De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek > Amsterdam, Netherlands > Firm Profile

‘De Brauw has unique pedigree and reputation as banking and finance firm, excellent quality with decent rates.’

‘The De Brauw banking and finance team is filled with absolute top experts and personalities from the partner to the junior level, who are all used to handling the most complex high-profile cases. When working with them you can see that they absolutely know (and at the same time also really enjoy) their job.’

‘Ferdinand Hengst is an absolutely exceptional lawyer. With his strategic skills and commercial understanding he always provides absolute to-the-point-advice, what makes him stand out from his peers.

‘Bas Boutellier is definitely one of the Dutch rising stars in the banking and finance area. His expertise and tailor-fit advice are impressive, and he is really fun to work with.’

‘Excellent strategy and relationships at DNB.’

‘Truly impressed by the team’s ability to give advice which goes well beyond legal, ie also taking into account strategic and financial point of view. Thorough knowledge of the Dutch financial sector. One of the leading teams in Dutch regulatory law.’

‘Mariken van Loopik: Mariken has the ability to convert very complex matters into pragmatic advice. She is a trusted advisor to our board in strategic matters; it is highly appreciated that she is not afraid to take a firm position when the going gets though.’

‘The De Brauw capital markets team is nothing else than impressive and literally top tier.’

‘Bas Boutellier is definitely one of the Dutch rising stars in the debt capital markets area. His expertise and tailor-fit advice are impressive, and he is really fun to work with.’

‘Solid legal advice with good knowledge of market standards.’

‘I work with De Brauw on a variety of Dutch matters. They are efficient, helpful and not too dogmatic.’

‘The main contact is Ferdinand Hengst, he is efficient, generally available and flexible on fees.’

‘I think De Brauw ranks consistently among the top 2-3 capital market firms in Holland.’

‘I have worked with Jan Hoevers for more than 10 years for all capital markets work. He is extremely pragmatic and highly experienced. He understands our business, which means that response time is really good. I am totally satisfied with his services.’

‘Very responsive, knowledgeable, capable and a real pleasure to work with. I just absolutely know I’m in good hands working with De Brauw.’

‘Gaby Smeenk is very approachable and is extremely knowledgeable, also with practical insights.’

‘It is a pleasure to work with De Brauw. The team is well aware of what is important for our sector, proactive and easily accessible (practically 24/7). Honest advice on opportunities and risks is valuable and we believe De Brauw is able to provide this.’

‘Clear, honest and open communication is what our company values. In combination with a solid level of experience and knowledge that allows the team to be creative and flexible.’

‘The team is very strong and broad.’

‘Klaas de Vries stands out. He is both practical, pleasant and very knowledgeable.’

‘The way of working and communicating with the team is very pleasant, quick on their responses and with a small team coverage.’

‘Michael Schouten is great in his relation management, very accessible and stands out in performing in both formal and informal settings.’

‘Professional and very competent firm in the field of construction law and litigation, with a valid network of qualified partners’.

‘The team has taken a professional and responsive approach regarding our situation’.

‘I appreciate the effort Edward van Geuns put into resolving our issues, going across all options and giving professional legal advice’.

‘The team brings strong and diverse experience and gives advice relevant to our particular issues, adapted to focus on solutions and achieving positive outcomes’.

‘The quality of experts recommended to support us has been very strong’.

‘Our project is very dynamic and the team have displayed flexibility, commitment and an understanding of construction projects in addition to legal expertise’.

‘Edward van Geuns is smart, strategic, experienced and has an impact when he speaks up’.

‘The DeBrauw Team brought a powerful combination of expertise, experience and construction litigation macro environment insights to the legal issues at hand’.

‘This is one of the strongest firms in strategic privacy litigation. They don’t forget about any angle, privacy related or not, or any regional issues that could affect the strategy. They don’t take risks, unless on client instructions.’

‘Very deep knowledge of privacy and AI. Good service, of which knowledge sessions for clients deserve special mention.’

‘Axel Arnbak is always available as a sparring partner, which is good as sometimes no extensive advice is needed.’

‘Top-notch advice and relevant experience in high-profile cases.’

‘Axel Arnbak: very knowledgeable and pragmatic.’

‘Axel Arnbak is an expert in his field.’

‘In-depth knowledge of the energy sector and outstanding legal expertise’.

‘Martje Verhoeven-de Vries Lentsch has excellent legal knowledge, grasps the essence of the case very quickly and presents her assessment and advice in a concise and easy to digest way’.

‘Bommel van der Bend always keeps track of the priorities and the big picture and at the same digs into the details of the case’.

‘De Brauw’s team is efficient, multilingual and innovative’.

‘Having all kinds of legal and cultural backgrounds present in the team, we feel that we are really catered for in the best way to deal with an international dispute’.

‘The team has an open attitude, works in an integrated way with the client and is very pleasant in the communication’.

‘They performed extremely well although deadlines were short and were very responsible when the company needed it most’.

