Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV
pelsrijcken.nl pelsrijcken.nlLawyers
Aemile van Rappard was admitted to the Dutch Bar in 2002 and has been a partner at Pels Rijcken since 2017. He is an experienced real estate lawyer and tenancy law expert. He works mainly for institutional and other investors, property developers, lessors, estate agents and real estate consultants. Aemile has extensive experience with assisting in complex real estate transactions, contract negotiations, development, redevelopment and the transformation of real estate and related subjects. In addition, he is a highly experienced litigator in cases related to real estate. Aemile obtained his master’s degree in Dutch Law from the University of Leiden. He started his career at Ekelmans & Meijer Advocaten, where he was a partner from 2011. Aemile is chairman of the Dutch Association of Landlord and Tenant Law Practitioners (Vereniging van Huurrecht Advocaten), editor of WR, Tijdschrift voor Huurrecht (Journal for Tenancy Law), legal adviser of the Haaglanden division of the Dutch Association of Real Estate Brokers and Real Estate Experts (NVM), and board member of the Zuid-West division of the association Vastgoedbelang. Aemile is asked frequently by various organisations to lecture about the legal aspects of increasing sustainability of real estate and subjects related to tenancy law. He also publishes regularly.
As a specialist in administrative law, Arnoud represents the interests of the State as well as a number of public regulators such as the Netherlands Authority for Financial Markets, the Dutch Media Authority and Radiocommunications Agency Netherlands. In his capacity as lawyer for these clients he has very extensive experience with administrative proceedings at the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State, the Rotterdam District Court and the Trade and Industry Appeals Tribunal. His specialisations include general administrative and procedural administrative law, financial law, media law and telecommunications law.
Carel van Swaay advises corporates and financial sponsors on national and cross border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate restructurings and corporate governance matters. He has extensive experience with controlled auctions and national and cross border M&A transactions. Carel also regularly advises the Dutch government on state owned enterprises. He received his master’s degree in Financial Law from Erasmus University Rotterdam and completed a postgraduate programme in mergers and acquisitions at VU Amsterdam.
Christina Muntinghe joined Pels Rijcken as a lawyer in 2006, where she focuses on various facets of European law. Christina has amassed years of practical experience in procurement law and also specialises in state aid law. She advises (local and regional) governments in complex projects, including area developments and sustainable and innovative energy projects, with which Christina has a special affinity given her technical background. Her approach is always focused on providing concrete and practical solutions that enable clients to achieve their objectives. Christina studied mechanical engineering at the University of Twente and graduated cum laude from Leiden University with a degree in Dutch law. Christina is a member of the Dutch Association for Procurement Law (NVvA), the Competition Law Association and the Dutch Association for European Law.
Spatial planning law and planning and environmental law call for a pragmatic approach. This is just the kind of working method that characterises Daniëlle, who has become our number one specialist when it comes to complex spatial planning issues. Daniëlle frequently advises and litigates in large-scale and complex spatial projects, such as the transformation of inner-city (industrial) sites into residential/work areas, the realisation of high-rise projects and the construction and expansion of infrastructure: projects that are often politically sensitive and where various disciplines – administrative, legal and technical – interact. In addition, Daniëlle is regularly asked to contribute ideas regarding the system and content of rules in zoning plans, provincial regulations and other local rules. Her clients include Dutch provinces, municipalities, autonomous administrative authorities, companies and project developers. She enjoys sharing her expertise with others by publishing and by lecturing or being a keynote speaker at conferences. Daniëlle heads Pels Rijcken’s Planning and Environmental law team. Daniëlle received her master’s degree in Dutch Law from Radboud University Nijmegen and obtained an additional master's degree in European Law at the University of Nottingham. In addition to her work, she completed the Grotius Specialist programme in Spatial Planning and Environmental Law. At INSEAD she completed a mini-MBA. Previously, Daniëlle practised law at the Province of Noord-Brabant and later at Stibbe. She was admitted to the Dutch Bar in 2002 and joined Pels Rijcken in 2010. Daniëlle is permanent annotator for StAB, a journal on planning and environmental law case law.
