Sagiure Legal > Amsterdam, Netherlands > Firm Profile

Sagiure Legal
SPUISTRAAT 8-10
1012 TS AMSTERDAM
Netherlands

Netherlands > Employment Tier 5

Sagiure Legal focuses on contractual issues within employment law, as well as aiding clients with advice from the recruitment phase to the termination and post-contractual phases. The team often works on matters which involve other jurisdictions. Practice heads Madeleine Molster and Rachida el Johari are both experienced in a variety of employment issues, including corporate employment matters.

Practice head(s):

Madeleine Molster; Rachida el Johari

Other key lawyers:

Patrick Rojer

Testimonials

‘Rachida el Jorhari and Madeleine Molster were both very knowledgeable, willing to listen to our concerns and help us achieve our goals, and timely in responding to our queries.’

‘Rachida el Johari and Madeleine Molster have been a crucial support while managing our activity in the Netherlands. They show deep technical knowledge, ensuring we are following the best possible practice, and they make an effort to understand the specificities of our business to give the best advice and the best possible perspective on the topic. Besides that, they have an excellent work environment which makes us feel good about working with them.’

‘Personal service. They are only focused on employment law and know what they are talking about. It gives me confidence. It is easy to contact them.’

‘Rachida el Johari and Madeleine Molster are perfect for us. Simple, easy communication. We get the personal service of dealing with a boutique firm.’

‘The team is really invested in delivering good advice and they follow up on earlier matters. The partners are easily accessible and available.’

‘The team at Sagiure just complement each other and that is why I like working with them so much.’

‘The team makes the firm – their personal, hands-on approach makes them all a pleasure to work with.’

‘Rachida el Johari and Madeleine Molster both have the ability to understand the client’s requirements and are extremely good at pointing out the risks and possibilities that clients are unaware of. We have worked together on numerous cases and they are always professional and fun to work with, despite sometimes difficult issues. With these two superwomen we are always confident that we are in good hands. Our personal experience has been nothing but positive.’

Key clients

Kraft Heinz

IDEX Corporation

Farfetch

W.P. Carey

EXIN Holding BV

The Sunrise Project Australia Ltd

Bioseutica

The founders of the firm – Rachida el Johari, Madeleine Molster, and Jos Pothof – have been working in international law firms for many years before launching Sagiure in January 2014. Rachida and Madeleine began practicing law in the early 2000s and Jos in the late 1970s. Over time they have acquired extensive experience in the most diverse range of employment law, contract law, and governance matters and have established a high-quality international network. They are considered by clients, peers, and legal directories as leading experts in their field.

Being a lean and highly specialized independent law firm, Sagiure offers its clients personalized attention and responsiveness, innovative legal solutions, simplicity of internal procedures, transparency, and more competitive fees compared with many traditional law firms. Sagiure lawyers enjoy autonomy and flexibility while working on professionally rewarding assignments.

Firm philosophy
Behind our firm’s name stands a combination of two words: (i) “sage” meaning “wisdom” and (ii) “iure” – Latin word for “law”, making Intelligence and Justice the foundation of both our business vision and our understanding of the legal profession. With this base, we are determined to provide our clients with smart business solutions that achieve optimal results. 

Sagiure was conceived as a law firm for the 21st century – we work quickly and effectively, always keeping our client’s business goals, their often limited time, and budget in mind, as well as keeping them fully informed. We have our eyes on the latest developments in law, are hands-on, and are able to think of out-of-the-box solutions. Efficiency is at the heart of everything we do. 

We strongly believe in the power of adaptation. In the post-pandemic world, our clients face additional business challenges, and we adjust our work to their new circumstances and reality. We listen to what their new needs are to understand better their business environment, and we maintain a constant dialogue with them fostering mutual trust, thus ensuring we get the maximum out of the relationship.

Department Name Email Telephone
Managing Partner Madeleine Molster Madeleine.molster@sagiure.com +31 6 868 11 664
Partner, Head of Section Rachida el Johari Rachida.el.johari@sagiure.com +31 6 868 11 665
Photo Name Position Profile
Madeleine Molster photo Advocate Madeleine Molster Managing Partner
Rachida el Johari photo Advocate Rachida el Johari Partner, Head of Section
Dutch
English (fluent)
Arabic
German
French
IR Global (www.irglobal.com)
AmCham American Chamber of Commerce
EELA (European Employment Lawyer Association)
Association of the Bar

SAGIURE was founded by Rachida el Johari and Madeleine Molster as a 100% female driven law practice. Since 2014 SAGIURE is built on the principle of diversity leads to excellence. Our team members are all experienced professionals who studied, worked and lived in different countries and come from a variety of (cultural) backgrounds. Our team is diverse in terms of gender, age, mind-set and personalities. In our everyday work we experience the unique added value of each team member and how we complement each other in offering our clients the best level of service and quest to exceed expectations.

