Buren

The firm: Our firm has been active in China under the leadership of Jan Holthuis since 1995. In 2004 we were the first Dutch law firm to establish a fully licensed foreign law office in China with the approval of the Chinese Ministry of Justice. Holthuis International Lawyers & Advisers (HIL) and BUREN merged in October 2016. Now that the integration is completed, BUREN has over 130 employees, consisting of approximately 80 lawyers, civil-law notaries and tax advisers supported by paralegals and other staff. The firm has the largest China-focused law practice in the Netherlands.

The firm’s office locations are Amsterdam, Beijing, The Hague, Luxembourg and Shanghai. The BUREN China Practice Group is managed by Jan Holthuis.

Beijing: As China’s economic development is strongly government-led and Beijing represents China’s political centre, our office here opens up possibilities for our clients. With detailed insight into Chinese policies and laws, we keep our clients up to date and help them anticipate trends and regulatory developments in the world’s largest and most dynamic market.

Areas of practice: BUREN has a long-established corporate and commercial practice in China. We assist in foreign direct investment by way of greenfield operations, acquisition of equity stakes in Chinese companies and the set-up of joint ventures. In addition, we advise on a wide range of agreements on, among others, distribution, agency, and technology and trademark licensing. Lately, e-commerce and IP protection have become a substantial part of our advisory work.

The agro- and food law expertise has organically developed from the earliest stages of our firm’s activities in China. Dutch companies are known for their high-quality agricultural products, and innovative and efficient production methods. BUREN has supported many Dutch agro- and food companies in China.

BUREN has an exclusive partnership with Deken PRC Litigators. Deken Litigators exclusively handle all litigation cases for BUREN clients in China and are fully independent from local interests while adhering to the highest professional rules of conduct. Deken lawyers handle commercial, corporate, IP, insurance (product liability) and employment cases in Chinese courts.