Elisabeth Pietermaat joined Pels Rijcken’s Administrative Law team in 2000 and became partner in 2009. Elisabeth is an authority on government transparency (Woo and Wob) and other constitutional issues relating to domestic governance, such as integrity issues, obligations of directors to provide information, referenda, reclassifications, powers of the local audit authority and inter-administrative cooperation. Thanks to her excellent understanding of administrative and political relations, she is a valued and trusted public administration advisor in these areas. Elisabeth is also an expert on healthcare regulation. Her clients include the Dutch State Secretary of Justice & Security and the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service for migration law.
Ephraim Dekkers joined Pels Rijcken's Employment and Public Service Law department in 2016. He advises, litigates and lectures on issues such as equal treatment, the Executives' Pay (Standards) Act, dismissal and employee co-determination, using a practical and client-oriented approach. He is also specialised in legislation relating to the standardisation of the legal status of civil servants (Wnra), which gives him in-depth knowledge about and expertise in the interface between civil service and employment law, i.e. 'public employment law'. Ephraim studied Dutch Private Law at Utrecht University and studied at the University of Xiamen in China for six months. Ephraim is a member of the Dutch Association of Employment Lawyers (VAAN) and the Dutch Young Employment Lawyers Association (VJAA), on behalf of which he organised a seminar on discrimination in employment law and spoke about standardisation of civil servants at the labour law conference LabourLawLands. He is also a member of the Civil Servants & Law Association (VA&R), at whose request he contributed an article about the adoption of the Public Servants (Standardization of Legal Status) Act to the book 'Van ambtenaar naar ambtenaar' ('From civil servant to civil servant'). Ephraim recently completed the postgraduate programme in Employment Law. He is a regular contributor to our blog Arbeids- en Ambtenarenrecht and to publiekarbeidsrecht.nl.
Floris Sepmeijer has worked as a lawyer in the Real Estate section since 2004. He conducts a broad civil real estate practice on behalf of both businesses and government authorities. Floris is a specialist in the field of rental law and purchase of real estate. Furthermore, he has a special interest in ground lease. Floris regularly acts on behalf of government authorities in civil law proceedings concerning canon revisions and the validity of general ground lease conditions. Floris is a driven, decisive lawyer, who always pursues a practical and solution-oriented approach to his cases. Floris studied civil law at the University of Utrecht and at the University of Toulouse. He completed the Grotius specialization course in real estate law cum laude. Floris regularly lectures and publishes on topics concerning real estate law. He also provides courses and presentations for his clients. Since 2023, Floris has also been a deputy justice at the Amsterdam Court of Appeal.
Gerrit-Jan studied Dutch law at the University of Leiden, where he also defended his doctoral thesis 'Belastingheffing en Informatieverplichtingen' (Taxation and Information Obligations) in 1998. He is a full professor of law and digital technologies at Leiden University. In addition to that, as of 1st of June 2023 he will also be full professor data protection law at the Dutch Open University. Before joining Pels Rijcken in 2018, Gerrit-Jan was a partner at Brinkhof and Bird & Bird. He is the author of a number of lectures and articles on digitisation, including for the Dutch Lawyers Association, the Association for Health Law and the Association for Education Law. He is chairman of the Association of Privacy Lawyers (VPR-A) and sits on the board of the Association for Privacy Law (VPR). He is also a member of the Advisory Committee on Information Management of the Ministry of Justice and Security, the Advisory Committee on the Rule of Law of the Netherlands Bar Association, the Advisory Board of the National Archives, and a lecturer and examiner in both the VPR-A specialisation training programme and the VIRA-Grotius programme for ICT lawyers. Finally, he is the editor (and author) of Tekst & Commentaar Privacy en gegevensbeschermingsrecht (8th edition 2022), Concise European Data Protection, E-Commerce and IT Law, Tijdschrift voor internetrecht and Sdu Monografieën ICT-recht.
