- Managing Partner: Martijn Snoep
- Number of partners: 60
- Number of lawyers: 330
- Languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish, Chinese
Firm Overview:
De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek stands beside its clients wherever they operate globally. This is the keystone of its focus. Whether in the Netherlands or abroad, the firm delivers a powerful corporate and finance practice, a centre of excellence in litigation and arbitration, and an unparalleled team of regulatory experts. De Brauw’s role of trusted advisor is rooted in its history as a firm, and is integral to what it is today. From its home office in Amsterdam, De Brauw advises more than 70 per cent of the largest companies headquartered in the Netherlands. The firm accompanies its clients abroad in their international transactions, litigation and regulatory work. This is why it has offices in strategic locations like Beijing, Brussels, London, New York and Singapore and why it works closely together with top-tier local counsel in all jurisdictions.
Main Areas of Practice:
Corporate & M&A:
29 partners; 53 associates based in the Netherlands
• Advising ASML, on the development of a unique customer co-investment program, in which Intel, Samsung and TSMC participate
• Advising Philips Electronics (TV division) on its joint venture with Chinese conglomerate TPV Technology
• Advising ABN AMRO on the EUR 100 million divestment of factoring company Fortis Commercial Finance (FCF) to BNP Paribas
• Advising international retailing group Ahold on its EUR 350 million acquisition of online retailer Bol.com, and the EUR 290 million acquisition of 82 supermarket stores from Jumbo / C1000
• Advising Rabobank Nederland on the acquisition of Friesland Bank
• Advising Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile on its efforts to form a strategic partnership with Saab’s Dutch holding company Swedish Automobile and China's Pang Da Automobile Trade Co in a EUR 245 million (USD 352.1 million) joint venture to rescue the struggling Swedish car manufacturer
• Advising NXP on the divestment of high-speed data converter business to Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (IDT) The business has sales and production points in the United States, France, the Netherlands and China.
Key Clients: Philips Electronics,AkzoNobel,NXP,Ahold, Schiphol Group, DSM,Rabobank
Contact: Kees Peijster (also member of the board)
Tel: +31 20 577 1906
Email: kees.peijster@debrauw.com
Litigation & Arbitration:
40 partners; 160 associates
• Representing NXP Semiconductors in ICC arbitration filed by STMicroelectronics
• Representing all major energy companies in the Netherlands in their claim against the State of the Netherlands regarding the loss of priority import capacity
• Advising insurer Achmea in an investment treaty arbitration under the Netherlands-Czechoslovakia Bilateral Investment Treaty. A claim was brought after the Slovak Republic had sought to reverse an earlier liberalisation of its health insurance sector
• Advising Sara Lee/DE Masterblenders 1753 as European lead counsel in multi-jurisdictional patent litigation initiated by Nestlé, after Sara Lee’s entry into the market for Nespresso coffee machines capsules
• Advising Unilever in its battle against private labellers imitating its famous products, such as Ben & Jerry's, Glorix,Robijn and Zwitsal
• Advising GasTerra, an international company trading in natural gas, on a USD 1.1 billion UNCITRAL award against Italian energy company Eni in a dispute over the price payable under one of two long-term gas supply contracts
• Representing Shell in what Milieudefensie (the Dutch branch of Friends of The Earth International) describes as the first case in which the corporate headquarters of a large multinational company will be held responsible for causing environmental damage abroad. The matter relates to environmental pollution in the Niger Delta as a result of three oil spills
• Defending Port of Rotterdam in a > EUR 1 billion claim in civil litigation brought by container terminal operator ECT
Key Clients: Shell, Philips Electronics Achmea, Unilever, GasTerra
Contact: Marc Ynzonides (also member of the board)
Tel: +31 20 577 1805
Email: marc.ynzonides@debrauw.com
Regulatory:
14 partners; 49 associates
• Representing Philips and Philips Pension Fund in the largest criminal financial fraud matter in Dutch legal history, in connection with the criminal proceedings brought by the Dutch Public Prosecutions Office, the dealings with the Dutch Central Bank and the AFM, and the ensuing civil litigation to recover the losses suffered as a result of the fraud, as well as conducting one of the largest and most high-profile internal investigations into fraud in the Netherlands to date
• Representing Ageas (formerly Fortis) in court proceedings regarding two fines imposed by the AFM for alleged untimely disclosure of price sensitive information
• Representing Shell in its appeal before the European courts against the fine of EUR 160 million imposed by the European Commission for its alleged participation in a rubber cartel
• Advising Gasunie in its efforts to extend its gas transport network at various locations, and thus guarantee the security of gas supply in the Netherlands and Northern Germany. The measures taken in the Netherlands will require an investment of nearly EUR 500 million
• Advising AkzoNobel on obtaining unconditional merger control clearance for the acquisition of the global powder coatings business of Dow Chemical (EU and worldwide)
• Representing Rabobank as lead counsel in the worldwide investigations into the LIBOR submission process
Key Clients: Shell, Philips Electronics, DSM, AkzoNobel, GasTerra, Rabobank
Contact: Martijn Snoep (managing partner)
Tel: +31 20 577 1365
Email: martijn.snoep@debrauw.com
Areas of PracticeBanking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate / M&A
Corporate Governance
Corporate Recovery & Insolvency
Employment & Employee Benefits
Energy, Infrastructure & Natural Resources
EU Law,Competition & Regulation
Financial Markets Regulation
ICT & Telecoms
Insurance
Intellectual Property
Investment Management
Litigation & Arbitration
Media, Sports & Entertainment
Mediation
Pensions
Private Equity
Real Estate
Regulatory & Criminal Enforcement
Tax
Transportation