Houthoff‘s restructuring and insolvency practice offers debtor- and creditor-side clients deep experience in high-stakes, often cross-border matters. Practice head Christiaan Zijderveld, who remains a key port of call for foreign and Dutch banks, works closely with seasoned expert Frédéric Verhoeven, who regularly advises hedge funds, private equity houses and public bodies on complex, multi-jurisdictional restructurings. On the contentious side, insolvency litigator David Heems frequently acts in high-value proceedings for a diverse spectrum of stakeholders. Karien van Boekel and Nadir Koudsi are further key figures in international restructuring and insolvency mandates.
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Accolades

Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘David Heems is a strong litigator.’
  • ‘The Houthoff team is a standout for combining technical excellence with commercial acumen.'
  • ‘Frédéric Verhoeven is able to very quickly understand the key elements of a case.'
  • 'Sarah Meesterman is a very knowledgeable and pro-active associate.'
  • ‘This firm is able to manage the entire restructuring process, varying from finance documentation to litigating the plan.’
  • ‘Christiaan Zijderveld is excellent in his technical analysis and innovative in the implementation thereof.’

Key clients

  • InterCement Financial Operations B.V.
  • Consolis
  • Stonehill Capital Management, Bank of America, Alden Global Capital and Kia II
  • Interior Service Group Netherlands B.V.
  • Investcorp
  • Steinhoff International Holdings N.V.
  • Fortenova Group
  • HPS Investment partners LLC
  • Loyalty Ventures Inc. / Brand Loyalty Group
  • BC Partners
  • Dümmen Orange
  • DSB Bank

Work highlights

Advising The Fortenova Group on restructuring issues it faced due to being partially owned by sanctioned parties.
Advised the ad hoc group of creditors to the Consolis group in the successful implementation of its comprehensive recapitalisation.
Assisted the Unigel Brazil Group in the restructuring of its $800m debt through its Brazilian and U.S. restructuring proceedings.

Lawyers

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Next Generation Partners

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Leading associates

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Practice head

Christiaan Zijderveld

Other key lawyers

David Heems; Nadir Koudsi; Paul Sluijter; Jan Willem de Groot; Frédéric Verhoeven; Joost den Hollander; Karien van Boekel; Sarah Meesterman