Privacy & Regulated Markets

Leading partners

Quirine Tjeenk Willink

The privacy, cybersecurity and regulated markets team at Kennedy Van der Laan is known for its sector expertise across finance, transport and logistics, telecoms, entertainment and healthcare. The team is noted for its expertise in assisting clients with investigations and enforcement proceedings locally and abroad. Internal investigations, legal proceedings against data subjects exerting thier rights under data protection law, and obtaining permits under Dutch data protection law are all key pillars of the practice. The sizeable team is led by Hester de Vries, Quirine Tjeenk Willink, Rosalie Brand and Judica Krikke. De Vries is a data protection authority and assists technology multinationals and public sector institutions with data protection law issues. Enforcement matters are handled by specialist Tjeenk Willink, Brand is the go-to for cybersecurity matters, and Krikke advises on IT aspects of data protection issues.

Practice head: Hester de Vries, Rosalie Brand, Quirine Tjeenk Willink, Judica Krikke.
 

Hall of Fame

Hester de Vries

Leading associates

Rosalie Brand

Leading partners

Quirine Tjeenk Willink
Judica Krikke

Testimonials

• ‘Kennedy Van der Laan has a data privacy and data protection team with several specialists who work together as a team. Privacy and its protection is a wide working field and the firm has plenty colleagues who assist in case there are interfaces with other fields.'
• ‘After working in the beginning with Hester the Vries as privacy specialist, Kennedy Van der Laan moved on along with our daily problems in protecting data. Rosalie Brand has the combination of ultimate knowledge about privacy, its protection and preventing accidents. Her experience in this working field makes it possible to act fast and in short term. Just what a company needs.’
• ‘The privacy team at Kennedy Van der Laan excels at clearly interpreting our complex processes from a legal perspective. The accompanying process descriptions are often better than our own policies! Kennedy thoroughly delves into matters, enabling them to uncover all possible risks. Their knowledge of case law, EDPB guidelines, and legislation is outstanding, allowing us to share the Data Protection Impact Assessments with the regulator with complete confidence.'
• ‘The data privacy and data protection team of Kennedy van der Laan has extensive knowledge of privacy law and knows how to translate this knowledge into practice in relation to our company. The team is broadly composed with older and younger lawyers. They are well informed of developments in the dynamic field of privacy law as well as jurisprudence. The strength of the team is the rapid response to requests for advice.’
• ‘Our organisation mainly works with Hester de Vries. She has extensive knowledge of privacy law and can respond quickly to our questions with good advices useful for our practice. She has thoroughly immersed herself in our daily practice of providing services to our business partners as well as consumers. In addition to her thorough knowledge of privacy law, we appreciate her openness, sincerity and friendly way of operating.’

Kennedy Van der Laan represents clients in telecommunications matters, including disputes on regulations and strategic frequency auctions.

“We appreciate Kennedy Van der Laan's industry knowledge and deep practical experience. All of the team members have a great level of experience.”

“Kennedy Van der Laan has outstanding expertise and is best in class. All of the partners and associates are extremely knowledgeable.”

Quirine Tjeenk Willink  maintains an excellent reputation with notable telecommunications clients, supporting both domestic and global market players. She is recognised for her depth of experience in litigation relating to spectrum auctions, while also advising on regulations and licensing for operators and radio broadcasters. "Quirine Tjeenk Willink is an extremely strong and very skilled lawyer. She is extremely smart and fast."

Kennedy Van der Laan acts on data privacy matters, advising clients on the use of biometric data and data sharing agreements, as well as representing clients regarding alleged breaches of GDPR and cyberattacks.

“We appreciate Kennedy Van der Laan's industry knowledge and deep practical experience. All of the team members have a great level of experience.”

“Kennedy Van der Laan has outstanding expertise and is best in class. All of the partners and associates are extremely knowledgeable.”

“Through the whole crisis, we felt that we were in good hands.”

Hester De Vries  is well regarded in the field of privacy and data protection. In addition to her experience in data sharing mandates, she regularly represents clients in GDPR disputes and advises on the use of biometric data under data privacy regulations. "Hester De Vries really is a fantastic lawyer. She is the driving force of the Kennedy Van der Laan data protection practice."

Kennedy Van der Laan fields a multidisciplinary team which advises on administrative and public law as well as handling disputes and litigation. It acts for public and private sector clients on spatial planning, permitting, environmental issues and nature conservancy law. 