Gijsbrecht Nieuwland joined Pels Rijcken in 2010. He is a member of the Supreme Court practice and the Criminal Law department. As an experienced Supreme Court litigator, Gijsbrecht handles cases that involve all aspects of private law, especially property law and insolvency law and (government) liability law. Gijsbrecht regularly litigates before district and appeal courts. For example, he represents the Dutch Public Prosecution Service in civil cases involving attachments under criminal law and damages. He also advises on civil law complications that arise in the context of criminal proceedings, e.g. in relation to attachment. Gijsbrecht received his master’s degree in law from Leiden University and his MJur from Oxford University. He regularly lectures and writes about procedural law and property law, and about topics at the intersection of civil and criminal law.
Hans van Wijk has been with Pels Rijcken since 1990 and has more than 30 years of experience in the Supreme Court practice. He is a full-time Supreme Court litigator. Before joining the firm, Hans practised law in the Dutch Caribbean for a number of years. The cases he deals with cover a wide spectrum of civil law, particularly in the area of corporate law, insolvency law, government private law and liability law. He is also specialised in Caribbean affairs. Hans is often sought out as a lawyer’s lawyer, for example in appeal cases, especially in large and complex proceedings where much is at stake. He graduated cum laude from the University of Utrecht in 1990. He has long chaired Pels Rijcken’s Supreme Court department as well as the Association of Civil Supreme Court Lawyers (VCCA). Hans serves as a deputy justice at the 's Hertogenbosch Court of Appeal. He has several academic publications to his name, especially on corporate law. Hans has long been in Band 1 of Chambers.
Hèlen Haaijer has worked as an attorney in the Innovation, Privacy and Technology section since 2022 and specializes in technology and information law. She advises and litigates on civil law aspects of technology and innovation, such as ICT contracts, intellectual property law and media law. Within these areas of law, she acts for (large) corporations, government agencies and non-profit organizations. Hèlen completed the Master's degree in Private Law and Internet, Intellectual Property and ICT at VU University Amsterdam and also took several extracurricular private law courses such as private international law and litigation.
Iman specialises in energy law and policy and is head of Pels Rijcken's Energy team. Iman has a standing track record in major energy projects, particularly those with complicated regulatory aspects. His advisory practice focuses on energy legislation, energy contracts and energy projects. As a litigator, Iman is regularly engaged in civil and administrative matters concerning energy-related topics, such as access to the gas and electricity markets. Renewable energy and energy transition are cornerstones of his practice; Iman inter alia is involved in various large scale wind, solar PV and heat projects. Also, Iman advises - primarily - energy companies on corporate and company law issues. Iman acts for parties in every link of the energy chain, from upstream to downstream. His clients include gas and electricity producers, suppliers and traders, project developers, TSOs as well as central and decentralised governments. Iman is fluent in English, French and German.
Jannetje Bootsma is an expert in the broad field of administrative law. Jannetje has a preference for advising, proactively assisting and representing government authorities. She is specifically specialised in telecommunications law and education law. Issues pertaining to public housing, public order (e.g. the legal competencies of mayors) and Article 1 of the First Protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights are also key elements in her practice. She is one of the contributors to “Tekst & Commentaar Telecommunicatie- en Privacyrecht” (Text and commentary Telecommunications and Privacy Law). She combines work for ACM with work for the Radiocommunications Agency, the Dutch Media Authority and the Ministery of Economic Affairs, thus underlining her broad expertise in the field of Telecommunications law.
Jelmer Procee is an expert in administrative compensation law, including compensation for loss resulting from administrative acts and expropriation. He represents the State and various provincial and municipal authorities in complex expropriation proceedings, mainly with respect to infrastructure. In addition, he is regularly involved in area developments (land development) and drafts administrative agreements for various government agencies. Jelmer regularly publishes on his area of expertise, an example in this regard being the recent preliminary advice for the Dutch expropriation law association regarding the elimination of designated uses in the value appraisal.
