VOORHOUT 3
PO Box 30457
2500 GL The Hague
Netherlands

Email firm Visit website 31 70 376 0606 31 70 365 18 56

Employment Tier 1

BarentsKrans is 'excellent on the knowledge and capabilities' fronts and 'is always on top of developments and will inform its customers of these'. Max Keulaerds and Caroline Van Gent head the team and Rogier Duk is the highly respected senior partner who has conducted numerous cases in the Supreme Court. Laurens De Graaf is also noted; 'he always knows what questions to ask and where the sore points are'. The team handles the full range of advisory and contentious matters; it is acting for several clients in relation to union actions; works council issues and dismissal matters. Peter Vas Nunes has retired from the practice.

Leading individuals

Rogier Duk - BarentsKrans

Next Generation Partners

Laurens de Graaf - BarentsKrans

Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation Tier 2

At BarentsKrans, Rieme-Jan Tjittes successfully defended claims against BP by Ballast Nedama in a €3m construction dispute. Martijn van Maanen is acting for litigation funding company, Cartel Damage Claims, in the sodium chlorate cartel, a Europe-wide cartel matter. William Schonewille is also a name to note. The team saw a number of changes: Annelies van der Ploeg was promoted to the partnership and Marjolein van Rest to senior associate. The group is also a key name for financial and Supreme Court litigation.

Industry focus: healthcare and life sciences Tier 2

Marleen Van Den Horst heads the practice at BarentsKrans which has 'respected lawyers with a broad network' and who 'go into depth in understanding technology and provide a strategy'. Van den Horst has decades of experience in relation to litigation over blockbuster drugs and regulatory proceedings; she is well assisted by senior associate Claudia Zeri. The team assisted Haaglanden Medisch Centrum on the formation of a joint venture as well as on competition and regulatory matters. It is also assisting Bayer/Van Beest on a major product liability case regarding a veterinary vaccine. The team also advises on real estate matters and Caroline Van Gent assists on employment work.

Leading individuals

Marleen van den Horst - BarentsKrans

EU and competition Tier 3

BarentsKrans’ competition and public procurement team is noted for its ‘efficiency and easy access to partners’ and its 'strong and thorough knowledge of competition law'. It is headed by the ‘practical' and ‘business-minded’ Joost Fanoy, who advises BCD Travel on all competition law aspects (behavioural and merger control) of the setup of a worldwide joint venture. Senior associate Gijs van Midden and cartel damage claims specialist Martijn van Maanen are also recommended.

Intellectual property: Patents Tier 3

The BarentsKrans team offers comprehensive IP expertise across mechanical engineering, electronics, telecoms, chemistry, and life sciences sectors and represents clients including Bayer, Nutrition Sciences, and Accord Healthcare. The team's lawyers are 'respected; have a broad network; and go into depth to understand technology'. Marleen Van Den Horst who heads the team 'is highly valued and driven but never loses oversight and focus'. Jaap Bremer and senior associate Claudia Zeri are key members. The team is assisting longstanding client Mylan in preliminary relief in patent infringement proceedings initiated by ICOS and Eli Lilly.

Real estate Tier 3

Servicing a group of clients ranging from housing corporations to investment funds, institutional and commercial investors and developers, the team at BarentsKrans is 'powerful with broad knowledge and skills and a practical approach'. Jesse Zijlma and Jeffrey Koenecke, who 'know what they are talking about', head up a substantial and growing team whose clients include Amvest, Borealis Hotel Group, and IKEA. In recent work, Koenecke and Joost Huijgen advised Stichting Pensioenfonds Metaal enTechniek on the purchase and transfer of real estate in a variety of locations – the Terra portfolio which included three shopping malls. Partner Remco Bäcker and Nicole Soliana joined the team in January 2018 from Loyens & Loeff.

Dispute resolution: arbitration Tier 5

BarentsKrans

Intellectual property: trade marks, copyrights and design rights Tier 5

BarentsKrans is appreciated for 'being involved and determined' and for the 'excellent performance' of its lawyers. Jaap Bremer co-heads the group with Marleen van den Horst. The team's work includes acting for Lemax on the enforcement of its copyrights and design rights in the Netherlands, elsewhere in Europe, and mainland China.

Private equity Tier 5

Harry Rek leads BarentsKrans’ team, which focuses on domestic mid-market deals and is a popular choice for referral work from larger law firms. Civil law notary Robert-Jan Zwaan is another key name.

Commercial, corporate and M&a Tier 6

Michiel Martin is the lead partner at BarentsKrans who advised Zwanenberg Food Group acquiring the Oss-based meat, sauce, and soup factory from Unilever and the subsequent entering into a strategic alliance with Unilever. The highly experienced Harry Rek assisted engineering software provider Bentley Systems with its acquisition of 100% of the shares in Dutch geotechnical software provider Plaxis/Plaxinvest. Rhamsey Croes leads the team which was boosted with the arrival of Koen van Wijk who joined from Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV.