As we operate in an international environment, servicing clients from various countries and guiding them through the Dutch legal maze it is essential that we can be both responsive and culturally sensitive. Not because it is part of a marketing policy but because we are genuinely and inherently interested in where our clients come from and want them to have the best experience in their business dealings in and with the Netherlands.

At SAGIURE we work and live by values of teamwork, integrity, transparency and purpose driven professional engagement. We offer internships to students to share our experience and strive to kindle their passion for the legal profession in a fair and sustainable environment. We expect drive, commitment and a consistent desire to improve while never settling for average. In return we offer our interns a solid basis that prepares them for a successful career built on respect for peers, care for clients and having fun along the process.

We feel blessed that we got the opportunity to study law and utilize our knowledge in a profession that we love. We realize that in some instances seeking justice is hindered by the costs it entails. In an effort to give back to our community, team SAGIURE ensures that each year each of our team members handles at least two pro bono cases. We select the cases on the basis of complexity and occasionally the client has already sought legal advice elsewhere without achieving a (satisfactory) result.

Our selection process is based on the following steps:

  1. the case represents legal injustice, demonstrates a level of complexity that requires labor law expertise and may also involve tax or corporate law input;
  2. the client has limited financial resources and is not entitled to legal aid;
  3. based on a high level assessment SAGIURE concludes that the team can provide added value through our expertise;
  4. we establish that there is no conflict of interest with our existing clients.

We handle these cases either free of charge or at a significantly reduced rate. We take pride in the opportunity to utilize our experience and legal expertise to assist those who would otherwise be unable to retain such counsel.


SAGIURE was founded by Rachida el Johari and Madeleine Molster as a 100% female driven law practice. Since 2014 SAGIURE is built on the principle of diversity leads to excellence. Our team members are all experienced professionals who studied, worked and lived in different countries and come from a variety of (cultural) backgrounds. Our team is diverse in terms of gender, age, mind-set and personalities. In our everyday work we experience the unique added value of each team member and how we complement each other in offering our clients the best level of service and quest to exceed expectations.

As we operate in an international environment, servicing clients from various countries and guiding them through the Dutch legal maze it is essential that we can be both responsive and culturally sensitive.  Not because it is part of a marketing policy but because we are genuinely and inherently interested in where our clients come from and want them to have the best experience in their business dealings in and with the Netherlands.

At SAGIURE we work and live by values of teamwork, integrity, transparency and purpose driven professional engagement. We offer internships to students to share our experience and strive to kindle their passion for the legal profession in a fair and sustainable environment. We expect drive, commitment and a consistent desire to improve while never settling for average. In return we offer our interns a solid basis that prepares them for a successful career built on respect for peers, care for clients and having fun along the process. 

We feel blessed that we got the opportunity to study law and utilize our knowledge in a profession that we love. We realize that in some instances seeking justice is hindered by the costs it entails.  In an effort to give back to our community, team SAGIURE ensures that each year each of our team members handles at least two pro bono cases. We select the cases on the basis of complexity and occasionally the client has already sought legal advice elsewhere without achieving a (satisfactory) result.

Our selection process is based on the following steps:

  • 1. the case represents legal injustice, demonstrates a level of complexity that requires labor law expertise and may also involve tax or corporate law input;
  • 2. the client has limited financial resources and is not entitled to legal aid;
  • 3. based on a high level assessment SAGIURE concludes that the team can provide added value through our expertise;
  • 4. we establish that there is no conflict of interest with our existing clients.

We handle these cases either free of charge or at a significantly reduced rate. We take pride in the opportunity to utilize our experience and legal expertise to assist those who would otherwise be unable to retain such counsel.


CLIENT: Ms Lieke Hakkenberg, HR Advisor
COMPANY/FIRM: Underwriters Laboratories
TESTIMONIAL: I would describe our collaboration as a strong trusted partnership. I feel that the team at Sagiure has an excellent understanding of our business and organizational structure and has therefore been able to act quickly on any legal matter we have encountered, providing strong legal guidance and clear expectations on the process. I feel I have always been able to count on the right support.


CLIENT: Ms Carla Nobel. HR advisor, Regional Centre WSEE HR Advisory Group
COMPANY/FIRM: DNV GL Netherlands B.V.
TESTIMONIAL: Sagiure is a very good help in case of legal questions. There is always someone available when I have any questions. Answers are very fast, and very clear. Discussions are always possible and also appreciated, which gives me, as the client, the feeling that I remain in charge. Very sympathetic, the threshold to contact Sagiure is very low. Sagiure knows the company I am working for very well, which leads to the feeling that Sagiure is only working for my company and I am an exclusive client, not one of many. In short: very nice cooperation!


