Pels Rijcken

Managing Partner: Sandra van Heukelom- Verhage

Number of partners worldwide: 37

Number of other lawyers worldwide: 177

Languages:Dutch, English, French, German

Firm Overview:

Pels Rijcken acts for major corporates, international organisations and government institutions, such as the State of the Netherlands and the Dutch Central Bank. Pels Rijcken is full-services firm and ranks among the top law firms in the Netherlands. Based at the office in The Hague, about 350 professionals are committed to providing the very best in legal services. They combine their in-depth legal knowledge with a keen understanding of their clients’ business needs. They are responsive to their clients’ demands and pragmatic in their solutions. They are also sensitive to the interest of their clients’ stakeholders.

Sectors:

Central Government

Education and Research

Energy

Financial Institutions and Markets

Global Reach

Healthcare

Provinces and Municipalities

Real Estate

Supervision and Regulation

Main Areas of Practice:

Administrative Law

Construction Law

Corporate/M&A

Employment Law

Energy Law

European Competition Law

Health Law

Innovation, Privacy and Technology

Intellectual Property and Media

IT

Law Enforcement and Criminal Law

Liability, Damage and Insurance

Litigation and Arbitration

Planning and Environmental Law

Privacy

Procurement Law

Professional Disciplinary Law

Public Administration Probity Screening Act

Public Shareholdings

Public Transport Law

Real Estate

Social Domain

Supreme Court Litigation

Tax Law

Business Human Rights:

Pels Rijcken provides advice concerning the requirements which apply or might apply to sustainable procurement. In addition, it draws up contractual terms and conditions related to investments and for loan documents, joint venture agreements, and supply chain contracts. These terms make provision for ensuring human rights due diligence (in accordance with the requirements set out in the UN Guiding Principles) or other business and human rights standards. Finally, it provides advice concerning the procedures which are necessary for ensuring compliance with business and human rights standards within your own organisation as well.

Contact: Martijn Scheltema

Email: [email protected]

Construction Law:

The team remains the largest, most experienced and most specialised in construction and (public) procurement law in the Netherlands. It is involved in all major and most complex infrastructure projects in the Netherlands. The team is experienced in drafting and reviewing (innovative) construction contracts and all tender documentation in practically all major public Dutch projects. It is trend setting in latest developments, including construction contracts tendered on the basis of Best Value Procurement. In public procurement law we are advising on virtually all major PPP/PFI deals in the Netherlands. The firm is leading in the highly specialised field of shipbuilding.

Contact: Mark Birnage

Email: [email protected]

Corporate/M&A:

The practice has extensive M&A capabilities, but its expertise also includes joint ventures, restructurings, (private equity) investments, incentive plans and corporate governance matters. The firm advises on transactions in the corporate and public sectors. It focuses on mid market clients, both nationally and internationally. Its leading position in the public domain explains its involvement in most of the privatisations and private/public co-operations.

Contact: Carel van Swaay

Email: [email protected]

Employment Law:

The firm is engaged in the largest and most complex employment projects in the Netherlands on a daily basis. It works closely with the Supreme Court litigation practice group. Consequently, the team is involved in employment law proceedings which are conducted before the highest Dutch court. It represents a unique range of clients with the highest profiles including not only listed (international) companies, but also the State of the Netherlands, all ministries, several provinces and (large) municipalities. In the area of pension law, the team represents large employers and pension funds.

Contact: Erika Wies

Email: [email protected]

Energy:

The energy team works on the largest and most complex energy projects in the Netherlands. It is not only involved in practically all major wind farm projects onshore and offshore, but also in major – renewable – heat, as well as heat and cold storage and supply projects. It is also regularly retained for climate change matters, such as CO2 emission rights trading. The firm is leading in regulatory litigation in the energy sector. In addition to its successful regulatory practice, it also have a considerable transactional track record. It is advising energy producers, suppliers and traders and energy project developers. Unlike other law firms, it is retained by the Dutch government to advise on strategic and politically sensitive energy matters.

Contact: Iman Brinkman

Email: [email protected]

European Law and Competition and Market Regulation:

The team is known for the consistent high quality of its broad practice. The competition law practice covers the full range of antitrust, abuse and merger cases. Clients are public authorities as well as financial institutions and beneficiaries of state aid. The team handles all common forms of state aid. The EU and competition team also has a strong reputation for handling complex EU law matters. Team members all have a profound sectoral knowledge of one or more sector on industry, such as energy, food, transport, media, sports and infrastructural projects.

Contact: Marleen Botman

Email: [email protected]

Litigation and Arbitration:

Pels Rijcken is the largest and the premier litigation law firm in the Netherlands. Pels Rijcken’s arbitration team has ample experience and an excellent track record with handling large scale arbitrations. It also provides strategic legal advice in the context of imminent or pending arbitrations. Its expertise covers all possible stages of an arbitration, from interim measures to setting aside proceedings up to the Supreme Court. It acts for various blue chip companies and banks. Other clients are the State of the Netherlands, provinces and municipalities, regulators and other authorities. Over the last decade it has been expanding the commercial practice significantly, with an increasing range and high profile matters.

Contact: Willem Heemskerk

Email: [email protected]

Real Estate:

Pels Rijcken has one of the largest real estate practices in the Netherlands. It provides assistance with numerous sales processes, (large-scale) urban projects and area developments. The firm is actively involved from the spatial planning through to realisation and exploitation including lease and rental transactions. It is eminently equipped in the field of public-private partnerships and innovative types of contracts (DBFMO). It also advises on procedures regarding health care real estate, the sale of surplus real estate and transformation. Clients include large (listed) companies, international corporates, project developers, pension and investment funds, housing corporations and other institutions, the State of the Netherlands, provinces and various municipalities.

Contact: Aemile van Rappard

Email: [email protected]

Supreme Court Litigation:

Pels Rijcken is the biggest Supreme Court Litigation department in the Netherlands. Cases handled cover a broad spectrum of legal issues in both the private and public sectors, ranging from banking/ finance, corporate, employment and insurance to tax and real estate. The firm has a wide scope of litigation: representing clients before all civil courts in the Netherlands, but also presenting cases before all administrative courts through a reputable administrative litigation team. Most partners and associates also lecture for professional courses with litigation-related subjects.

Contact: Hans van Wijk

Email: [email protected]