Soo-Ja Schijf

Restructuring and reorganisation / Collective and individual dismissal / Employee co-governance / Outsourcing and TUPE projects / Board directors
 

Soo-Ja Schijf is Partner in the Labour and Employment practice group, where she heads the Employment team.

Soo-Ja has many years of experience in advising multinational companies on a wide range of employment and employee participation matters. Her expertise includes reorganisations, collective and individual dismissals, outsourcing, transfer of undertaking, negotiations with works councils and trade unions, and (cross-border) secondments.

She also advises regularly on (sensitive) matters, such as the appointment and termination of board directors, non-competition disputes, and the role of ESG in the employment relationship, for example in relation to diversity and inclusion.

Soo-Ja has an international track record and regularly speaks at international conferences. She also gives trainings on new employment law developments to in-house counsels, HR teams and attorneys. She is a member of the Diversity and Equality Law Committee and the Employment and Industrial Relations Law Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA), the European Employment Lawyers Association (EELA) and the Dutch Association for Employment Law (VvA).

Soo-Ja studied law at the University of Victoria in British Colombia (Canada) and at Utrecht University and was previously seconded to an international law firm in London.

The Legal 500 EMEA 2025 - Employment - Ranked

The labour and employment team at Kennedy Van der Laan centres its practice on advising clients in the technology and financial sectors on a range of matters, including restructuring and reorganisation projects, privacy issues and co-governance law. The client base includes large international technology companies, financial institutions and works councils. The group is also recognised for its strength in representing healthcare institutions in remuneration matters. Ester Damen acts for works councils and employers, and has niche expertise in advising on unethical workplace behaviour; she co-heads the practice with Chris Nekeman, who is well versed in advising on employee participation law, and Soo-Ja Schijf, who focuses on outsourcing, reorganisations and collective and individual dismissals work.

Leading partners

Soo-ja Schijf

Testimonials

• ‘Soo-Ja Schijf is a true partner to our business. She understands our objectives and works with us to find pragmatic solutions, applying her exceptional knowledge of employment laws and how they are developing.
• ‘Soo-Ja Schijf as our main contact and she really stands out. She is accessible, knowledgeable and has a practical and very solution oriented approach. She knows exactly what we are looking for.'

Chambers Europe 2025 - Employment - Ranked

Soo-Ja Schijf has a broad international client base that includes major names from sectors as diverse as banking and medical technology. Her experience encompasses matters relating to non-compete clauses and instances of sexual harassment. She also offers skill working on TUPE matters, hybrid working arrangements and redundancies.

• "Soo-Ja Schijf has partnered with us to navigate tricky employment issues for a number of years and has always provided high-level strategic advice."
• "Soo-Ja Schijf is a wonderful lawyer and a breath of fresh air. She is supportive, tenacious and commercial. You definitely want her in your corner."
• "Soo-Ja Schijf is lovely to work with and always keen to help clients."
• "She is very easily accessible and knowledgeable, and has a practical and very solution-oriented approach. She knows exactly what we are looking for."

The Legal 500 EMEA 2024 - Employment - Ranked

Kennedy Van der Laan takes a sector-focused approach to its employment practice, specialising in the technology, financial, and healthcare sectors, aiding employers and international clients with a slew of employment issues. The firm frequently advises on hybrid working arrangements and diversity and inclusion compliance, and is known for its expertise in co-governance law as well as restructuring and reorganisation projects. Chris Nekeman, Soo-Ja Schijf, and Ester Damen lead the practice together. Nekeman is a specialist in employee participation law, Schijf largely represents multinational companies in reorganisations and dismissals, and Damen acts for both employers and works councils, as well as being the go-to for assisting clients in unethical behaviour matters.

Testimonials

• ‘Soo-Ja Schijf’s instincts are always to protect the company but also provide caution on the impact on the employee so we can ensure that we are doing the right thing and minimising risk.’
• ‘Soo-Ja Schijf is just brilliant. She is super bright, well connected and very commercial. She seeks out opportunities to collaborate for the benefit of her clients.’

Chambers Europe 2024 - Employment - Ranked

Soo-ja Schijf has a broad international client base that includes major names from sectors as diverse as banking and medical technology. Her experience encompasses matters relating to non-compete clauses and instances of sexual harassment. "Soo-ja has an excellent client service approach and is a top expert in labour and employment law."
 

The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 - Employment - Ranked

Kennedy Van der Laan has a strong focus on sectors including technology, financial services and healthcare, and has specific experience in employee governance, advising and representing employers and work councils. The firm is also active in restructurings and reorganisations, as well as employment-related data protection matters and #MeToo issues. The practice is led by Chris Nekeman, who specialises in employee participation and legal proceedings for works councils and employers, Soo-Ja Schijf, who primarily represents multinationals with European operations, and Ester Damen, who has expertise in employee participation and data protection in employment relationships.

Testimonials

• "We work mostly with Soo-ja Schijf. She is used to working for big international companies and helped us a lot in some complex legal matters."
• “Very responsive, and clear and concise in their advice to cut through some of the more complex aspects of Dutch labour law.”
• “Great partnership, always ready to assist, exceptionally professional and very accessible, with multicultural expertise. Very appropriate communication, critical thinking and ownership of the matter.”

Chambers Europe 2023 - Employment - Ranked

Up-and-coming Partner Soo-Ja Schijf has a broad international client base that includes major names from sectors as diverse as financial services and medical technology. Her experience encompasses matters relating to non-compete clauses and instances of sexual harassment.

Testimonials

• "She is a person who knows how to combine commercial skills with technical skills."
• “They are very, very responsive and have a client-friendly approach."
• "They always provide practical solutions and advice."

• Advisor of a FinTech company in a legal dispute about the breach of non-competition and non-solicitation clauses by a (former) global senior executive.
• Advisor of a listed MedTech company in a complex collective redundancy process, including setting the strategy and negotiating with the works council and the trade unions.
• Advisor of a Dutch bank in a large international outsourcing, concerning the employment-law consequences of transfer of undertaking and the harmonization of (collective) employment conditions.
• Advisor of a multinational transport company about the dismissal of a board director.