Marnix Ritmeester

Practice Areas

Marnix is one of the leading specialists in the Netherlands on the employment law aspects of corporate transactions. He is a trusted adviser to many of the country's top-ranked M&A and corporate law firms, who turn to him when a deal requires genuine employment law depth.

His transactional work covers the full lifecycle: pre-deal due diligence, identifying workforce risks and liabilities, advising on transfers of undertaking, and guiding clients through post-closing integration, restructuring, and harmonisation of employment conditions. He understands how deals work, and advises accordingly.

Beyond transactions, Marnix has a broad employment law practice. He advises employers, senior employees, and works councils, and litigates regularly before the courts. His years as in-house counsel at Shell, where he worked on large-scale cross-border restructurings with a particular focus on expatriate arrangements, give him a commercial perspective that sets him apart from purely advisory practitioners.

On employee participation, he brings hands-on authority: Marnix served as chairman of the Works Council at NautaDutilh, one of the Netherlands' premier law firms. That experience gives him an instinctive feel for how works councils reason and respond, which proves invaluable in both transactional and restructuring contexts.

Career

Marnix began his legal career in 2000 at NautaDutilh, one of the Netherlands' leading international law firms, where he specialised in Dutch employment law from the outset. During his time there he also served as chairman of the firm's Works Council, a role that gave him direct insight into employee participation that few employment lawyers possess.

In 2009, Marnix made a deliberate move in-house, joining Shell's legal department as a corporate employment law counsel. There he worked on complex, large-scale restructurings across the Shell Group, with particular focus on internationally mobile employees and expatriate arrangements. That experience sharpened both his commercial instincts and his understanding of how major organisations navigate workforce change.

In 2011, Marnix co-founded Workx Advocaten together with Maaike and Jochem, with the ambition of building a firm that is genuinely specialist, entrepreneurial, and client-focused.

Professional Memberships

Marnix is a member of the Dutch Employment Lawyers' Association (Vereniging Arbeidsrecht Advocaten Nederland, VAAN) and the Amsterdam Employment Lawyers' Association (Vereniging Arbeidsrecht Advocaten Amsterdam, VAAA). He completed the post-academic course in Dutch employment law (PALA).

Personal

Outside the office, Marnix can most likely be found on his bike. He is an avid cyclist who takes his riding seriously, though he is equally serious about the meal and glass of champagne that follow. He has a passion for football, music, and good restaurants, and brings the same enthusiasm to all four.

Clients

Marnix acts for a broad mix of international corporates, Dutch market leaders, and top-tier corporate law firms. His client base reflects his standing as one of the Netherlands' leading practitioners in corporate employment law.

Regular clients include Accenture, Sligro Food Group, Tetra Pak, RWE Generation, Eye Wish Opticiens, Laborie, Chubb Fire & Security, Suit Supply, and Foresco. In the M&A and transactions space, Marnix is a trusted employment law partner for Chambers-ranked corporate firms including Stek advocaten and DeBreij, who regularly instruct him on the employment aspects of their deals. He also advises and represents works councils, including Bugaboo and the recently the works council of Funda Real Estate.

Industry Sector Expertise

Marnix has particular depth in the energy sector, where he acts for clients including RWE Generation and has advised on numerous transactions involving energy companies. He is equally well established in the strategy and consulting sector, where Accenture is a long-standing client for whom he handles a wide range of employment matters.

Beyond these core sectors, his transactional practice spans a wide range of industries. Recent and current work includes clients in food and retail (Sligro Food Group, Eye Wish Opticiens), medical technology (Laborie), packaging and industrials (Tetra Pak, Foresco), and financial services. This breadth reflects his role as a go-to employment law partner for corporate law firms, whose deal flow takes him into virtually every sector of the Dutch economy.

Work Highlights

Marnix's recent work reflects the breadth and depth of his corporate employment law practice. He has led on the employment aspects of multiple M&A transactions, including cross-border deals, advising on due diligence, works council consultation, and post-closing integration. He has handled works council proceedings before the courts and guided clients through complex consultation processes in connection with acquisitions, restructurings, and changes to co-determination structures.

At the executive level, Marnix regularly advises on director appointments and exits, including high-stakes terminations where significant financial arrangements were at stake. His works council work ranges from day-to-day advice to contentious proceedings. He also handles a steady volume of individual employment matters for major international clients, including performance management, illness, and dismissal cases.

Languages Spoken

Dutch and English

Education