Jeroen Naves specialises in technology and the law. His activities include drawing up and assessing IT contracts, litigating IT disputes and advising on data exchange and innovation. Jeroen litigates before the civil courts in both proceedings on the merits and preliminary relief proceedings. He is experienced at resolving IT disputes and bringing complex IT procurement processes to a successful conclusion. Jeroen is a trusted advisor to businesses, government authorities and public institutions. Clients prize his hands-on mentality. Jeroen received his master's degree in Dutch Private Law from the University of Utrecht. He also completed additional specialist courses on Contracts and ICT at the University of Tilburg. Jeroen is the chairman of Chamber B of the Appeals Board KNKV and member of the Dutch Privacy Law Association, the Dutch Lawyers Association, the Dutch Information Technology and Law Association and the Netherlands Outsourcing Platform.
Jordi Bierens joined Pels Rijcken’s IP, Privacy and Media team in 2017. He advises and litigates mainly on copyright, trademark law and the legitimacy of publications in the press. Within these fields of law, he acts on behalf of government agencies, national and international companies and non-profit organisations. Jordi received his bachelor’s degree in Law & Economics from Leiden University and his master's degree in Information Law from the University of Amsterdam. Before joining Pels Rijcken, he was a researcher at the Institute for Information Law (IViR) and was associated with the competition practice of a large law firm in Amsterdam for several years. Jordi is an editor of our Supreme Court blog www.cassatieblog.nl and a member of the Dutch Copyright Law Association (VvA).
Maarten van Rijn, attorney since 1991, partner since 2000, has an extensive track record in handling major construction and public procurement cases for public entities. He is regularly involved in the procurement of major projects in the area of infrastructure, accommodation and IT. He has extensive procurement and construction litigation experience. His clients include almost all departments of the State and many local and regional authorities. Maarten is a regular lecturer in the area of procurement law.
Marije Batting joined Pels Rijcken’s Administrative Law department in 2007 and became partner in 2017. Her practice is aimed at assisting and advising public authorities. The substance is at the forefront, but it is always approached from a practical point of view; a thorough legal analysis as well as strategic thinking. Her expertise is in the area of oversight and enforcement, disciplinary law and regulation with a focus on the financial and healthcare sectors. In the financial sector, she focuses primarily on accountancy. She frequently represents the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) and the Netherlands Organisation of Accountants (NBA) in disciplinary proceedings against accountants, and conducts administrative proceedings involving the Dutch Accounting Firm Oversight Act. In the healthcare sector, she primarily deals with issues involving quality of healthcare (Wkkgz) and medicines (admission, drug reimbursement system and medicines costs). As the retained lawyer of the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), Marije is also involved in proceedings regarding food law and animal welfare. At Pels Rijcken, she and Arnoud Boorsma are responsible for the broad oversight and enforcement practice of the firm. Marije is the author of the Enforcement chronicle in the NTB and a member of the editorial team of the Oversight Journal. She is also the author of the annual Chronicle of Administrative Law in the Dutch Healthcare Law Journal. Marije is a member of the Administrative Law Association (VAR), the Healthcare Law Association, and the Pharma and Law Association.
Mark specializes in the procurement and contracting of major PPP projects. He has extensive experience in the area of Design, Build, Finance, Maintain & Operate (DBFMO) contracts and other innovative contract forms. Mark regularly acts as lecturer and as speaker at national and international conferences. Mark is a member of the Dutch council of the International Project Finance Association (IPFA).
Marleen Botman has in-depth knowledge of and experience with European, constitutional and administrative law. She is a specialist in deciphering the effect of European law in the national context, such as assessment of regulations against European directives and regulations, the internal market or state aid law. She is an authority on the European Services Directive 2006/123/EC and the allocation of scarce rights. In her practice, she advises Dutch ministries, regulatory authorities and local authorities, and represents them in both civil and administrative proceedings. Marleen worked in the legal profession, the judiciary and sciences before joining Pels Rijcken in 2018. She earned her doctorate in the implementation of the European Services Directive in the Netherlands at VU Amsterdam in 2015. She is still affiliated with the university as a researcher at the Centre for Public Contract Law & Governance. She is a regular contributor to professional journals and serves as a guest lecturer. She is also a board member of the FIDE2020 organisation.
