De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek

Litigation & Data, Cyber & Privacy

Partner (Litigation and Data, Cyber & Privacy)

Expertise:

Litigation
Data, Cyber & Privacy
Mass Claims
Artificial Intelligence
Tech & Digital
State Aid
Business & Human Rights Litigation

Geert is a partner in our Litigation group and co-heads our Data protection and cybersecurity practice. He covers all facets of data protection law in the EU and beyond. He is best known for assisting multinational companies in major enforcement actions by data protection authorities and for defending companies against mass claims brought by NGOs and consumer organisations seeking multi-million euro damages. In addition, he assists companies with high-risk data protection projects and data and cybersecurity breaches. Geert divides his time between the Amsterdam and Brussels office, which is at the heart of our EU practice. He regularly teams up with our European competition and financial regulatory practice to deliver the best integrated service to our clients.

Clients praise Geert for his strategic thinking, analytical skills and pragmatic approach to complex issues. His experience as managing partner of the firm from 2016 to 2020 makes him a sought-after adviser on board dynamics.

Geert’s recent work includes advising:

Landmark class action lawsuit initiated by a claim vehicle against a leading Silicon Valley tech firm, based on the new regulatory regimes for class actions under both EU privacy law and Dutch civil law Four-year investigation by Dutch DPA into a leading social network that was closed without further enforcement mid 2018; assisted in EU-wide coordination of enforcement cases by DPAs into the social network’s data practices. Ongoing strategic advice on data governance issues to leading internet platforms with EMEA HQ in Amsterdam Strategic legal advice to leading vehicle manufacturers in the context of an industry scan of the Dutch DPA

Dutch, English, French

Arbitrator on the CIETAC panel, the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission

University of Leiden (Ph.D)