A premier firm for dispute resolution, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek excels in handling international arbitration and continues to represent clients in major proceedings relating to assets in Russia and Ukraine. The Amsterdam team also stands out for its expertise in the energy, oil and gas sectors, including advising on the closure of the Groningen gas field. Practice head Martje De Vries Lentsch leads on these high-stake energy and gas arbitrations. Other key players in the team include Marnix Leijten, who is known for his expertise in commercial and investor state arbitration; Albert Marsman, who focuses on cross-border and international energy and finance arbitration; and Matthias Kuscher, who is well versed in disputes involving the energy, infrastructure and construction sectors.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘What I value most about the approach taken by De Brauw Blackstone is that they do not change your business problem into a legal problem. Solving the business problem remains the priority and informs the relevance of legal doctrines. This approach ensures alignment, focus and efficiency. It requires above average understanding of the business by De Brauw, on which they time after time succeed to deliver.’
‘Marnix Leijten is the initiator and leads the energy team with his unmatched experience, dedication and drive to succeed. Matthias Kuscher is an incredible mind that fully stays on top in even the most complex and complicated cases. Martje de Vries Lentsch is an outstanding litigator.’
‘They work seamlessly and efficiently as a team, providing extremely high-quality advocacy and advice in international arbitration, in particular in the energy sector. They ensure that every angle is covered, leaving no stone unturned, and are simply a pleasure to work with.’
‘Marnix Leijten is a real star - he has excellent strategic sense, outstanding judgement and consistently delivers extremely high-quality and practical advice to his clients. Matthias Kuscher is a fantastic advocate, who handles complex disputes and knows how to present complex technical and legal issues in a simple and compelling manner. Jonas Hinrichsen is a rising star, with expertise in the energy sector.’
Key clients
- Shell
- GasTerra
- Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Kingdom of Bahrain
- Republic of Kazakhstan
- State of Malaysia
- Yukos majority shareholders
- NN
- Philips
- Heineken
Work highlights
- Advised Shell on contentious matters against the Kingdom of the Netherlands related to the accelerated closure of the Groningen gas field, operated by joint venture Nam.
- Represented Yukos Oil majority shareholders in a major victory related to their $50bn dispute with the Russian Federation over the illegal expropriation of Yukos.
- Representing Malaysia in proceedings related to a $14.92bn arbitral award claimed by eight Filipino citizens based on an 1878 agreement.
Lawyers
Hall of fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Matthias Kuscher
Albert Marsman
Next generation partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Martje Verhoeven- De Vries Lentsch
Practice head
Martje de Vries Lentsch
Other key lawyers
Marnix Leijten; Albert Marsman; Matthias Kuscher; Jonas Hinrichsen