De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek
The employment and employee benefits practice at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek is a leading force in employment litigation, regularly handling key employment cases before the Supreme Court, including high-profile individual dismissal cases and trade union disputes. Cross-border M&A, remuneration, and co-determination matters are also important parts of the practice. Its clients range from Dutch and international retail companies to banks, insurance companies, and multinationals. Barbara Kloppert and Stefan Sagel jointly lead the practice. Sagel is the go-to for litigation before employment tribunals and the Supreme Court; he is well versed in issues involving dismissals, collective bargaining, and co-determination. Employment expert Kloppert handles both transactional employment issues and disputes involving issues with works councils, executive and board appointments, and remuneration. Rick van ‘t Wout and Irina Timp are also noted.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘We can always rely on their team of skilled lawyers to provide quick and effective responses.’
‘Barbara Kloppert and Stefan Sagel are able to offer both practical solutions as well as creative ones when the need arises. Stefan's extensive legal knowledge and Barbara's ability to navigate difficult situations are most impressive. It is a pleasure to work alongside such talented individuals.’
‘Very experienced, hands on and responsive. They not only provide academic advice but also advise on what to do next.’
- 'Stefan Sagel is skilled, knows best practice and knows what we need as a client. Our unique position in the legal landscape makes advising on it challenging. Stefan is not afraid to accept that challenge and guide us through it.’
‘The De Brauw team is able to advise on the preferred legal approaches without losing sight of our business interests from an operational perspective. De Brauw are able to clarify legally complex matters in their presentations to our non-legal stakeholders and also to connect us with legal counsels in the field through an off-site educational program which combines business and fun.’
‘The team are exceptional in adjusting quickly to the client's way of working, clarifying the legal complexities, and standing their ground when needed. Their knowledge goes beyond the legal issues. They have great experience with all the complexities of operating in a hostile environment and help the client to keep calm when entering a storm. The team is a lot of fun to work with.’
‘Top-of-the-bill employment law advice, both on the merits as well as strategic support. We are working with Stefan Sagel's team on a large project that requires connecting a lot of legal and strategic dots and the team has shown great understanding of our business, our requirements and the stakes involved. The team is response and diverse.’
‘Stefan Sagel and Irina Timp stand out for their clear thinking in determining strategy, in which they do not lose sight of the larger interests at stake as well as thinking ahead in terms of next steps.’
Key clients
- Booking.com Holdings Inc.
- Shell
- Schiphol
- Elof Hansson Fiber
- SBM Offshore
- Uber
- Leaseplan
- ASML
- Achmea
- Elsevier
- JustEat Takeaway.com
- Friesland Campina
- Aegon N.V.
- NN Group N.V.
- Heineken N.V.
- Ahold Delhaize
- Fugro
- De Volksbank N.V.
- Rabobank
Work highlights
- Advised Aegon on the co-determination aspects of the combination of its Dutch operations with a.s.r. and the effects on Aegon personnel following its integration into a.s.r.'s operations.
- Assisted FNV with a high-profile case before the Supreme Court against online food delivery platform Deliveroo, revolving around the employment status of Deliveroo riders.
- Assisted ASML with a high-profile discrimination case before the Dutch Committee on Human Rights, in which ASML's hiring policy was challenged.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading individuals
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Barbara Kloppert, Stefan Sagel