Van Traa Advocaten > Rotterdam, Netherlands > Firm Profile

Van Traa Advocaten
MEENT 94
3011 JP ROTTERDAM
Netherlands

Netherlands > Industry focus: Food Tier 1

Van Traa Advocaten is the go-to firm for insurance and brokering companies who require assistance with recall actions related to disease outbreaks, decertification of organic good, and other potential issues. The team also has a specialised organic sector group which is well-equipped to handle regulatory, arbitration, litigation, and contractual issues faced by the organics industry. Other main areas of the practice include food-related M&A, transport and logistics, contracting and financing, regulatory, and insurance and liability. Marc van Maanen co-leads the team alongside Silvia Gawronski, he handles issues related to food and feed law and largely assists logistics service providers, their insurers, organic commodity traders, trade financiers, and meat traders. Gawronski acts for national and international companies on regulation and enforcement matters, as well as material food and food safety regulations. Steven Oude Alink specialises in commercial and transport law for the food industry, while Tomas Uildriks assists with recall disputes.

Practice head(s):

Marc van Maanen; Silvia Gawronski

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘Very professional in industrial food business. Exceptional in solving problems in the short term.’

‘The lawyers at Van Traa are very knowledgeable and experienced in insurance law, commercial law and liability law and, in my experience, are all very practical and straightforward. Lots of knowledge and experience in the food industry and on organic products and their supervision.’

‘Marc van Maanen, Steven Oude Alink and Silvia Gawronski are professionals and the cooperation is very pleasant and practically focused, namely on clients’ interests.’

‘My experience with Van Traa team is that they are very skilled, and they know the case to the smallest detail. By consulting Van Traa you know that they are very dedicated and always want to win the case. I have worked with them for more than twenty years and they have never lost a case! Van Traa always puts the customer’s interests first.’

‘My first choice is Marc van Maanen. He knows our company very well and is very skilled in the areas we need him for.  He is not only a lawyer doing his job, but thinks ahead and provides us with very useful information as and when needed.’

‘Capable lawyers who are not only legally minded, but also familiar with day-to-day practices in the industry. Proactive and practical responses. Give good and prompt feedback.’

‘Good knowledge of the food market, directly involved with the market and willing to think and look for practical solutions.’

‘Excellent ability to understand international problems and apply them in a Dutch context.’

Key clients

Marsh/Amlin/AIG/NN/ASR

Olam Europe

Steinweg Handelsveem

Louis Dreyfus Company

Cofco

Glencore Grain

Nouryon

KLM

Cargill

Cefetra

Dutch Organic International Trade

Agrocare

Sanorice

Regional Grain Trading Group

Tradin Organic

Doens Food Ingredients

Intersnack

Spack Trading

Van Schelven

HAP Foods

Bakker Seeds

FeedValid

Argentrade

Dutch Bakery Group

Dipasa

Pacha de Cacao

Tracomex

Triferto

Bio Next

BioNederland

Sime Darby

BioCore

Work highlights

  • Assisted ADM on several questions related to their new joint venture with Marel to build an innovation centre which will accelerate alternative protein capabilities.
  • Assisted KLM Cargo with cases in which they are confronted with cargo containing foodstuffs with ingredients from protected plants or animals under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
  • Assisted insurance and brokering companies in the Netherlands and their clients with complex recall cases and addressed inquiries related to food law, including claims, notification obligations, and measures required under food law.

Netherlands > Transport Tier 1

Van Traa Advocaten’s highly regarded transportation practice tackles the full spectrum of transport law issues, encompassing logistics, aviation, and international trade, as well as shipping, offshore activities, and regulation. The practice offers extensive expertise in areas such as commodities, rail, road, maritime insurance, and sanctions. It is spearheaded by logistics expert Leendert van Hee, highly experienced in representing sea and road carriers, producers, and insurers, especially in complex dispute resolution. Vincent Pool advocates for cargo interests, logistics service providers, and insurers on road carriage, dry shipping, and rail transport issues. Robert Pessers, overseeing the aviation division, concentrates on liability and regulatory issues for major airlines and their insurers. Jolien Kruit, with her focus on dry shipping and logistics services, excels in managing incidents and claims, while Nol van Hal provides advisory and litigious support in maritime matters including shipbuilding, incidents, ship arrests, and insurance.

Practice head(s):

Leendert van Hee

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘The team is easy to talk to and able to understand the underlying case even when the questions are still at the surface.’

‘Good quality of advice.’

‘Very professional and responsive and absolute experts in the region of transport law, maritime law, and insurance law.’

‘Vincent Pool and Leendert van Hee are the best experts on transport law, maritime law, and the corresponding insurance law in the Netherlands.’

‘They possess comprehensive knowledge, maintain open lines of communication, and boast an expansive international network.’

‘Vincent Pool is legally strong, very knowledgeable and approachable, adept at ad hoc problem-solving, and excels at integrating this legal expertise with a deep understanding of business needs. His solutions also draw from extensive client experiences, consistently delivering satisfaction. Highly recommended.’

‘Nol van Hal is a versatile lawyer combining in-depth legal knowledge with a no-nonse communication that appeals to non-legal business people.’

