Maverick Advocaten N.V. is a specialist boutique firm that offers expertise at the intersection food law, competition, and regulatory matters, assisting clients across the entire supply and production process for food and feed. The firm also stands out on high-stakes regulatory litigation, frequently representing major producers in regulatory disputes regarding fines, product recalls, and supervision. The practice is led by a trio of lawyers with strong competition law backgrounds: Diederik Schrijvershof is a regulatory litigation expert; Martijn van de Hel specialises in enforcement and merger control; and Cyriel Ruers is a leading authority in market regulation and consumer protection matters.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘They are true experts in their field. They have a very good personal approach and their response time is always fast. Furthermore, they are very analytical and are able to determine the matters at hand thoroughly.’
- ‘Both Diederik Schrijvershof and Judith Jansen are highly skilled. Diederik Schrijvershof is, in our opinion, an outstanding professional who has a lot of knowledge and is also eager to learn about the specialised industry our company is working in.'
- ‘They give me the sense they are focusing on me and only my problem. This is a great attribute because it gives me trust and confidence.'
- ‘Maverick Advocaten has a professional focus and impressive track record on food law and legal issues regarding food safety and recalls, specifically involving the Dutch Food and Consumer Safety Authority.'
- 'The team is approachable and combines their expertise with excellent knowledge of the food sector, leading to really pragmatic but legally sound advice and support.’
- ‘Cyriel Ruers and Judith Jansen have helped us with meaningful advice in matters of great importance for our industry. They understand the complexity of food production and have successfully defended our interests both in and out of court.’
Key clients
- Zwanenberg
- Scherpenhuizen
- Growers United
- Vion Food Group
- IMCD
- Van Loon Group
- GroentenFruit Huis
- Stichting Milieukeur
- Rijk Zwaan
- Van Iperen
- Ameco
- St. Paul
Work highlights
Assisted Zwanenberg in obtaining approval from the Dutch competition authority ACM to acquire part of the business of major A-brand Unox and (in Belgium and Greece) Zwan from global food group Unilever.
Represented the Dutch cattle feed producers Fransen Gerrits B.V. and P. Bos Mengvoeder en Kunstmesthandel in proceedings concerning a national €4bn buy-out scheme in livestock farming by the Dutch State, which caused the feed producers considerable damage.
Successfully assisted a large number of companies in the Dutch meat sector (including slaughterhouses, processors and traders), represented by the Central Organisation for the Meat Sector, in proceedings regarding the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority fees.
Practice head
Diederik Schrijvershof; Cyriel Ruers; Martijn van de Hel
Other key lawyers
Judith Jansen