LXA Attorneys acts for national and international players in the retail, fashion, and luxury markets. The firm offers strong contentious and non-contentious expertise, particularly excelling in franchise law, anti-counterfeiting and brand protection. The team's leadership consists of Herman Knotter, who focuses on commercial contracts and litigation; Thomas Berendsen, who deals with IP, IT and fashion brand protection; and Debbie van de Laar, a key contact on all facets of employment law. The firm further strengthened with the addition of Katinka Verdurmen from act legal Netherlands in October 2025.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Billing & efficiency
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Strong team, with great knowledge of the retail industry.'
- ‘Herman Knotter is an extremely likeable, hard-working lawyer with a great track record when it comes to advising and litigating on contracts, specifically in distribution and franchise contracts.'
- ‘The team consists of professionals with a lot of experience and legal expertise. Over the years, I haven’t had a single moment of doubt.’
- ‘Herman Knotter is a very good lawyer who gives his very best all the time. Herman is always very easy to reach, his approach to the case is always clear and I am always aware of the steps he wants to take.'
- 'Herman Knotter is very good at simplifying even the most complex matters to people who don’t speak the legal language. He provides the right amount of technical (legal) details and background information, ensuring that everyone is always on the same page.'
- ‘The team from LXA combines great market and technical legal knowledge.’
Key clients
- D-reizen retail B.V.
- Prijsvrij.nl B.V.
- Dutch Travel Alliance
- SNS/ASN bank
- Hoppenbrouwers
- Regiobank
- Tix.nl
- Janzen
- Run2Day
- Vion retail Nederland B.V.
- Inqar
- Keune Haircosmetic
Work highlights
Advised the Franchise Association of SNS Bank on all legal aspects of the transition of the SNS Bank franchise network to ASN Bank.
Assisted HaDER JV Holding B.V. in acquiring the IP rights, customer database, and approximately 100 D-reizen stores from the bankruptcy of DRT.
Represented Only for Men in proceedings regarding the alleged infringement of trademark rights in first instance, appeal proceedings and the Supreme Court appeal proceedings.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Herman Knotter; Thomas Berendsen; Debbie van de Laar
Other key lawyers
Katinka Verdurmen