‘Edward van Geuns was highly dedicated, extremely diligent, consistent and conscientious in his approach from the start to the finish’.

‘Excellent team on all fronts, superb handling of cross-jurisdictional litigation cases’. 

‘All noticeably going the extra mile for us’.

‘The team is well aware of what is important for our sector, pro-active and easily accessible’.

‘Honest advice on opportunities and risks is valuable and we believe De Brauw is able to provide this’.

‘Pragmatic, business savvy lawyers, easily reachable and knowledgeable’.

‘Jan de Bie Leuveling Tjeenk is a top-notch litigator with an unrivalled knowledge of the law’.

‘Machteld de Monchy is a standout partner, combining intelligence with pragmatism to get the best for her clients’.

‘Daan Beenders remains highly recommended; an extremely smart and effective lawyer who never loses sight of the bigger picture’.

‘De Brauw have a strong practice with Stefan Sagel focusing on employment litigation and advisory matters and Barbara Kloppert doing a great job on primarily M&A transaction support’.

‘Stefan Sagel is an authority in his field of Supreme Court employment litigation’.

‘Barbara Kloppert is collaborative and a team player in working together on the complex employment aspects of M&A’.

‘Excellent legal advice’.

‘Willingness to consider alternative fee arrangements’. 

‘The team is able to balance really well between legal boundaries, pragmatism and the company viewpoint’.

‘Always available, quick turnaround and very reasonable on the billing of small issues’.

‘We speak the same language and that makes our relationship special and brings the outcome of our discussion to the next level’.

‘The flexibility of the team is exceptionally high.‘

‘Able to give detailed analyses as well as practical advice.‘

‘The billing that goes with it matches the desired support.‘

‘Arjan Kleinhout is our key contact, and stands out in terms of speed, accessibility and clarity of his reasoning, both in writing and orally.‘

‘Highly experienced and versatile.‘

‘Team size matches the task at hand.‘

‘Clear and transparent division of work and responsibility within the team.‘

‘Easy to confer with and agree on practical steps.‘

‘They bring in the firm’s other expertise when needed with ease and without additional burden to client.‘

‘Bernard Spoor is highly experienced.‘

‘Bernard Spoor has a gentle and determined style.‘

‘Bernard Spoor is focussed on making the transaction a success all the time.‘

‘Highly skilled team, easily accessible, transparent billing and cost efficient.‘

‘Arjan Kleinhout is a smart, reliable and trustworthy sparring partner.‘

‘De Brauw’s team has leading expertise in the fields of legislation and case law in the field of spatial development, environment and nature protection.‘

‘The team has outstanding capabilities in understanding the client’s project initiative and delivering added value in planning and licensing that project.‘

‘De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek B.V. is an outstanding, high-profile firm operating at the very top in the Netherlands.‘

‘Their attorneys guarantee a combination of high legal quality, due care and a focus on solutions.‘

‘If you are a client, and you really want high-end treatment of a case involving environment and planning, De Brauw is an excellent choice.‘

‘De Brauw’s attorneys are easy to talk to and pleasant to work with.‘

‘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.’

‘DBBW is very much open to set up collaboration with in-house legal, forensic departments and other disciplines without becoming dogmatic’.

‘The team is diverse in terms of seniority, gender and ethnicity’.

‘Marnix Somsen and Patrick Ploeger are very seasoned partners who are capable of dealing with the authorities and gaining trust from all related parties’.

‘There is no doubt that the client’s interests always comes’.

‘Marnix Somsen offers very solid and hands-on advice, with a pleasant personality’.

‘Marnix Somsen is fully engaged, has very relevant experience, and communicates clearly’.

‘Marlies Heemskerk-de Waard has provided very clear advice, is always available, and is very strong in her field’.

‘Capable of organising a stand out team in no time’.

‘In-depth knowledge of the legislation, processes and products in the sector. Excellent strategic sparring partner. Readily available. High standard throughout the whole team.’

‘Dennis Horeman has a high standard of integrity, is very thoughtful, accessible and a brilliant lawyer.’

‘DBBW is one of the top practices in the Netherlands because of their high-quality standards, with a broad range of expertise, client-oriented and service-oriented mindset. But, on the other hand, they do have and preach their own practice values. And that’s good.’

‘De Brauw’s insurance team is pleasant to work with, experienced and thinks along with its clients.’

‘Dennis Horeman is a dedicated lawyer who serves his clients very efficiently and effectively. Dennis is a strategic thinker who dares to make decisions.’

‘Tobias Cohen is excellent. He is knowledgeable, creative, practical and cost effective. He has solved many tricky trade mark conflicts for us. I recommend him highly.’

‘We have engaged De Brauw in the field of copyright only once and we found them to be quite innovative on how to approach the issue from a legal perspective and assess under what legal theories certain specific designs/works may be protected by copyright, showing strong legal and technical commands.’

