Houthoff
Houthoff stands out in for its comprehensive dispute resolution practice, covering commercial and corporate litigation and insolvency cases, including frequently handling cases at Supreme Court level. The team is comprised of top-notch litigators: practice head Jan Willem de Groot takes the lead on cases such as shareholder, director’s liability and joint venture disputes. Bart van der Wiel is an expert in representing clients in commercial disputes before the Supreme Court, and often collaborates with Remme Verkek (who also specialises in international arbitration). Albert Knigge is sought after for class actions and mass litigation proceedings and is assisted by competition litigation specialists Rick Cornelissen and Paul Sluijter. Dirk Knottenbelt chairs the arbitration practice at the firm, while David Heems is experienced in insolvency litigation. Marjolein Heuten is known for her focus on high-stakes transaction-related disputes.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Albert Knigge is a pleasure to work with. He is a first-class lawyer and extremely commercial.'
‘I am impressed by David Heems' capacity to truly immerse himself into a complex case and advise on and design a litigation approach whereby he has deliberately and methodically covered all possible angles, providing adequate cover against possible approaches from the opponent, whilst still staking out a clear, well-backed-up legal course for the client.’
‘Jan Willem de Groot and Marjolein Heuten are truly brilliant. They work as a team and are worth any number of partners in other law firms.’
‘Bart van der Wiel and David Heems are a perfect match, bring good results, and are great fun to work with.’
‘Deep strength in both litigation and arbitration, with strong experience of international disputes as well as domestic. They combine a real understanding of the client's objectives and outstanding legal analysis to create an exceptional strategy, which they then execute with great skill. The team is also huge fun to work with.’
‘Albert Knigge handles highly complex, multi-faceted international disputes. He uses his considerable intelligence and wide experience to explore all angles and develop the best strategy for his clients. He is also expert in Supreme Court litigation.’
‘His dedication, understanding, proactive approach and warm personality make it a joy to work with Rick Cornelissen.’
'What stands out is the dedication of the team. They do not leave any stone unturned and double-check any potential risk.'
Key clients
- BC Partners
- HPS Investment Partners
- Dummen Orange
- CBRE
- Elliott Management
- NatWest
- Trafigura
- Avery Dennison
- Huntington Ingalls Industries
- Owens-Illinois, Inc.
- Centerbridge
- TotalEnergies
- AIG
- ING Group
- LG Electronics
- Volvo Trucks/Renault Trucks
- Petrobras
- Audi AG
- Nexans
- Sligro Food Group
- Fortenova
- Supervisory Board Imtech
- Cargolux Airlines International
- Stellantis
Work highlights
- Representing the Fortenova group in litigation before the Enterprise Chamber against Russian state-owned bank Sberbank and its shareholders concerning voting rights within the Croatian conglomerate.
- Acting for BC Partners and Dummen Orange in several proceedings, including post-restructuring litigation before the Enterprise Chamber.
- Defending SMQDC, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., against a claim of over USD 92m that was brought before the courts of St Maarten in relation to the failed development of part of a cruise terminal in the port of St Maarten.
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Leading individuals
Houthoff
Jan Willem specialises in corporate and commercial litigation, with a focus on acquisition disputes, shareholder disputes, inquiry proceedings at the Enterprise Chamber and liability proceedings. He is a litigator and advises companies and national and international investment companies in complex proceedings often involving multiple jurisdictions. Jan Willem, among other things, led the team in the Elliott/AkzoNobel case. He is a lecturer at the Law Firm School, and a member of the Dutch Corporate Litigation Association and the Dutch Association for Procedural Law. Jan Willem also frequently publishes and speaks on topics related to corporate litigation.
Houthoff
As a Supreme Court specialist, Bart has been involved in numerous landmark cases on finance, insolvency and liability law, acting for financial institutions such as Achmea, AIG, Allianz, ING and Nationale-Nederlanden. He has also litigated for the bankruptcy trustees of KPNQwest against shareholders and directors, and he represents the estate of Lehman Brothers Treasury, in matters that are vital for the resolution of these insolvencies. Bart received a Ph.D. in 2004 and has since authored many publications. He is a member of the editorial team of the Tijdschrift voor Civiele Rechtspleging journal and a highly sought-after speaker and lecturer.
Next Generation Partners
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Jan Willem de Groot, Bart van der Wiel, Albert Knigge, Dirk Knottenbelt