The firm : BarentsKrans is an independent Dutch law firm located in The Hague. With over 80 lawyers and civil law notaries the firm has an excellent reputation in dispute resolution and transactional advice. The firm offers dedicated service that combines expert knowledge and experience to ensure its clients achieve their business goals. Its client base varies from listed and privately held multinational companies to financial institutions with commercial interests in the Netherlands. BarentsKrans’ litigators are regularly involved in groundbreaking cases leading to landmark decisions and are used to working in teams for multi-jurisdictional litigation.

Areas of practice: Corporate and commercial litigation: the firm’s corporate and commercial litigation specialists are recognised as leaders in this area. They advise and represent international and national clients in court proceedings and arbitration. The firm is involved in some of the most prominent international commercial and corporate disputes pending in the Netherlands, including cartel damages litigation (eg Air Cargo cartel and Paraffin wax cartel).

Commercial contracts: the firm has a number of recognised specialists in (international) contract law, who are able to act for companies and clients throughout the life cycle of a commercial contract: from the negotiation stage through to the contract termination. They work for both national and international companies, as well as advising renowned law firms that need extra expertise in the field of (international) contract law.

Banking & finance: BarentsKrans’ banking & finance team has many years of experience in advising and assisting clients with their entry into finance arrangements and on other complex finance issues, including financial regulatory and financial litigation matters. The lawyers of this team provide services to domestic and foreign banks, investors, other financial institutions, large companies, SMEs and high-net-worth individuals. This can involve syndicated or bilateral loans (LMA and other recommended forms), project finance, real estate (development finance), direct lending, asset based finance, trade finance and restructurings. Clients include: Huisman Equipment, Zwanenberg Food Group, Quintes, TINC Development Partners, Landesbank Hessen – Thüringen Girozentrale and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB), BNG Bank, Triodos Bank and MVGM.

IP and technology: BarentsKrans’ leading experts in this area deal with (multi-jurisdictional) disputes regarding infringement and validity of intellectual property rights as well as disputes regarding licences and exploitation of technology. The firm has extensive experience in representing clients before various national and European courts and institutions, including the Dutch Supreme Court, the Court of Justice and the EUIPO and has been involved in many prominent and pioneering cases.

EU and competition: the firm has broad experience in EU law and competition/antitrust law, including cartels, merger control, private enforcement and state aid. The BarentsKrans’ lawyers also specialise in public procurement law and can advise tenderers or contracting authorities before, during and after the tendering process.

Life sciences: the distribution of patented medicines often leads to proceedings. The firm’s life sciences team has been involved in many of these proceedings. In the sector, short and mid-term capital requirements remain a constant challenge. The firm has a proven track record in assisting in venture capital, private equity, MBO and MBI transactions, setting up joint ventures and financing agreements.

Supreme Court litigation: BarentsKrans belongs to a select group of firms with a traditionally large and highly regarded cassation practice. The supreme court litigation lawyers advise lawyers and their clients and conduct cassation proceedings covering the entire field of civil law. The firm has been involved in numerous landmark cases (eg Samsung/Apple, KPN/Staat, Delta/Staat).

Corporate/M&A: BarentsKrans corporate specialists, including civil law notaries, have a lot of experience in the field of corporate law. They service a broad range of national and international clients on all aspects of mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital transactions. Clients value the team for their efficient and problem solving approach.

Employment: the firm’s highly experienced specialists are known for their excellent service. They have been on top of the latest developments for well over a quarter of a century. BarentsKrans’ lawyers can assist with any employment law issue such as civil servants law, co-determination and pensions. All attorneys are members of relevant associations of employment law specialists.

Real estate: the firm consists of a large number of lawyers and civil law notaries with expert knowledge of and experience with real estate. Because the lawyers and civil law notaries work together closely, they are able to assist clients from the first negotiations through to the end result envisaged.

Department	Name	Email
Corporate and commercial litigation	Roeland de Mol	roeland.demol@barentskrans.nl
Commercial contracts	Rieme-Jan Tjittes	riemejan.tjittes@barentskrans.nl
Supreme Court litigation	Jan-Paul Heering	janpaul.heering@barentskrans.nl
Employment law	Laurens de Graaf	laurens.degraaf@barentskrans.nl
IP and technology	Jaap Bremer	jaap.bremer@barentskrans.nl
EU and competition	Joost Fanoy	joost.fanoy@barentskrans.nl
Real estate	Nicole Soliana	nicole.soliana@barentskrans.nl
Corporate and M&A	Rhamsey Croes	rhamsey.croes@barentskrans.nl
Life sciences	Marleen van den Horst	marleen.vandenhorst@barentskrans.nl
Notary	Jeffrey Koenecke	Jeffrey.Koenecke@barentskrans.nl
Notary	Robert-Jan Zwaan	robertjan.zwaan@barentskrans.nl
Banking & Finance	Jason van de Pol	jason.vandepol@barentskrans.nl
Arbitration	Rieme-Jan Tjittes	riemejan.tjittes@barentskrans.nl
Public law & regulatory	Remco Bäcker	remco.backer@barentskrans.nl