Key clients

KLM

KLM Cargo

Nouryon

Dutch Ferry Company

Work highlights

  • Assisted TUI Airlines and ANVR in seeking financial compensation from Schiphol Airport for losses incurred due to operational disruptions at the airport.
  • Assisted KLM Cargo in cases involving cargo with foodstuffs containing ingredients from protected plants or animals.
  • Supported TUI Airlines in legal proceedings against the Dutch State and Schiphol Airport, challenging the government’s decision to reduce Schiphol’s capacity to reduce noise.

Netherlands > Insurance Tier 2

Van Traa Advocaten is noted for its record in transport-related insurance matters, with the firm advising on both the drafting of terms and conditions, and on disputes relating to both professional liability and personal injury in the transport and logistics sector. The team also takes instructions tied to the neighbouring area of international trade. Practice head Robert Pessers advises on claims arising out of transport accidents, with a particular focus on the aviation industry, covering professional and person injury liability matters, in addition to advising on construction all risks cases. Robert de Haan handles policy advisory work in relation to transport insurance, with Derk-Jan van der Kolk taking the lead on personal injury disputes. April 2023 saw professional liability and fraud specialist Marko Jongkind return to the firm from VanNiekerkCieremans B.V.

Practice head(s):

Robert Pessers

Testimonials

‘Very competent team, always quick, provided precise legal advice without unnecessary academic excursions.’

‘Fluent in Dutch, English and German, very experienced in shipping, transport and insurance matters, very practical approach to solving disputes.’

Key clients

AFC Ajax

Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment

Malaysia Airlines (and its insurers)

Nationale Nederlanden

NedTrain

Dutch Ministry of Justice and Defence and the National Police

The Dutch public council for personal injury

Work highlights

  • Represented AFC Ajax in a dispute with its former player Zakaria Labyad, who claimed medical expenses damages following a training injury.
  • Advised multiple underwriters on navigating claims arising out of events cancelled due to the Dutch government’s Covid-19 mitigation measures.

Netherlands > Dispute resolution: arbitration Tier 4

Van Traa Advocaten specialises in international trade, transport and logistics, and insurance-related cases. In particular, the team assists enterprises with international trade disputes related to fraud, breach of contract and perishing of goods. International trade experts Marc van Maanen and Steven Oude Alink co-lead the practice.

Practice head(s):

Marc van Maanen; Steven Oude Alink

Testimonials

‘Van Traa is a very good and practical firm with professional business skills, especially for international trade cases.’

‘Good knowledge of finding practical solutions to solve disputes within short timeframes. This is great added value.’

Work highlights

  • Assisting the Dutch Council for Personal Injury on the establishment of an arbitration institute to assess and settle complicated long-term personal injury cases.
  • Represented multiple clients in challenging national and international arbitration proceedings which have emerged as a result of trade contract terminations triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Assisted numerous logistics service providers in multi-jurisdictional disputes pertaining to alleged breaches of contract.

Van Traa’s lawyers are specialists in the fields of international trade, transport and logistics and insurance and liability.

Our clients are national and international companies, such as trading companies, transport and logistic service providers, financial service providers such as banks, brokers and insurers, aviation companies, construction companies and contractors and shipping companies.

At Van Traa we strive to quickly and accurately get to the essence of the problem and provide clarity for our clients. Our objective at Van Traa: to make matters clear.

Our firm has around 30 lawyers. Large enough to allow us to designate specialized teams to large cases. But small enough to enable us to be flexible, combine our experience and share specific knowledge and expertise.

Through the training and guidance we give our junior lawyers, we can guarantee that clients receive our accumulated knowledge and experience; not only today, but also in the future.

Our lawyers are involved in academic research, so are well-informed about the latest developments within the various areas of law and are well able to put this knowledge into practice.

Our lawyers meet the requirements as set by The Netherlands Bar which appears from their registration on various jurisdictions in the register of The Netherlands Bar.

Since 1898 we have been assisting our clients to solve problems quickly and efficiently. We are internationally oriented but firmly rooted in Rotterdam. We value an open, professional and informal working atmosphere, where expertise is of paramount importance.

This is how we arrive at good ideas and solutions that contribute to the business success of our clients.

Department Name Email Telephone
Transport and Logistics | Shipping: dry shipping | Railroad law | Marine Insurance | Insurance: general and personal liability, property and construction Robert de Haan
Transport and Logistics | Shipping: dry shipping Vincent Pool
Aviation (aircraft financing, passenger and cargo claims, regulatory matters, accidents, insurance, licences and charters) | Insurance: general and personal liability, property and construction | Professional indemnity (lawyers, brokers, contractors and architects) Robert Pessers
Transport, Logistics and Liability Jan Willem Bruidgeom
Insurance and Liability Peter Drion
Administrative (procedural) law | QHSE | Food and Product Safety | Supervision & Enforcement and Administrative Sanctioning Silvia Gawronski
Transport and Logistics | Shipping: dry shipping Leendert van Hee
Insurance and Liability | Personal injury | Professional indemnity (lawyers, brokers, contractors and architects) Derk-Jan van der Kolk
Transport and Logistics | Shipping: dry shipping | Maritime accidents: hull and machinery (hull and machinery: collision, salvage, offshore and shipbuilding contracts) Jolien Kruit
Transport and Logistics | Maritime law (dry and wet) | Rail Richard Latten
International Trade and Commodities | Transport and Logistics Marc van Maanen
International Trade and Commodities | Transport and Logistics Steven Oude Alink
Number of lawyers : 30
English
French
German
Contact : Robert de Haan