‘Tobias Cohen Jehoram and Selmer Bergsma have strong legal knowledge in the field of copyright/design rights complemented with strong technical commands.’

‘Tobias Cohen Jehoram is our go-to partner for high-stake trade mark matters. His knowledge and level of expertise is unrivalled. He is extremely pragmatic, business savvy and a lot of fun to work with. In addition, he is highly effective and efficient, leading to truly outstanding value for money. He is very accessible, with a fantastic sense of humour. Always a pleasure to work with!’ 

‘Bertrand ter Woort is a highly talented and effective senior associate, who always is able to reduce complex matters to its core with seemingly little effort.’

‘The team is very skilled and well versed in the intricacies of the Entertainment industry.’

‘Daan Beenders and Tobias Cohen Jehoram are both extremely valuable business partners and great fun as well.’

‘The investment funds practice at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is in line with what one would expect from this firm: absolutely top tier in the Netherlands. They combine exceptional legal quality in the regulatory and civil law fields with in-depth knowledge of the market and a very practical, efficient and hands on-approach. When necessary this is supported by excellent foreign firms from their network, coordinated by De Brauw as if one is advised by one single firm. Excellent value for money.’

‘Stand-out partner Kees Groffen is of truly exceptional quality. In the regulatory arena, he is practically in a league of his own: absolutely top tier. His wealth of legal and technical knowledge and skills together with in depth knowledge of the market are translated into very clear and concise advice, and a very efficient and practical approach of matters.’

‘De Brauw has a very thorough knowledge of the PE and VC industry and the internal workings of a fund or GP.’

‘The very best knowledge and experience in the Dutch market money can buy. In addition to that, super smart practice members. They see and know what the future is bringing and they fully understand the business drivers. If you have an issue, they need little time to to understand the problem. Second to none in NL.’

‘Kees Groffen, the absolute top individual. If Kees doesn’t have the solution, there just isn’t one. Mariska Enzerink is also very knowledgeable.’

‘The team members continue to be the same which is great as they understand our business.‘

‘Availability (almost 24/7), hands on, knowledgeable and take a legally compliant though pragmatic approach.‘

‘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’.

‘Eye for the needs of the customer, high fiscal knowledge, challenging and creative thinking together with the client.’

‘Wiebe Dijkstra: Informal approach, quick responses, creative thinking, eye for the specific position of the customer, flexibility, committed and engaged with the client.’

‘Trusted business partners who combine technical skills with exceptional transactions experience.’

‘De Brauw are able to offer sound legal advice across the full spectrum of issues in life sciences’.

‘Gertjan Kuipers is a shrewd and experienced practitioner’.

‘The uniqueness of this firm resides inter alia in their understanding of the bigger strategic picture that is important to our company, and not just of the case at hand’.

‘Gertjan Kuipers certainly stands out, being a stellar litigator and strategist..

‘Gertjan Kuipers’ extremely sharp intellect and immediate grasp of issues is an asset to any case and any company’.

‘A class act when it comes to patent litigation in the life sciences sector’.

‘Gertjan Kuijpers is a class act’.

‘Gertjan Kuijpers is a clear and compelling advocate, there are few as good before the Dutch patent courts’.

‘The team is on all levels (partner, counsel, senior associate, associate) very committed and focused and has in-depth knowledge of the telecoms sector in the Netherlands.’

‘How the IP team is embedded in the broader litigation practice and firm practice. Especially for multidisciplinary (IP) disputes or transactional matters, De Brauw is one of the best firms in the Netherlands to go to.’

‘Gertjan Kuipers has unparalleled analytical skills and is strategy wise always three steps ahead. He has been handling telecoms cases for almost two decades now, has been involved in the AIPPI working group on Standard Essential Patents, and that shows. He really knows the industry and how to use that to its advantage in telecoms disputes.’

‘The patent litigation team led by Gertjan Kuipers has very high quality. The team is diverse, also regarding nationalities and it attracts international clients that (normally) go to bigger forums for litigation (Germany, UK). The cooperation works very well.’

‘The uniqueness of this firm resides inter alia in their understanding of the bigger strategic picture important to our company, and not just of the case at hand.’

‘Gertjan Kuipers certainly stands out, being a stellar litigator and strategist. His extremely sharp intellect and immediate grasp of issues is an asset to any case and any company. Gertjan is most definitely a megastar in the IP community.’

‘De Brauw’s patent litigation team is the best one. They are very experience litigators with a good sense of strategy.’

‘Extremely effective and efficient team, with a thorough understanding of our commercial interests and industry.’

‘Maarten Jorissen is a highly talented associate, with whom it is always a pleasure to work.’

‘Excellent! A great team. Very reliable and you are happy to have them on your side!’

‘Gertjan Kuijpers is a class act. A clear and compelling advocate, there are few as good before the Dutch patent court. His advice is well-considered and his judgment sound. In addition to all that he is a real pleasure to work with.’