AKD > Rotterdam, Netherlands > Firm Profile

‘Strong engagement and awareness of each client’s unique context. Able to swiftly mobilise required skills and experience. Prompt reaction.’

‘Very up to date insight in Dutch and European development in the field of tendering and construction. Teams have balanced setting. Good guidance by lead Marc Wintgens.’

‘Expertise, guts, speed.’

‘I greatly appreciate the AKD team. The main attribute of this team is that they understand the issues but are pragmatic in their approach. Great litigators and easy to work with.’

‘Floris van Westrhenen has and continues to be an exceptional legal adviser. He is tactical, smart, self assured and fun to work with. His approach is to achieve the best for his client without burning commercial bridges.’

‘AKD has a thorough knowledge of construction and the construction market. Their expertise and approach is unrivaled.’

‘Practice head Marc Wintgens can deal with any high-level construction case, is easy accessible and an excellent negotiator.’

‘AKD lawyers are always ready to help. They make time and answer quickly and directly.’

‘Knowledge on a high level. Empathy. Swift and correct.’

‘The level of knowledge is very high in this practice. The collaboration with this firm is great. They are innovative in their collaboration with governments.’

‘The team has all the knowledge and skills needed for all legislation.’

‘Gerrit van der Veen is capable of solving all our problems fast and in an efficient and effective way.’

‘Thomas Sanders is very passionate about his work. His knowledge is outstanding and he can get to the essence of a file in no time. Besides that, he is a very pleasant person with a great sense of humour.’

‘Gerrit van der Veen has the quality of thinking outside the box, with the client’s needs in mind. Oversees the scope of the case very well and quickly, and keeps in mind the political interests.’

‘Thomas Sanders is a professional that is outstanding in his legal profession, always accessible, very accurate. He is quick in his answers to questions and helps if a colleague is better in a specific subject. He has a good overview. Whenever he promises a product, he delivers it.’

‘AKD has team leaders with specialised knowledge and resources for research.’

‘The team is fine-tuned. They keep each other informed and have experts in many areas that support each other when necessary.’

‘AKD communicates clearly and is familiar in the environment it works in.’

‘AKD has been our partner in the field of legal issues for many years with its wide range of lawyers, short lines of communication and up-to-date knowledge, making them a very suitable partner for us. What is really unique, however, is that this is done in a friendly, yet efficient manner.’

‘The collaboration with Barbara Mutsaers was excellent. Friendly, knowledgeable and always ready for us with a short response time. Not only advising within her own field and knowledge, but also thinking more broadly on the rest of the playing field. She is open, honest and transparent in her responses and advice. In the unlikely event that we once again need legal assistance, there will be no doubt that we will then contact her immediately!’

‘Barbara Mutsaers is fast to respond when we have a crisis situation, and is very good with the details. She is really hands on, and patient.’

‘Barbara Mutsaers is very knowledgeable on the food sector, relevant legislation and is hands on. She provides us timely and excellent legal advice. Strong negotiator in court.’

‘Immediate response, to the point, showing merits and risks of the matter.’

‘A practice characterised by excellence in expertise and ad hoc advice. A good combination of experienced lawyers with a young ambitious team.’

‘Jos van der Meché has a strategic and often creative approach, always focused on solving the case. Annemieke Spijker has a rapid response time, and is appreciated for her knowledge of the sector and her practical approach.’

‘The team maintains amicable relations with other firms thus avoiding unnecessary juridical escalations.’

‘Fantastic team and impressive clients.’

‘Strong quality team, responsive and good to cooperate with.’

‘Haco van der Oordt is the no.1 go to partner for maritime work at AKD. Very knowledgeable, quick and solution oriented.’

‘AKD are both transparent and responsive. As a company, these are the values we live by for our clients, so it was really a match made in heaven to have a law firm on our side that adopts the same strategy towards its clients.’

‘Thijs Hekman in particular was practically always available when called upon, and always provided clear and succinct feedback regarding how our case was progressing.’

‘Patrick Haas is a pleasure to work with and always makes you feel you are in very capable hands. He is exceptionally commercial and brings a perspective to issues that is always welcome.’

‘Thijs Hekman is clever and to-the-point.’

‘The high level of specialisation in the field of insolvency/director’s liability litigation is outstanding.’

‘Thijs Hekman is a bright junior partner. He handles complex insolvency and litigation cases.’

‘This practice is unique because it combines expertise in international and local (Dutch) matters.’

‘AKD provides a streamlined, efficient and complete service to its clients. They are easy to deal with, incredibly reliable and effective. They know their market very well and have a depth of insight into matters.’

‘Frits Schneider is a seasoned criminal defense lawyer with an excellent reputation. Vincent de Bruijn gives a new boost to the fraud and white-collar practice at AKD. At his previous firm Vincent has conducted relevant eDiscovery projects. This specific expertise may offer added value to the more hard-core criminal law practice of Frits.’