Marte van Graafeiland has been with Pels Rijcken since 2010. She specialises in and deals with all aspects of privacy law, especially in the public domain. She advises departments of ministries, small and large local authorities and regulatory authorities on their privacy law issues in the area of the social domain, healthcare, police and justice, public order and social security, among others. Marte advises on both 'classic' privacy issues and the privacy law aspects of digital developments, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data and smart cities. She regularly litigates in administrative and civil court disputes involving privacy law aspects, including the sustainability of privacy legislation and regulations, the admissibility of data processing and the rights of data subjects under the GDPR, including the right of access. Marte graduated cum laude from Tilburg University with a master’s degree in Constitutional and Administrative Law and Private Law. Marte writes regularly about privacy law and frequently speaks at conferences on this subject. Together with her colleagues Sandra Heukelom-Verhage and Jeroen Naves, she was awarded the PON essay prize for the white paper 'Legal Aspects of Blockchain'.
Martijn Scheltema has been working at Pels Rijcken since 1997 and is a specialist in the cassation practice before the Supreme Court. Mainly acting on behalf of government institutions, he handles cases in the area of private law in relation to the public sector, which includes questions relating to unlawful government acts and government contracting. He regularly publishes and teaches in these fields. In addition, he handles cases concerning commercial disputes and has extensive experience with international dispute resolution through arbitration. He is also interested in other forms of dispute resolution, particularly with respect to corporate social responsibility. Furthermore Martijn is a respected authority in the field of BHR, national as well as international. Next to advising clients on the issue, he was co-founder of a project which has resulted in the establishment of ACCESS (an international organization advertising and facilitating non judicial mechanisms in the BHR field, www.accessfacility.org) in 2012. He has been board member of ACCESS until October 2015. Because of his experience in this area he has been appointed as the chair of the independent binding dispute resolution mechanism of the Dutch CSR Garment industry agreement (concluded between garment retailers, the government and NGOs). He currently also is chair of the CSR committee of the IBA (this committee is dedicated to BHR) and a member of the business and human rights project of the American Bar Association. He also is member of the Community of Practice of the European Commission on self- and co-regulation, amongst others involving BHR self- and co-regulation. He also holds scientific appointments in this area, as a professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam and part of an international interdisciplinary research team in the BHR arena. Furthermore, he is member of the steering committee of the international academic network of MSI Integrity (chairing a track on effectiveness of multi-stakeholder initiatives) and of the OECD academic network of the Working Party on Responsible Business Conduct. He frequently speaks at international conferences and participates in panels. For example, he has organized, participated in or moderated panels at the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva and at the IBA annual conferences for several consecutive years.
Maryse has 30 years’ experience in litigation, negotiations and consultation in real estate matters and in recent years she has built a track record in complex mediations in real estate matters. She has a strong focus on leasing law, advising on acquisitions and contracts for major real estate portfolios, project development, renovation and healthcare property. Maryse advises (institutional) investors and project developers, real estate consultants, non-profit organisations and public and semi-public authorities. Within Pels Rijcken, Maryse is responsible for several top client accounts, including a large listed company, a top 3 municipality of the Netherlands and the government body responsible for all real estate of the Dutch State. Furthermore, she is part of the committee within Pels Rijcken responsible for compliance. She has regularly lectured on tenancy law subjects for a number of training bodies: the Dutch Institute for Building Law (Instituut voor Bouwrecht), the legal training institute OSR (OSR Juridische Opleidingen) and the Academy for Legal Practice (Academie voor de Rechtspraktijk). Maryse is also involved in teaching for OSR’s Women Leadership Programme. The main focus of the programme is career development for women in the legal profession, set up to coach and train lawyers aiming to become partners.
