Noted for its ‘exceptional litigation skills’, the team at Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn NV based in The Hague is well-known for its strong capabilities handling complex EU and competition work. Abuse of dominance, merger control and cartel matters all form part of the practice’s workload. The team is also experienced advising state bodies and representatives of cities in The Netherlands. Experienced practitioner Erik Pijnacker Hordijk leads the team alongside newly promoted partner and co-head Marleen Botman who gained both titles in Janaury 2023; Botman is well regarded for her ’excellent knowledge of distribution of exclusive rights’ cases.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
'The team has a broad knowledge of the law of the public sector and is a full-service firm with exceptional litigation skills.’
‘Georges Dictus has excellent knowledge of state aid law, whilst Marleen Botman has excellent knowledge of distribution of exclusive rights.’
‘Knowledge, speed and collaboration are key attributes of this team of, above all, friendly lawyers.’
Key clients
- Dutch State
- Royal FloraHolland
- Scandinavian Airlines
- ArcelorMittal
- Mercedes-Benz Group AG
- Royal Cosun
- City of Amsterdam
- City of Rotterdam
- EPS
- Dutch Competition Authority (ACM)
- Dutch Emissions Authority
- Westlake Corp
- Het Kadaster
- Province of Gelderland
- DNB (Dutch Central Bank)
- Heineken
- Profile
Work highlights
- Representing Mercedes-Benz Group AG in all pending damage actions before Dutch courts in connection with the decision of the EU Commission of 19 July 2016 regarding the Trucks case.
- Representing the State in a test case on the calculation of pensions in the Netherlands with a possible major financial impact €137bn.
- Assisting the Dutch State in the decision to reduce the number of flights on Schiphol.
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.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Erik Pijnacker Hordijk, Marleen Botman