‘Our most important contacts were Vincent de Bruijn for the internal investigation and Frits Schneider for the criminal strategic advice and guidance. We are particularly impressed by the analytical qualities of the team of researchers and of Vincent in particular. As a result, it was possible to receive a clear and unambiguous report on the matter under investigation, including recommendations, in a relatively short period of time. Frits has guided us through the process with his expertise, combined with his peace and tranquillity, at important moments.’

We are very satisfied with the work and services of AKD. The strategic advice had great value for us. The internal investigation has provided valuable information and insights. We were able to manage the process well. In addition, the lawyers carried out an excellent detailed analysis in a short period of time and gave concrete advice. We highly value AKD as a highly professional law firm.’

‘Vincent de Bruijn has a sharp analytical mind and has a great eye for detail.’

‘Vincent de Bruijn is one of the smarter lawyers working in the Dutch white-collar practice, he is well versed in many legal areas, he is always interested in the facts underlying the legal abstractions and is often able to come up with innovative solutions to complex problems.’

‘The team is led by Frits Schneider, a highly experienced, amiable and excellent defence lawyer.’

‘AKD’s team has vast experience and combines solid theoretical expertise with a practical, hands-on approach, for instance in the context of internal investigations.’

‘Frits Schneider is very experienced in handling complex fraud cases.’

‘The team has knowledge on a braod area of healthcare and health insurance, acting on behalf of serious players in the field, particularly healthcare institutions’

‘If I need to highlight one of the legal partners, I must mention Barbara Mutsaers. As an entrepreneur, I choose Barbara Mutsaers because she goes the extra mile and is not only a legal partner but also a co-worker.’

‘The team is highly knowledgeable within the health care industry and very well connected to relevant authorities and utilises their connections to improve the quality of their counselling.’

‘High level of analytical thinking and focus on problem solving. The team is very pragmatic and always work with a smile.’

‘For us the team has been centered around Barbara Mutsaers. Our interaction with the team has been very satisfactory because of her.’

‘We do work primarily with Barbara Mutsaers, who has proven to be an outstanding professional. She has been available 24/7, always ready to do the extra effort. She has been able to get to the core of the matter immediately and digests much information rapidly to offer us immediate and very tangible advice. She is very knowledgeable in the Healthcare sector and has outsmarted opposing lawyers in many instances. Her communication style has been sharp, coherent and respectful.’

‘Joris Rijken is dedicated, involved in our care operations, ‘speaks the language’, can relate to our business and is a quick thinker.’

‘Barbara Mutsaers is an exceptional lawyer. What make her stand-out from other lawyers is that she combines her strong expertise in the legislation area with an in-depth understanding of the business needs in the life sciences space.’

‘The AKD team continues to deliver top quality services with unparalleled professionalism.’

‘Frenk Huisman is a true partner, responsive, consistent and extraordinarily knowledgeable on real estate matters in the Netherlands. We couldn’t have asked for a better partner over the last several years.’

‘Availability, depth of knowledge, one-stop shopping, “carrier” in order to find the right advisor/lawyer.’

‘AKD has a thorough knowledge of real estate and the real estate market, in addition to the obvious expert knowledge of construction law. Their expertise and approach is unrivalled.’

‘Practice head Marc Wintgens can deal with any high-level real estate case, is easy accessible and an excellent negotiator. Marc is also highly convincing.’

‘AKD has a multidisciplinary team with associated high-quality knowledge and experience and has good knowledge of our business and organization(s) and translates this into good and applicable advice.’

‘High-quality knowledge, expertise, experience and personal involvement.’

‘A responsive and diligent team.’

‘Vincent Bettonville and Remco Bosveld are highly recommended.’

‘Responsive, informed and efficient work on secured, multi-jurisdiction financings.’

‘They maintain a high quality with regard to their drafting, respond swiftly and are also pragmatic.’

‘Nathalie van Woerkom is an experienced partner in M&A and private equity.’

‘Highly knowledgeable, efficient, experienced in cross-border work and a strong client focus.’

‘Nathalie van Woerkom – a very safe pair of hands. Extremely experienced, strong negotiator and very business minded. A pleasure to work with.’

‘They are a fantastic group of people with tons of experience across all types of corporate transactional work.’

‘Very pragmatic and knowledgeable, working for top-tier clients. Can easily stand out against the really big names.’

‘Carlos Pita Cao is a sharp and efficient lawyer.’

‘Good ability to handle complex cross-border transactions.’

‘AKD has a very deep bench when it comes to IP, unfair competition and design law. They also show a very client-focused strategy that takes into account the business practicalities at issue in a dispute or prosecution matter. In other words, they look at the issues considered from the client’s perspective. This includes offering reasonable fees. I believe they use technology very effectively.’

‘Very responsive and hands on advice. Clients like what they get as there is always a good balance between commercial and legal requirements.’

‘Huib Berendschot is very experienced with exceptional industry insights.’