CLIENT: Mr Tom Verzellenberg, director
COMPANY/FIRM: Improvers B.V.
TESTIMONIAL: For years now we have been very satisfied with our cooperation with Sagiure!
The lawyers are no-nonsense, straight-forward, immediately jump to action and have both the legal knowledge and are business savvy. This is a rare combination that we need and gratefully make use of. They pay a lot of attention to understand how our business works in the complex market it operates and have a nose for recognizing the success drivers of the organization. They see solutions and opportunities that not only cover the (legal) risks, but also make a real positive contribution to our operating results. Sagiure is very much involved, always takes the extra mile and does not just limit its work to delivering legal documentation. We consider Sagiure to be a true and most valued business partner.


CLIENT: Mr Robbert Heemskerk
COMPANY/FIRM: Entrepreneur and investor
TESTIMONIAL: I am currently working with Rachida and her firm for over 10 years. Initially our cooperation was based on her knowledge of employment law, in which she distinguished herself through a sharp view on any subject matter and the flawless execution of cases we entrusted her with. In the past several years our professional relationship underwent a profound evolution in the sense that Rachida and her firm Sagiure demonstrated the capability to proactively offer consultancy on a variety of topics benefitting the corporations I manage. The Team’s precision, extensive network, strength, intelligence and strategic skills have resulted in a confirmation that in addition to expert legal assistance they also deliver advice based on given trust which they have proven to be worthy of. Sagiure’s recommendations have grown to be an important factor for us and give us the sense that we often get a few points better result from our corporate and commercial decisions. For corporations like ours those few points can make the difference and as such Sagiure is a co-contributor to our success.   


CLIENT: Ms Bea Luypaert, Leader People & Organisation
COMPANY/FIRM: Equinor, South Korea
TESTIMONIAL: The combination of a highly professional expertise with a human touch, makes Sagiure special. I can state that I have professionally grown a lot whilst working with them.


CLIENT: Ms Uschi Vanschoubroeck, HR Services Manager
COMPANY/FIRM: Equinor Energy Belgium NV
TESTIMONIAL: I’ve worked with Rachida and Madeleine on employment matters for a number of years and I have always been impressed by the high level of service they have provided. Their legal advice is consistently to the point, ready to implement and considering our business context. They ask the right questions in order to provide sound legal advice and even bring us to different perspectives. What makes them distinct from other law firms is their responsiveness, pro-active approach, helicopter view and of course the fact that they are the most pleasant and enjoyable lawyers to work with!


CLIENT: Mr Jaap Haeck, Chairman of the Supervisory Board
COMPANY/FIRM: World Vision Netherlands
TESTIMONIAL: Sagiure has been World Vision Netherlands’ employment firm for the past few years. Sagiure has represented the interests of our organization in a very convincing and professional manner showing its capability to deal with extremely complicated cases. Notwithstanding the difficulty and seriousness of the cases we have been working on, working with Sagiure always remains pleasurable, for which I compliment Rachida and her team. I have known Sagiure to be a highly classified employment law firm in which it puts the interests of the client first.


CLIENT: Scott Dillon, General Counsel
COMPANY/FIRM:  Klipsch Group, Inc.
TESTIMONIAL: I have utilized Sagiure, and in particular counsel Madeleine, for assistance with legal needs in the Netherlands where one of our subsidiaries operates, for many years. Madeleine’s advice has always been delivered timely and with efficiency and precision. I also have comfort that Madeleine and her team are looking out for our interests even when I have not specifically inquired on a topic, as they regularly update me with legal developments of note applicable to our Netherlands entity.  I endorse Madeleine and her team at Sagiure with my highest recommendation.


CLIENT: Michiel Goedegebuur, owner
COMPANY/FIRM:  Goedegebuur Vlees Rotterdam
TESTIMONIAL: Goedegebuur Vlees Rotterdam supplies high quality beef to catering and retail trades. Working with Sagiure means that the works gets done in an effective and pragmatic manner. The advice we receive is clear and straight to the point. This way of working fits our industry and the Rotterdam ‘no-nonsense’ culture.


CLIENT: Anja van den Bosch, HR Manager
COMPANY/FIRM: BuzziSpace
TESTIMONIAL: Previously, as HR Manager of a Norwegian Oil and Gas company, I was responsible for all HR matters in Belgium and The Netherlands. During that time, I have had the fortune of working closely together with Sagiure. I was not only impressed by how knowledgeable they are on all employment law matters in the Netherlands, but also their very practical legal advice was appealing. For me, Sagiure’s USP is how they try to really understand the DNA of the company to be able to find a legal solution that works for the client. Sagiure truly understands the clients’ need for legal advice in different flavors. Therefore, I would unhesitatingly recommend Sagiure to any potential clients.