Meine has been an attorney since 1986. His experience ranges from economic administrative law to property law and he specifically focuses on IT and public transport. Meine regularly drafts contracts contracts in these fields, and also has ample experience with drafting concession agreements. Should subsequent legal procedures arise, Meine also handles the litigation. In addition to his sector-specific work, Meine's general practice focuses on a variety of subjects such as governmental market activities, trading losses and insolvencies.
Paul Tanja has been an attorney-at-law since 2015. He specializes in contract law, liability law and insurance law. Within these fields, Paul has extensive experience advising on complex matters and assisting clients in civil proceedings up to and including at the Supreme Court. Paul has handled cases for clients in a variety of sectors, including healthcare, energy, aviation, advertising, construction, finance and government. In addition, Paul has experience in disputes concerning the setting aside and enforcement of arbitral awards. Paul completed his studies in Dutch law at the University of Utrecht. He also studied at the University of Cambridge. Paul previously worked for five years as a lawyer at another firm and before that as an external court clerk at the Court of Appeal of The Hague. He is also a lecturer in international contract law at VU University Amsterdam. Paul publishes regularly in his field. He is admitted as a lawyer at the Supreme Court.
Peter Mauser was admitted to the Dutch Bar in 2012 and joined Pels Rijcken’s Employment and Public Service Law department in 2015. Peter advises and litigates on all aspects of employment law. His clients include governments and private clients. He has a particular interest in collective labour law, transfer of undertaking, pension law, and flexible employment contracts, including the position of self-employed individuals and platform economy. Peter studied International Public Law at Utrecht University, and went on to obtain his master’s degree in Employment Law from the University of Amsterdam. During his studies, he worked for the Employment Law Chair Group, among others, at the University of Amsterdam. Peter recently completed the postgraduate programme in Employment Law, PALA, with distinction. He is a member of the Dutch Employment Law Association (VvA) and the Netherlands Employment Lawyers Association (VAAN).
Peter van Kippersluis is a partner in our commercial and financial litigation practice. Peter advises and litigates about a wide range of contractual and non-contractual disputes, with a particular focus on the financial sector, cross-border disputes and professional liability. Peter earned his master’s degree in Economics cum laude from Erasmus University Rotterdam and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. He then went on to obtain his master’s degree in Dutch Law from Erasmus University. Peter has gained extensive international experience at renowned law firms in Germany and New York. He is fluent in English and has a good command of German and Spanish. He is a member of the Dutch Corporate Litigation Association, the Dutch Association for Procedural Law, the Dutch Association for Financial Law, and the German-Dutch Lawyers Association.
Pieter Stuijt is an attorney since 1986 he previously worked in London and Paris and came to Pels Rijcken in 1993. He has unique litigation experience in construction and procurement disputes both in arbitration before the Arbitration Board for Construction and in proceedings before the Dutch civil courts. With his team he handles over 90 procurement proceedings each year. This is a major part of all procurement disputes in the Netherlands. Practically all of the State’s procurement disputes are handled by him and his fellow practice group members. In addition, he has extensive experience in drawing up and assessing tender documents and construction contracts in high-profile projects and advises the State on construction and procurement regulations used in the Netherlands. He furthermore provides fit for purpose advise in complex questions of public procurement. Pieter is a regular speaker at conferences such as the leading annual Procurement Conference (NEVI/PIANOO) and the annual Best Value Conference.
Reimer Veldhuis frequently acts as State Advocate for the State of the Netherlands in fascinating lawsuits and advises on legal issues that are politically sensitive or sensitive from a policy perspective. Reimer has been State Advocate since 1 September 2018 on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice and Security. In addition to the State Advocacy, he also represents public law regulatory authorities, provinces and municipalities. Reimer has broad knowledge of civil law, administrative law and criminal law. Representing authorities in various fields has given him an understanding of and sensitivity to political-executive relations. Reimar has special expertise in the area of government liability, administrative supervision and enforcement, as well as the civil aspects of the criminal justice system. Reimer manages the Central Government section of Pels Rijcken, in which a large number of lawyers, civil-law notaries and other colleagues work together with the various Ministries of the Dutch government.
