Shearwaters

Shearwaters is the unique boutique firm in the Netherlands.

Shearwaters has very experienced lawyers, and is widely seen by others as an established boutique firm with an internationally renowned practice (i.e. a varied client list comprising large corporates, financial services clients and high-profile individuals), whose lawyers have the “gravitas” for which the clients approach them. They know their way around the international commercial law and business environment.

Unlike all other boutique firms in the Netherlands, the co-heads of Shearwaters both have substantive “Big Law” experience. Shearwaters therefore consistently delivers expert advice to clients regardless of their legal requirements and they reach out from wherever they are. This means that Shearwaters renders advice to them on Dutch corporate employment law, but also brings in external counsels, for example to help the clients on their queries relating to other fields of law, such as immigration law, tax law, pensions law and corporate law. This works really well in practice.

We provide three things:

• Transactional support on internationally significant M&A transactions;

• Strategic advice on delicate matters in the international business arena;

• Litigation (where required) and support in mediation (when deemed appropriate) in relation to 1) and 2).

Shearwaters is the unique boutique firm in the Netherlands. This is because Shearwaters believes that:

• It is the only boutique firm in the Netherlands focusing solely on Dutch corporate employment law in the international business environment with fee-earners who have gained some 25 years of collective (and relevant) experience at the world’s premier law firms BakerMcKenzie and Linklaters;

• Few, if any, other law firms in the Netherlands actually provide the type of balanced practice and level of expertise and experience that Shearwaters does.

• Shearwaters believes in getting it right the first time;

• In assisting its clients in their desire to always move forward;

• In integrity, always.

As set out above, the international perspective and its vast international experience sets Shearwaters apart from all other boutique firms, which may appear similar at first glance, but which are in fact not actually all that similar, for example because they have not spun-off from ‘elite firms’ and their fee-earners do not have the distinctive global and international mindset, sound approach and behavior that would fit the niche in which Shearwaters performs its work.

On another relevant note: since its launch in 2015, the size and capability of the Shearwaters team has always equaled or exceeded those of most full-service firms in the Netherlands (as ranked by Chambers to date). Not only in size, but also and perhaps more importantly: in experience and expertise. Shearwaters continues to bring in high-end mandates of Dutch corporate employment law in the international business environment.

To read more about Shearwaters, please visit www.shearwaters.nl.

In addition, please note that:

• All of the clients at Shearwaters are internationally operating corporates, financial institutions and (senior) executives; other type of clients do not reach out to Shearwaters;

• Shearwaters operates from a deep-seated passion to help its clients so that they can navigate through the complexities of Dutch corporate employment law;

• In addition to the team, Shearwaters can easily engage other like-minded professionals where required. This means (for example) that Shearwaters can easily reach out to corporate law attorneys, tax attorneys, PR advisors, etc.

Given our international focus, Shearwaters is part of an informal global network of boutique firms across Europe and beyond. This network is based on the Linklaters and BakerMcKenzie alumni networks and works rather well and seamlessly in practice.

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