Youssef el Harchaoui
Loyens & LoeffLoyens & Loeff advises on both national and international employment law issues, with a particular focus on cases involving the Benelux and Sweden. The employment practice handles numerous restructuring and collective dismissal cases, as well as collective pensions litigation. The firm mainly acts for international companies in a variety of sectors, including automotive, financial services, and private equity. Team head Klaas Wiersma has over 20 years of experience in employment law and leads the advice on the employment aspects of M&A deals, co-determination, restructurings and collective dismissals. Hermine Voûte specialises in the dismissal of managing directors and other high-level management. Youssef el Harchaoui focuses on the employment issues involved in M&A deals and restructurings.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Klaas Wiersma is always available, knows exactly when I need something dealt with urgently and he always comes up with very practical advice. I respect him for his confidence during tough calls and what I like is that he also gives me confidence- working together is really a collaboration and a learning opportunity for me.’
‘Loyens & Loeff is an excellent firm with many legal disciplines. This breadth of professional knowledge is very functional in a case with multiple legal aspects. The lawyers can thus function as each other's back office. Collaboration with the team is extremely pleasant. The team is very flexible and they step in for each other, ensuring 24/7 availability. They are flexible in their working methods: at their office, on location with us, via Teams and Whats App, email and by telephone. The team operates in a very client-friendly manner - our interests are always central.’
‘Klaas Wiersma is an excellent lawyer, with highly developed social and empathetic skills. He is businesslike, but always knows how to find the right balance between business and personal interests. That's a nice combination. In short, a top lawyer and top advisor!’
‘I was referred to Klaas Wiersma and he very much lived up to his reputation as one of the outstanding lawyers in the field of Dutch labour law in general and settlement agreements in particular. I was impressed by his expertise, the upper-hand position he was continuously able to attain within the negotiations and his ability to define the right related tactics. Personally I was very satisfied with the result he achieved.’
‘Extremely responsive, inside and outside business hours. Strong employment law expertise, balancing compliance with pragmatic and business-enabling advice. A partnership, rather than a service. Klaas Wiersma is excellent and I really appreciate working with him. I have known him for many years and Klaas and his team provide excellent support.’
‘Youssef el Harchaoui is an incredibly talented and competent lawyer who provides top-notch advice in difficult situations.’
‘Loyens & Loeff combines expertise in labour law, tax law and corporate law under one roof and - this is important - works as a team. Our go-to advisor for practical solutions and advice on complex matters.’
‘Youssef el Harchaoui is at the top of his game, tapping into a wealth of hands-on experience which enables him to provide clients with solid and practical advice and solutions in real time. He is very responsive.’
Key clients
- Aegon
- Bloomberg
- BMW
- Bol.com
- Carrefour
- EQT
- EY
- Givaudan
- JP Morgan
- Vivendi
Work highlights
- Advising on the employment issues involved in the sale, resale and rebranding of a large number of Jan Linders supermarkets into Albert Heijn stores, including negotiations with the trade union, and preparing and attending several extensive meetings with the works council.
- Represented Euronext in litigation before the Supreme Court relating to compliance with indexation rules in the pensions agreement, insofar as these rules provide for an increase (indexation) of the pension entitlements and pension rights after leaving employment and insofar as these rules applied until 2014.
- Represented the former management team of the Dutch House of Representatives (five members) in their request for an internal investigation, and later, in their resignation and the negotiations of a package as they could no longer take responsibility for an organisation which was not able to ensure the safety of its employees.
Lawyers
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Klaas Wiersma
Loyens & LoeffPractice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Klaas Wiersma