Roelof Reinders has been with Pels Rijcken’s Planning and Environmental Law team since 2006. His specialist practice is focused on infrastructure (road projects and coastal and dyke reinforcement), area development and nature conservation law. Public authorities and developers entrust Roelof with complex and often administratively sensitive files. His strength lies not only in his legal expertise; Roelof also has the know-how and experience to discuss the content of a project with the technical experts involved. Regardless of whether traffic models, air quality and nitrogen deposition calculations, external safety or the operation of tunnel safety installations are under discussion, Roelof knows the content and technicalities involved inside out. This provides significant added value when defending a project in court, but also, and in particular, in the preparation of decision-making. Roelof knows better than anyone else what is needed to draw up planning products and ensure, together with the project team, that the decision-making will pass the test applied by the administrative court: "Council of State-proof" we like to call it. Roelof received his master’s degree in Dutch Constitutional and Administrative Law and European Law from Utrecht University. He is a member of the Dutch Environmental Lawyers Association and co-authored the manual Luchtkwaliteit en omgeving (Air quality and environment).
From 2021, Sandra van Heukelom is the heads the board of the firm. Furthermore, Sandra is a lawyer and partner at Pels Rijcken. She is specialised in general administrative law and innovation, privacy and technology. With her thematic approach, Sandra advises public authorities on subjects that will be of relevance to them in the near future.
Sikke Kingma has been with Pels Rijcken since 2006. He is a highly experienced Supreme Court litigator with more than 150 judgments to his credit. With his background as an all-round civil lawyer, he runs a broad Supreme Court practice for companies and public authorities. His proceedings often involve IP, insolvency law, property law or procedural law, but also contract law, company law and other civil law topics. Sikke is often sought out by lawyers from other offices to conduct Supreme Court proceedings, pre-judicial proceedings or to provide input in appeal proceedings. Sikke is also a specialised litigator and adviser in matters involving IP and media law. He litigates and regularly advises on subjects such as copyright and trademark law and (in Supreme Court appeal) patent law and trade secrets. In addition, Sikke represents clients in disputes about the legality of publications and statements on the Internet or in other media. Sikke received master’s degrees in both Dutch Civil Law and Chemistry from Leiden University, graduating cum laude in both programmes. He is a member of the Association of Civil Cassation Lawyers (VCCA) and the specialist association of IP lawyers (VIEPA). Sikke is deputy justice in the Arnhem-Leeuwarden Court of Appeal. He teaches, publishes regularly and is editor of the professional journal Mediaforum and principal editor of Cassatieblog, the weblog about civil cassation case law in the Netherlands.
Wemmeke Wisman was admitted to the Dutch Bar in 1998. She specialises in conducting (complex) civil proceedings with public (international) law aspects. Her clients include listed companies, various ministries and other public authorities. Wemmeke provides judicial and extrajudicial advice to commercial entities in the field of liability law and contract law. Furthermore, she litigates on behalf of the tax authorities in civil cases and also deals with issues such as the immunity of foreign states and the restitution of stolen art. Wemmeke is a board member of the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Procesrecht (NVVP, the Dutch Procedural Law Association) and regularly publishes in the field of civil procedural law.
Willem Heemskerk has been with Pels Rijcken since 1992 and is one of the most experienced litigators in the Netherlands. He handles complex civil law disputes for mainly large national and international companies. His areas of expertise include liability, damage & insurance, professional liability, attachment, collection and enforcement, and media law. Willem acts as counsel both in adjudication as well as arbitral proceedings. He is regarded as a leading expert in Dutch civil procedural law; he has many publications to his name, was the Vice President of the Dutch State Advisory Committee on procedural law, and regularly serves as expert in foreign proceedings. For many years, Willem is ranked in Band 1 for Dispute Resolution in the Chambers Global and Europe Guide and in the Hall of Fame for Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation in The Legal 500 Guide. In late 2018, Willem was recognised as the “Best Litigator in the Netherlands” in an election organised by the VIA.