Band 5
Provided by Eric van Dam
Eric van Dam specialises in employment and labour law and advises domestic and multinational companies on complex workforce matters and strategic employment issues. His practice focuses on advising boards, senior executives and HR leadership on high-impact employment decisions, particularly in situations involving organisational change, corporate transactions and sensitive workplace disputes.
Eric regularly assists clients with employment litigation, individual and collective dismissals, reorganisations and workforce restructuring, and the appointment and dismissal of senior executives and directors. He also has extensive experience advising on employee participation and co-determination processes, including negotiations and consultations with works councils and trade unions.
A significant part of his practice involves advising companies on employment aspects of mergers and acquisitions, international expansion and cross-border workforce matters. Eric further advises on restrictive covenants, workplace privacy and data protection issues (GDPR), and internal investigations relating to employee misconduct, integrity matters and discrimination.
As mediator and experienced negotiator, Eric is frequently involved in complex workplace disputes and high-stakes negotiations involving senior executives, works councils and trade unions. Clients value his ability to combine strategic insight with a deep understanding of business operations, enabling him to deliver practical and commercially effective solutions in challenging situations.
Eric van Dam is a founding partner of Littler Netherlands and has more than 20 years of experience in employment and labour law. He has been admitted to the Amsterdam Bar since 2003 and advises Dutch and multinational companies on complex employment and workforce matters.
Before co-founding Littler Netherlands in 2016 (then operating as CLINT | Littler), Eric worked at international law firms, including Greenberg Traurig. He also gained significant in-house and executive experience. As a member of the executive team and in-house counsel at international fashion retailer Suitsupply, he played a leading role in the company’s strong international expansion, advising on legal, HR and organisational matters across multiple jurisdictions.
This combination of legal expertise and executive experience enables Eric to advise clients not only on the legal aspects of employment law issues, but also on their broader commercial and strategic impact. He regularly assists companies with employment issues arising in mergers and acquisitions, reorganisations, international expansion and co-determination processes.
Eric has been recognised by Chambers Europe, where he is ranked for Employment in the Netherlands. In addition to his legal practice, he mentors young legal professionals and supervises master’s students in employment law at the University of Amsterdam.
Member, Dutch Employment Lawyers Association (VAAN)
Eric van Dam regularly contributes to legal publications and thought leadership platforms on developments in Dutch and European employment law.
He is a contributor to Lexology and provides commentary on developments in employment law, workforce management and workplace governance.
Eric van Dam is committed to the development of young legal talent and actively supports the next generation of employment lawyers. Within Littler, he initiated individual coaching sessions for junior associates, focusing on professional development and client engagement. He is also affiliated with the University of Amsterdam (UvA), where he supervises master’s students in employment law.
Outside his legal practice, Eric is actively involved in charitable and community initiatives. He previously served as chair of the Lions Club Gijs and remains involved as a member, supporting fundraising initiatives and community projects for a range of charitable causes.
Eric advises a broad range of domestic and multinational organisations, including global industrial and manufacturing companies, international retail and consumer brands, data and research organisations, and leading businesses in the hospitality and entertainment sector. His clients also include companies operating in the agri-food industry and other internationally active organisations facing complex workforce and organisational challenges.
Advised an an international organisation specialising in benchmarking and certification on global employment law matters, including the harmonisation of HR documentation and employment terms across multiple jurisdictions and the handling of a sensitive executive separation in another jurisdiction. Acted as a central legal hub coordinating cross-border employment advice with local counsel worldwide.
Advised a a global services organisation on the Dutch works council consultation process in connection with a worldwide restructuring initiative aimed at significant cost reductions. Guided the client through complex co-determination requirements and successfully obtained a positive works council opinion despite initial resistance from the Dutch subsidiary.
Representing a major state-affiliated organisation in ongoing discrimination proceedings concerning the non-renewal of a fixed-term employment contract. Advising on litigation strategy, settlement options and reputational risk management in a legally and publicly sensitive matter.
Advised an international company on the closure of a Dutch office as part of a broader restructuring. Developed a workforce reduction strategy in the absence of a social plan, prepared termination arrangements and supported the implementation of the reorganisation.
Acting as litigation counsel in proceedings before the Amsterdam Enterprise Chamber following a works council objection to an internal restructuring proposal. Advising on the consultation process, litigation strategy and mediation efforts aimed at resolving the dispute.
Advised an international agri-food group on a high-stakes governance and employment dispute involving management conflict, employee unrest and threatened strike action. Supported decisive board intervention, suspension of local management and the appointment of interim leadership to stabilise operations.
Eric advises companies across a range of internationally oriented sectors where workforce strategy, organisational change and cross-border employment issues play a central role.
Retail and Consumer Goods companies rely on Eric for advice on international expansion, workforce restructuring, executive matters and complex employee relations issues. His experience as a former executive in the retail sector enables him to combine legal insight with a strong understanding of commercial operations.
In the Hospitality sector, Eric advises organisations on employment disputes, workforce restructuring and sensitive employee relations matters.
Within the Technology & Data sector, he advises on workplace privacy, data protection in the employment context and employment law issues arising from rapidly evolving business models.
Eric also advises companies in the Chemicals and Real Estate & Project Development sectors on reorganisations, works council consultation processes and employment aspects of corporate transactions and operational restructurings.
Eric van Dam advises on Dutch employment and labour law and has extensive experience handling cross-border employment matters involving multiple jurisdictions. His work frequently includes coordinating international employment law advice and supporting multinational organisations with workforce issues across Europe and beyond.
Dutch
English
Eric van Dam has more than 20 years of experience advising domestic and multinational organisations on complex employment and labour law matters. His work spans the full lifecycle of workforce management, from day-to-day employment advice to strategic matters involving reorganisations, corporate transactions and executive-level disputes.
He regularly advises boards, senior management and HR leadership on workforce restructuring, individual and collective dismissals, executive appointments and departures, and employee participation and works council consultation processes. Eric also has extensive experience supporting international organisations with cross-border employment issues and organisational change across multiple jurisdictions.
Eric frequently assists clients with sensitive workplace disputes, internal investigations and negotiations involving senior executives, works councils and trade unions. As an accredited mediator and experienced negotiator, he is often engaged in matters requiring a balanced approach between legal strategy, stakeholder management and commercial considerations.
His background in both private practice and executive leadership enables him to provide pragmatic and business-oriented advice in complex organisational settings.
Utrecht University
Masters of Laws (LLM), European and economic public law
1996 - 2003
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
Finance for non-financial managers
2012 - 2012
Centre for Conflict Management (CvC), Haarlem
Mediation course
2014 - 2015
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Postgraduate course (PALA), Employment Law
2017 - 2017
Leiden University
VPR-A specialistenopleiding Privacy- en gegevensbeschermingsrecht
2019 - 2019
Provided by Chambers
Eric van Dam enjoys a solid reputation for his ability to advise on litigation arising from employee misconduct and discrimination claims, dismissal processes and employee transfers. He also acts on works council matters and workforce reductions as part of corporate restructurings.
Provided by Littler
Retail and Consumer
Business and Professional Services
Leisure and Hospitality
Property, Construction and Infrastructure
Technology, Media and Telecoms (TMT)