Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV is unique within the Dutch landscape for representing the State of the Netherlands and other public authorities as well as multinational and international private companies in complex class actions and mass claims. The firm acts mainly as defence counsel for major class actions and is known for its Supreme Court litigation prowess. The team has actively been involved with class actions related to the alleged trucks cartel as well as follow-on proceedings and other cartel damage claims. Willem Heemskerk and Raimond Dufour co-lead the practice from The Hague. Heemskerk is well-known for his specialism in complex class action and group cation disputes, leading on cartel damage claims and follow-on group actions. Dufour focuses on international class actions and mass claims, assisting with the ‘Dieselgate’ class action.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Great litigation practice. Great lawyers with the capability to discern what is of relevance in the specific case. ’
‘Willem Heemskerk and Raimond Dufour are excellent lawyers who always look for a pragmatic approach and solution in the best interest of their client. They understand the needs of the client and "live and breath" litigation. ’
‘Pels Rijcken is the best of the overseas firms I instruct - they provide clear, well-thought-through advice, are very strong on strategy and the team is a pleasure to work with. ’
‘Willem Heemskerk is an impressive senior leader - he exudes a calm image but knows when to fight. Raimond Dufour is impressively across every detail of a matter - he is thorough, considerate and very bright. ’
Key clients
- Royal Dutch Shell
- Mercedes-Benz Group AG
- ArcelorMittal
- Porsche AG
- BNP Paribas
- Scandinavian Airlines
- Nationale-Nederlanden
- UBS
Work highlights
- Representing both UBS AG and UBS Securities Japan Co. Ltd. defendants in a major class action following regulatory findings in, among others, the US and the UK in the ‘LIBOR fraud case’.
- Representing Mercedes-Benz in more than 60 different cartel follow-on group proceedings, mostly initiated by claim vehicles with a constituency of thousands of truck owners, relating to the alleged Truck cartel.
- Assisted the Dutch State with Supreme Court proceedings (a group action) relating to the expropriation of SNS Bank, after a judgment of the Enterprise Division of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal in which a compensation of more than EUR 1 billion was granted.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Raimond Dufour
Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NVPractice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Willem Heemskerk, Raimond Dufour