Based out of The Hague, Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV's arbitration team is frequently mandated by the State of the Netherlands as well as provinces and municipalities of the Netherlands to assist with ICC and NAI, construction and maritime arbitrations. The team has been steadily growing its private company client base and continues to increase its international scope by handling a number of cross-border cases. Willem Heemskerk has been active in representing corporate clients before the national courts and in arbitral tribunals for liability and compensation claims. Construction-related arbitrations are handled by Mark Birnage, while Martijn Scheltema is an expert in setting aside proceedings, the enforcement of arbitral awards and investment arbitration.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Martijn Scheltema is fast in his thinking and he is able to rapidly identify the essentials of a dispute. He is also flexible and has no problems with accepting his client's view or suggestions if aligned with his assessment of the case.’
‘The team has a deep bench and can research new developments quickly and efficiently.’
‘Raimond Dufour and Willem Heemskerk have ample experience in arbitration and therefore have been able to assist with all aspects of a diverse case.’
‘I am happy to work with the Pels Rijcken team in relation to arbitration proceedings. The team works complementary to the in-house counsel team, assists where necessary and collaborates well. I like the fact that they work in small, dedicated teams. They are extremely knowledgeable, have the ability to zoom in on details, but never lose sight of the bigger picture. I feel that we're in good and experienced hands.’
‘Willem Heemskerk keeps a strategic overview and manages the team on a high level, giving room to individuals to master subtopics but never losing sight of the bigger picture. He's the chess player that is playing on several boards. He has also the ability to surround himself with critical thinkers, who can dive in deep on certain aspects. Thijs Franssen is brilliant. He is extremely smart, and an expert in damages. Makes quick calculations, knows where to press and understands the numbers. At the same time, he does it with flair and wittiness, always with a joke and in a humbling way.’
Key clients
- State of the Netherlands
- Provinces of North Holland, South Holland, Utrecht, North Brabant, Limburg, Gelderland, and Zeeland
- Municipalities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague
- Other municipalities, government bodies and public authorities
- Feadship Holland; Royal De Vries Shipbuilding
- Nationale-Nederlanden
- KPN
- ProRail
Work highlights
- Represented the Dutch State in a multibillion-Euro arbitration against Shell and ExxonMobil about the Norg Underground Gas Storage and in three major arbitrations against NAM, relating to the Groningen gas field.
- Represented the Dutch State in a series of alternative dispute resolution proceedings concerning multimillion-Euro delay and disruption claims by the contractor MEET in relation to the RIVM laboratory building PPP.
- Represented Royal Van Lent Shipyard in NAI arbitration concerning a claim for payment of commission for brokerage services.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Willem Heemskerk, Mark Birnage