‘Roderick Chalmers has great experience in the sector, very smart, friendly, practical counsel who understands the need to balance the commercial requirements with the legal ones.’

‘Huib Berendschot is a very experienced partner with a good understanding of how to resolve problems. He has in-house experience which allows him to understand a client’s perspective. He is knowledgeable in the area of IP, unfair competition and design rights and an effective advocate.’

‘Roderick Chalmers is a junior partner with a deep understanding of IP, unfair competition and design law. He is a very effective problem solver.’

‘Bram Woltering is very capable and also understands IP, unfair competition and design law.’

‘Roderick Chalmers and Huib Berenschot are excellent professionals. Experienced and straight to the point. I trust their advice.’

‘Lennart Crain is very responsive, commercial and solution oriented.’

‘Nathalie van Woerkom has a pleasant personality. She is open minded, creative and always looking for solutions. It is a great pleasure to work with Nathalie.’

‘Rosanne Vlasveld is creative and has a lot of experience. She is accurate and fast in delivering results.’

‘Wouter Kros is good with clients and will work hard to arrive at a solution that is out of the box.’

‘They have strengths across the transactional spectrum, particularly private equity.’

‘Pragmatic and knowledgeable, working for top tier clients.’

‘Carlos Pita Cao is sharp and efficient.’

‘Nathalie van Woerkom is an excellent private equity adviser.’

‘Depth of knowledge, strategy, understanding of the business.’

‘Personal attention and widespread connections to key sector players.’

‘Trustworthy, experienced, connected, trusted and professional.’

‘AKD has a thorough knowledge of the project finance and PFI market, in addition to the obvious expert knowledge of construction law. Their expertise and approach is unrivaled.’

‘Practice head Marc Wintgens can deal with any high-level project finance and PFI case, is easy accessible and an excellent negotiator.’

‘Fouad el Houzi is a strong and leading individual in his domain. He provides very clear and effective strategies that help safeguard the client’s interest to the best level possible.’

‘The team has the perfect combination of experienced lawyers and young, bright lawyers that can take on any case.’

‘Baend de Roy van Zuidewijn is a very experienced insolvency lawyer and bankruptcy trustee. The combination of these roles gives value to clients. Thijs Hekman is a very bright young partner. He works effectively by directly focusing on the core of the issue at hand.’

‘Good and quick to response. Professional and prompt in their advice. Feedback is clear and practical.’

‘Henrike van de Laar is accessible and responds quickly to requests for help. Thanks to her strong analytical skills, she quickly gets to the heart of the matter. She is knowledgeable, accurate and acts decisively.’

‘AKD is a professional organisation. In particular, I work with the employment law team. They are all very experienced. The billing process runs smoothly, taking into account our organisation’s processes. Cooperation with the other departments within AKD also runs smoothly and other professionals are called in promptly if necessary. No unnecessary work is done and they clearly anticipate our requirements as a client.’

‘In particular, I work with Henrike van de Laar. She is great to work with. She can be reached quickly and always makes time to provide us with expert advice. She not only looks at the purely legal issues but also thinks ahead pragmatically. She has an eye on the requirements of our organisation and not only looks for the best legal solution but also for the best solution for the organisation. After experience with several lawyers and various offices, she clearly adds extra value.’

‘Delivers promptly in a well-structured way and actively deals with clients’ concerns and possible solutions for them.’

‘Pascal van Schaik and Henrike van de Laar in the Amsterdam office were excellent, helping me deal with a tricky international matter. They stayed very calm in difficult circumstances and helped navigate us to the right outcome.’

‘In my opinion, AKD has a great group of very experienced people working for them, with a broad scope of abilities. In the times I needed expertise from another department at AKD, they would swiftly introduce me to the right person, who was also always very capable, experienced and flexible. I think their level of expertise combined with their flexibility in particular makes AKD unique.’

‘I’d like to praise Pieter Huys specifically. He is a truly very knowledgeable professional, who is highly emotionally intelligent and very flexible. He truly cares about getting the client the best result and, also, about the well being of his client in a way that I had never seen before in a professional relationship.’

‘Skilled and experienced, quickly available upon request.’

‘Joost Houdijk – skillful, to the point, pragmatic.’

‘We required specific expertise in EU Procurement law, for which AKD has a specialised practice. The team, though small, was very knowledgeable in the subject matter at hand and provided the required guidance.’

‘Pieter Kuypers and Nikee Groot were well versed in the practical aspect of EU procurement law. They provided a professional and to-the-point legal strategy, required legal briefs, and legal representation during the course of our engagement.’

‘Joost Houdijk communicated in a way that matched the level of the participants. He showed that a theoretical topic can be conveyed to the audience in a lively and engaging way.’

‘I can recommend Joost Houdijk. Excellent competition lawyer, great knowledge of competition law and fun to work with.’

‘Joost knows our market well by now and finds other point of views or additional arguments that make our case stronger.’

‘Good expertise, very service oriented.’