The labour and employment team at Kennedy Van der Laan centres its practice on advising clients in the technology and financial sectors on a range of matters, including restructuring and reorganisation projects, privacy issues and co-governance law. The client base includes large international technology companies, financial institutions and works councils. The group is also recognised for its strength in representing healthcare institutions in remuneration matters. Ester Damen acts for works councils and employers, and has niche expertise in advising on unethical workplace behaviour; she co-heads the practice with Chris Nekeman, who is well versed in advising on employee participation law, and Soo-Ja Schijf, who focuses on outsourcing, reorganisations and collective and individual dismissals work.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘For us, Kennedy van der Laan really feels like a partnership. Their approach is an extension of our own and they are always keeping our company culture and view in mind in their advice. They are available when we need them and offer clear and useful advice. ’
‘We very much enjoy working with Eylard van Fenema and Ilse Baijens. They offer practical advice, we can always quickly consult with them when needed and they know exactly what our business wants and needs.’
‘Ester Damen ticks all the boxes such as being a professional, experienced, approachable, responsive amd personal. She provides the perspective of both employer and employee and is reliable, trustworthy and discreet. A pleasure to work with.'
‘The team is very professional and their attitude is amazing.'
‘Soo-Ja Schijf is a true partner to our business. She understands our objectives and works with us to find pragmatic solutions, applying her exceptional knowledge of employment laws and how they are developing. ’
‘They know our business and industry very well. Their advice is always focused on being ahead of things and practical. Solution-oriented. The team has a high level of ready knowledge and are proactive in involving other expertise.’
Key clients
- KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines)
- GKN Aerospace / Fokker
- Central Works Council IBM
- Microsoft
- Nike
- Lucid Motors
- Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
- PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Rabobank
- VodafoneZiggo
Work highlights
Advised Fokker on centralising its sites in Netherlands, including a consultation with the central works council and trade union.
Acted for Rabobank in contentious work, including the terminations of individual senior employees.
Advised Convatec on a cross-border restructuring project involving large-scale collective redundancies.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Chris Nekeman; Soo-Ja Schijf; Ester Damen
Other key lawyers
Eylard van Fenema; Ilse Baijens; Quirine van Boxtel, Lisa Klumperdink