Houthoff

Making our clients and people successful
We are Houthoff – an independent full-service Dutch law firm. We have leading practices in, among others, Corporate/M&A, Litigation & Arbitration, Real Estate and Restructuring & Insolvency. We place the client at the heart of everything we do. Whatever their market, strategy or ambition, our clients trust our people to be behind them every step of the way, just as much as they trust our advice to take them where they desire to go.

Today’s clients gravitate towards trusted advisers who are collaborative and extremely capable in every aspect of their highly complex and strategic transactions or disputes. Advisers who are as proactive, innovative and commercial as they are – not just as lawyers, but as business advisers and sector experts. Whether our clients are local or global corporations, financial institutions, private equity firms or governments, we concentrate on bringing energy, insight and integrity to every conversation. We combine this with an expert grasp on the opportunities and challenges our clients face today and in the future, helping them manage risk and reward.

We have a clear focus on our mission, purpose and values, which reflect those of our clients and their environment. Like them, we also believe in giving back to the communities we live and work in and the world we all share.

We make our people successful and provide a culture in which our employees can thrive and grow, because of, not in spite of our differences. Diversity of thought and approach is essential to us commercially and culturally. We mirror our client base as we collectively strive towards ensuring an inclusive and supportive attitude, with trust at its heart.

With offices in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Brussels, London and New York, as well as a representative in Tokyo, we are able to offer an extensive global service network. Leading legal directories acknowledge in depth our strengths. As the exclusive member firm in the Netherlands for Lex Mundi and TechLaw, we can provide our clients seamless access to some of the world’s finest law firms. In addition to our own extensive and highly prized network of experts, we work collaboratively with our clients to ensure their international success.

Climate change
One of the biggest challenges facing businesses today in dealing with new or changing climate legislation. This is significant for all sorts of businesses. Whether clients have questions about liability issues, funding, competition cases or new business models, dealing with the impact of new national and international environmental laws requires extensive knowledge and expertise. Whatever the area of law or sector, Houthoff has the specialists to interpret these laws, reduce risks and explore opportunities.

Sustainability
Houthoff goes beyond reducing its paper consumption and constantly strive to make their operations more sustainable. The firm takes part in different initiatives, such as the Green Business Club Zuidas (GBC) and are one of the many parties to put its name to the Zuidas 2026-2030 ambition statements. In addition, the firm provides advice on various innovative sustainable energy projects and sustainability initiatives.

Sponsorship
Houthoff is head sponsor of the Dutch national Opera & Ballet. Houthoff’s core values – craftsmanship, entrepreneurship, leadership and team spirit – reflect those of Dutch National Opera & Ballet. With the sponsorship Houthoff not only supports one of the largest cultural organisations in the Netherlands, the firm also commits themselves to the top of the international ballet and opera world.

Social commitment
The firm is involved in several social organisations and projects including:

• Forward Foundation, the first LGBT network in the Dutch legal landscape that strives for acceptance and recognition of the LGBT community in the legal world Houthoff was one of the founding firms of the network

• Johan Cruyff Foundation

• JINC job trainee programme for economically disadvantaged young people

Diversity/community
We believe that diversity goes further than respecting people’s differences. Teams with a mix of people with different backgrounds, cultures, preferences and ideas are more productive, more creative and more innovative. It is therefore not only our corporate social responsibility to strive for a diverse and inclusive working environment, but it also makes good business sense.

Houthoff works in a constantly changing environment at the heart of society. Our clients represent all sorts of people in the Netherlands and worldwide. To properly understand the dynamics of our clients, diversity is very important to us. We make room for ambitious people, irrespective of who they are. This requires a culture in which everyone has the freedom to be themselves and to have an open mind.

In our efforts to promote a diverse and inclusive environment, it is important to recognise that there are existing prejudices before they can be properly dealt with. We strongly believe that it is possible to be a diverse and inclusive office. It will take patience, but above all, the same drive with which we perform our daily work.

Pro bono
Houthoff’s pro bono work focuses mainly on organisations that aim to bring about an inclusive society with equal opportunities for all. We see it as our duty to make an active contribution to a world in which a variety of backgrounds, preferences and appearances is viewed as a strength rather than a source for discrimination.