Wijn & Stael Advocaten N.V.

The firm: Wijn & Stael is a leading law firm, based in Utrecht, with a modern and practical approach. Wijn & Stael acts on behalf of large and small companies, financial institutions, healthcare institutions, government bodies, non-profit organisations, private individuals and aggrieved civil parties in class actions. It represents clients inside and outside of the Netherlands.

Areas of practice
Restructuring and insolvency: Wijn & Stael has wide-ranging expertise and is well known, nationally and internationally, as an expert in insolvency issues. Its experience in this area is extremely useful when having to deal with corporate restructurings, such as preventing insolvency. Wijn & Stael’s lawyers acted in the corporate restructuring of Partner Logistics, Kroymans Lease Holding and Pouw Automotive. Wijn & Stael’s lawyers act in complex and large bankruptcy cases, such as Landis, Econcern, Spyker N.V., Eurocommerce and The Phone House. Key clients: Rabobank and DLL Financial Solutions Partner.

Banking and finance: Wijn & Stael has specific expertise in the areas of financing schemes, leasing, and mergers and acquisitions. Wijn & Stael not only advises companies with their investments, mergers and acquisitions, and how to finance them, but also advises financial institutions. Key clients: Rabobank, DLL Financial Solutions Partner and Athlon.

Litigation, arbitration: Wijn & Stael acts in complex and large corporate and financial litigation proceedings, such as proceedings regarding liability of directors, supervisory directors, financial institutions and inquiry proceedings with the Enterprise Chamber of the Court of Appeal in Amsterdam. Wijn & Stael has extensive knowledge and experience of procedural practice, but also has expertise in corporate, civil and securities law, (international) arbitration.

Employment: Wijn & Stael has extensive expertise in a broad range of employment matters, such as transfer of undertakings, large restructurings/reorganisations under employment law, outsourcing processes, collective redundancies, the position of (non-)executive directors, and all matters concerning labour unions and the works council. It advises large and small businesses in all market segments, inside and outside the Netherlands, as well as directors and managers. Wijn & Stael a.o. successfully advised various US-based organisations with (starting) enterprises in Europe on all aspects of Dutch employment law.

Real estate: Wijn & Stael deals with cases covering a broad range of property issues, spatial planning, property development, purchase and lease, not only from a civil law perspective, but also from an administrative law perspective. Wijn & Stael a.o. successfully represented a private investor/real estate developer in proceedings against the provincial authorities regarding the sale of a provincial government building which was contaminated with asbestos; a housing society in the purchase of over 1,400 (existing and newly built) student apartments; a private investor in the negotiations with the municipal authority; and in the redevelopment of a hospital into single-family and student apartments.

Contracts and liabilities: Wijn & Stael has ample experience in drawing up and assessing all kinds of contracts; whether it concerns a sale or purchase contract for immovable or movable property or shares, a complex cooperation agreement, a shareholders’ agreement, or a lease or tenancy agreement. In addition, Wijn & Stael has broad experience in proceedings and (international) arbitrations on all kinds of complex liability matters regarding contracts as well as based on tort.

Supreme Court litigation: Wijn & Stael is the only law firm with a Supreme Court litigation section in its court district. In particular it deals with Supreme Court litigation cases involving insolvency law, financing, security and leasing, as well as corporate and financial litigation.

M&A: Wijn & Stael’s M&A lawyers have successfully concluded hundreds of M&A transactions in a national and an international environment. They know their way around the do’s and don’ts of a transaction, and so are able to offer added value at every phase in the transaction process.