Prakken d'Oliveira Human Rights Lawyers

Number of partners: 8
Number of lawyers: 20
Languages: Dutch, English, French, German. Some of our lawyers additionally speak Spanish and/or Italian.

Firm Overview:
Prakken d’Oliveira is a law firm based in Amsterdam committed to defending human rights and ensuring that (groups of) individuals have access to justice. It is the only firm in the Netherlands truly specialised in human rights law: all its lawyers are active in this field. Prakken d’Oliveira has handled many high-profile cases, some of which now constitute precedent for state responsibility and liability for human rights violations and are referred to in academic literature around the world. The firm’s lawyers are specialists in combining different areas of law and have a strong basis in legal procedure as well as alternative possibilities such as international and soft law instruments. In addition to representing victims of human rights violations, the firm has experience advising NGO’s, law firms and businesses on the human rights-related aspects of their practice.

Main Areas of Practice:

International (Human Rights) law:
Prakken d’Oliveira has extensive experience advising on and litigating cases based on the basis of international law and human rights, both in the Netherlands and before international courts and fora. The firm is also familiar with international organizations and their special position within the Dutch legal system. The attorneys offer expertise in a myriad of fundamental rights such as the right to life, the right to liberty and justice, right to a fair trial, the right to respect for private and family life, the freedom of speech, freedom of information law, equal treatment, etc.
Contacts:
■ Dr. Channa Samkalden
Email: [email protected]
■ Prof. Liesbeth Zegveld
Email: [email protected]
■ Wil Eikelboom (ECHR)
Email: [email protected]

Business & Human Rights (Civil and Criminal Liability):
Prakken d’Oliveira has been at the forefront of business and human rights litigation in the Netherlands, holding (multinational) corporations accountable on behalf of claimants from all over the world. For example, the firm has led a number of high-profile cases against Shell regarding human rights violations in Nigeria, successfully establishing jurisdiction in The Hague against the Nigerian subsidiary. Besides civil litigation, Prakken d’Oliveira has successfully filed criminal complaints based on national and international criminal law on behalf of the victims of human rights violations. The firm also advises both corporations and individuals on matters of corporate social responsibility and has wide experience in assisting individuals and NGO’s in alternative mechanisms, such as the complaint procedure before the before the National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines.
Contacts:
■ Dr. Channa Samkalden (civil law)
Email: [email protected]
■ Barbara van Straaten (criminal law)
Email: [email protected]

International Humanitarian Law:
The firm has pioneered legal developments in cases against the Dutch Government for alleged human rights violations as a result of past and present military operations abroad. Prominent examples include liability for the fate of Bosniaks during the fall of Srebrenica, liability for (civilian) victims of Dutch (aerial) bombardments in Iraq and Afghanistan and grave war crimes committed by the Dutch army during the independence war in the former Dutch East Indies in 1945-1949.
Contact:
■ Prof. Liesbeth Zegveld
Email: [email protected]

(International) Criminal Law:
In addition to the above-mentioned expertise in the crossfield of humanitarian law and civil law, the firm has a long track record in litigating before the international criminal tribunals and regularly represents defendants and victims in cases regarding genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Moreover, international crimes are increasingly prosecuted before domestic courts. For example, attorneys of this firm have represented the first person to be prosecuted for the crime of genocide in the Dutch courts and have represented victims of war crimes committed in Ethiopia. The firm is active in all fields of (international) criminal law, and specializes in cases of extradition, international legal assistance and the ever expanding field of European Criminal law such as OLAF-procedures.
Contact:
■ Tamara Buruma
Email: [email protected]

Sanctions Law:
Its combination of expertise offers the firm a unique position in cases concerning sanctions law. The firm has a long track record at the national and European level of advising about and litigating against economic sanctions and has been involved in groundbreaking cases of the European Court of Justice in regard to the sanction regime. Its attorneys advise and represent both persons and entities against whom sanction regimes apply and persons and entities who might be at risk of violating sanction regimes.
Contact:
■ Tamara Buruma
Email: [email protected]

Environmental Law:
Prakken d’Oliveira has a special focus on environmental law. This includes cases on behalf of individuals and non-governmental organizations regarding the exposure of human health and the environment to pollution (industrial emissions, pesticides, radiation, climate change, etc), cases on nature protection (protected areas and species, protection against illegal trade of species) and proceedings on access to justice and information regarding environmental matters.
Contacts:
■ Marieke van Eik
Email: [email protected]
■ Bondine Kloostra
Email: [email protected]

European Law:
Prakken d’Oliveira specializes in European law and has assisted organizations and individuals in filing complaints with the European Commission, in appeal cases before the General Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Contact:
■ Marieke van Eik
Email: [email protected]
■ Bondine Kloostra
Email: [email protected]

Migration Law:
The attorneys at Prakken d’Oliveira have extensive expertise and experience in all aspects of migration- and nationality law, including international litigation (ECHR, CJEU, CAT). The firm aids companies as well as individuals to file applications for residence permits, based on labor migration, family reunion, medical or asylum grounds. The attorneys also litigate cases regarding for example residence and naturalization.
Contacts:
■ Marq Wijngaarden
Email: [email protected]
■ Flip Schüller
Email: [email protected]
■ Wil Eikelboom
Email: [email protected]