Practice head(s): Quirine Tjeenk Willink

Testimonials

• ‘The practice offers a wide range of expertise.‘
• ‘The partner and head of the team was very involved in the issue at hand and played a key role in getting the best result for our company.‘

Kennedy Van der Laan is renowned for its expertise in frequency law, radio spectrum auctions, and related regulatory matters, including market dominance and procedural administrative enforcement law. The telecoms practice is housed within the firm’s regulatory department, jointly led by Quirine Tjeenk Willink and Leon Mensink. Willink is highly sought after for her ‘extensive experience in telecoms’ and frequency law, and has played a pivotal role in major spectrum auctions for both telecom and strategic radio frequencies. Mensink brings a strong background in civil and administrative proceedings, as well as a wealth of knowledge in tariff regulation, market dominance, network access, and market entry issues.

Practice heads: Quirine Tjeenk Willink; Leon Mensink

Leading Individuals

Quirine Tjeenk Willink

Other Key Lawyers

Elise Troll
Minke de Haan

Testimonials

• ‘Quirine Tjeenk Willink really makes the difference in litigation. Her skills and knowledge are outstanding.’
• ‘Kennedy Van der Laan’s telecoms practice has specific and practical expertise on a wide range of issues related to Dutch and EU telecommunications law. These include issues including spectrum licensing, number allocation, open internet regulation, interconnection, privacy and data protection as well as competition and administrative law.’
• ‘Quirine Tjeenk Willink has extensive experience in telecoms and is a well-recognised and respected attorney in the sector. She is a very focused and result-oriented professional.'

Kennedy Van der Laan is well-versed in administrative enforcement law and data protection law, allowing it to advise on a range of contentious and non-contentious privacy issues. The firm excels in assisting clients in the financial, logistics, telecommunications, entertainment, and healthcare sectors. The team routinely undertakes investigations and enforcement proceedings carried out by data protection regulators both locally and internationally and recently formed a 24/7 incident response team. Hester de Vries, Quirine Tjeenk Willink, Rosalie Brand, and Judica Krikke all jointly chair the practice. De Vries handles issues at the forefront of data protection such as AI, open data, platforms for data sharing, and adtech. Litigator Tjeenk Willink is an enforcement law specialist, Brand was promoted to partner in 2023 and mainly supports clients with cybersecurity incidents. Krikke focuses on complex digital transformation processes, IT and cloud outsourcing issues. Elise Troll was appointed counsel in 2023 and advises on data protection particularly in relation to telecoms.

Hall of Fame

Hester de Vries

Leading individuals

Quirine Tjeenk Willink
Judica Krikke

Rising stars

Rosalie Brand
Elise Troll

Testimonials

• ‘Kennedy Van der Laan’s team is uniquely positioned to provide world-class advise. They can leverage experience build up over the past 20 plus years and have a large team with legally, technically and commercially savvy players, not only at partner level.’
• ‘Elise Troll is definitely on the rise. She is super smart, always available, very practical, comes with creative and out of the box solutions and is fun to work with. She is strong on both content and relationship.’
• ‘The privacy lawyers of Kennedy Van der Laan have thorough knowledge of the GDPR and the Dutch Uitvoeringswet AVG. They are easily approachable and often provide direct support.’

Kennedy Van der Laan boasts market-leading expertise in several areas of TMT, particularly regarding media regulations and IT outsourcing. The law firm handles a number of high-profile media disputes relating to the publication of misinformation, defamation claims and advertising litigation. The team is also highly esteemed for its work in the technology sector, advising on outsourcing and procurement agreements, the launch of new platforms, opening new data centres and licensing contracts. Kennedy Van der Laan also represents clients in telecommunications matters, including disputes on regulations and strategic frequency auctions. It also acts on data privacy matters, advising clients on the use of biometric data and data sharing agreements, as well as representing clients regarding alleged breaches of GDPR.

"Kennedy Van der Laan can quickly familiarise itself with complex and extensive files thanks to its available team."

"I like that the lawyers are quick to understand our approach to risk; their expertise goes without saying, and for me what they do goes even further than being pragmatic."

"Kennedy van der Laan is particularly strong because it has a deep knowledge of IT in combination with its extensive litigation experience."

"The team are always on time, proactive and responsive."

Judica Krikke is a market-leading lawyer in the field of IT. She represents clients in technology sector disputes and in the negotiation of supply agreements and outsourcing contracts. She has experience in procurement tenders and advising on regulatory compliance. "Judica is really an expert in complex software agreements; she adds a lot of value for us, is very business-oriented, and happy to jump on calls with internal stakeholders." "Judica is hands-on and practical, which is much appreciated."

