Career
Gerrit der Veen is a partner and attorney-at-law at AKD who specialises in administrative and environmental law. He focuses chiefly on general administrative (procedural) law, public administration and government acts that are subject to private law, environmental law, liability for soil and environmental impairment liability, the law on subsidies and administrative compensation, mining legislation and associated forms of liability.
Most of Gerrit's clients are municipalities and other government bodies, with companies, such as real estate developers, and institutions, such as hospitals and educational institutions, making up the rest of his client list. A perfectionist, Gerrit focuses on delivering actionable solutions, which is highly appreciated by his clients. At a conference, someone who heard him speak commented: "It's quite something to hear the most practical solution coming from a professor." Gerrit obtained his doctorate at Utrecht University with a dissertation that examined the convergence between public and private law, in particular with regard to public affairs.
Gerrit is frequently retained in 'high-spec' cases that attract media attention. He also acts as an "in-house" lawyer for medium-sized and large municipalities. He has built an excellent rapport with the government bodies with which he negotiates. Combining thorough professional knowledge and affinity with administrative aspects, he gives clear, sound and bespoke advice. Gerrit regularly publishes articles on administrative and environmental subjects for various journals, for example the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Bestuursrecht (Netherlands Administrative Law Journal), JBPlus and the AB (administrative case law journals) and BOUWRECHT (a construction law journal). He has by now annotated dozens of decisions of the Dutch Supreme Court on such themes as the relationship between public and private law, the implications of the Didam ruling, competence agreements and government liability. Gerrit is also a member of the editorial staff of several magazines and journals, including Tekst en Commentaar Omgevingsrecht and Tekst en Commentaar Milieurecht (journals providing commentary on planning and environmental law), for De Gemeentestem (the Voice of the Municipality) and for Tijdschrift voor Omgevingsrecht (Journal for Environmental and Spatial Planning Law). He heads the editorial board of the Vastgoedrecht journal (on real estate law) and is the current president of the Netherlands Society for Construction Lawyers (Vereniging voor Bouwrecht-Advocaten). Gerrit is a respected educator, teaching at the Netherlands Institute for Construction Law (Instituut voor Bouwrecht), the training institute for municipal lawyers, and the post-graduate Grotius Academy, where he teaches general administrative law.
Gerrit was a part-time professor of Environmental Law at University of Groningen up to and including 2024. His inaugural lecture, in 2014, addressed duties of care and liabilities under the new Environmental and Planning Act [Omgevingswet], with a particular focus on major enforcement cases involving a large number of both private and public bodies, such as the Chemiepack case. Gerrit has been highly ranked in the various legal directories, such as Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500, for many years.
