Luitzen van der Sluis

Practice Areas

Restructuring, M&A (with a combined interest in distressed M&A) and Commercial Contracts.

Career

Joined DVDW Advocaten in 2007 as a junior lawyer in the Insolvency and restructuring practice. Received court appointments as trustee (in bankruptcy) from 2010 to 2020. Appointed to Senior Associate in 2016, to Salaried Partner in 2018. Extended practice areas to include Corporate & M&A work, and was appointed to Equity Partner in 2020. Appointed to Managing Partner in 2025.

Professional Memberships

Representative of DVDW Advocaten in the Alliot Global Alliance, the (ranked) alliance for law firms, accountancy firms and other services providers;

Member of Insolad, the Dutch Association of insolvency experts.

Member of the Dutch Bar Association.

Clients

Luitzen presented and continues to represent both national and international clients in a wide variety of sectors. These include large brick and mortar (as well as online) retailers, industrial (and smaller scale production) companies, corporate and consumer service providers, plant nurseries and other agri- and horticultural companies as well as greenhouse manufacturing companies and associated industry specialists. Luitzen also works for and with PE firms and corporate finance specialists.

Work Highlights

Distressed M&A Transaction

Restructuring of a well known group of companies in greenhouse manufacturing and associated production facilities, in conjunction with an M&A transaction to ensure the future capital requirements of the group to regain and realize the growth mindset of the groups original founders. Given the groups global activities, scale and the complexity of managing the various stakeholders throughout the processes this matter ranks highest among my recent achievements.

Distressed restructuring and capital reorganization of the country’s largest orchid producer

This matter involved the reorganization and restructuring of a Dutch company in the horticultural sector that was (at the time) among the world’s largest producer of orchids, and certainly the largest in the Netherlands. Given a precarious situation, the company had to undergo a scheme of arrangements with it largest creditors, its banks and ultimately with its capital providers, whereby the controlling interests were re-arranged in order to secure new capital.

Cross border M&A Transactions

Over the past years we have had the pleasure of being entrusted with a number of transactions whereby international companies purchased Dutch companies or expanded their existing interest in such companies into controlling interests, often combined with re-alignment of the stakeholder interests and setting up new organizational and governance structures.

Sector expertise (max 1.500 words)

Throughout my career I have represented the interests of various manufacturing companies, both at an industrial scale (including shipyards) as well as at smaller specialist levels. I have extensive experience in the agri- and horticultural sectors, having represented a large number of companies in the greenhouse sector during the last fifteen years of my career to date. Among my clients are greenhouse manufacturers, mechanization and installation specialists as well as the owners and operators of greenhouses. I have a fondness for all things mechanical and I distinguish myself from other attorneys by insight into the peculiarities of production processes, materials, parts and their production and application. I firmly believe that a thorough understanding of the business and operations of my clients improves all parts of our rendition of services and makes me better suited to represent the interest we are entrusted with.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

The Netherlands.

Languages Spoken

Bilingual Dutch – English (native). Proficient to fluent in Spanish, French and German.