Hester De Vries is well regarded in the field of privacy and data protection. In addition to her experience in data sharing mandates, she regularly represents clients in GDPR disputes and advises on the use of biometric data under data privacy regulations.

Kennedy Van der Laan boasts market-leading expertise in several areas of TMT, particularly regarding media regulations and IT outsourcing. The law firm handles a number of high-profile media disputes relating to the publication of misinformation, defamation claims and advertising litigation. The team is also highly esteemed for its work in the technology sector, advising on outsourcing and procurement agreements, the launch of new platforms, opening new data centres and licensing contracts. Kennedy Van der Laan also represents clients in telecommunications matters, including disputes on regulations and strategic frequency auctions. It also acts on data privacy matters, advising clients on the use of biometric data and data sharing agreements, as well as representing clients regarding alleged breaches of GDPR.

"Kennedy Van der Laan can quickly familiarise itself with complex and extensive files thanks to its available team."

"I like that the lawyers are quick to understand our approach to risk; their expertise goes without saying, and for me what they do goes even further than being pragmatic."

"Kennedy van der Laan is particularly strong because it has a deep knowledge of IT in combination with its extensive litigation experience."

"The team are always on time, proactive and responsive."

Jens van den Brink is regarded as one of the leading media law specialists in the Netherlands. He has a strong focus on contentious matters, representing clients in defamation cases, attempts to prevent the publication of misinformation and disputes relating to advertising.

Joran Spauwen is well regarded in the field of media and communications. He advises clients on contentious matters such as anti-piracy action, media regulations and defamation. He also assists with matters relating to freedom of information.

Judica Krikke is a market-leading lawyer in the field of IT. She represents clients in technology sector disputes and in the negotiation of supply agreements and outsourcing contracts. She has experience in procurement tenders and advising on regulatory compliance. "Judica is really an expert in complex software agreements; she adds a lot of value for us, is very business-oriented, and happy to jump on calls with internal stakeholders." "Judica is hands-on and practical, which is much appreciated."

Hester de Vries is well regarded in the field of privacy and data protection. In addition to her experience in data sharing mandates, she regularly represents clients in GDPR disputes and advises on the use of biometric data under data privacy regulations.

Patrick Wit often advises on technology procurement mandates and IT outsourcing agreements, as well as assisting with the regulatory aspects of launching new technology platforms.

Quirine Tjeenk Willink enters the rankings this year in recognition of her depth of experience in litigation relating to spectrum auctions. She also advises on regulations and licensing for operators and radio broadcasters. "Quirine is extremely smart and good on sensitive cases."

Reinoud Westerdijk assists clients from the technology sector with negotiating licensing agreements and regulatory advice. Additionally, he advises on data-related matters such as access requests.

Joost Schmaal assists clients with both contentious and non-contentious matters in the technology sector, representing clients in drafting IT contracts, as well as in disputes with suppliers. Additionally, he advises on outsourcing of services and IT infrastructure, including cloud-based software delivery. "Joost has great experience, technical ability and commercial acumen in dealing with all aspects of IT disputes; I would highly recommend him as he is very hands-on." "He asks the right questions, has spot-on, sufficient knowledge of market practice and also gives you the support as a strategic partner."

Kennedy Van der Laan has ‘unique expertise in the area of cybersecurity’. Head of the data protection practice Hester de Vries is testament to this, advising public sector and private sector clients, operating in complex new digital ecosystems, such as digital payments and gaming, on data protection governance. De Vries also represents clients against imposed fines by the Dutch Data Protection Authority and is a key contact for public sector clients investigating data-related issues. Experienced litigator Quirine Tjeenk Willink is known for representing clients in enforcement and fining procedures. Senior associate Elise Troll advises clients on the implementation of privacy compliance in healthcare apps, data sharing platforms and smart traffic solutions. Senior associate Rosalie Brand adds another layer to the practice, specialising in cyber incidents. The arrival of Judica Krikke from Stibbe, where she led the IT, IP and data protection teams, strengthens the practice further.

Hall of Fame

Hester de Vries

Leading individuals

Quirine Tjeenk Willink
Judica Krikke

Rising stars

Rosalie Brand
Elise Troll

Testimonials

• 'Strong expertise in cybersecurity and especially Ransomware incidents. Also, highly professional and flexible.’
• ‘Unique expertise in the area of cybersecurity.’
• ‘The lawyers in the privacy team of Kennedy van der Laan are extremely knowledgeable in the field of privacy. Their advice meets the needs of our organization in this field.’
• ‘The practice is unique due to the possibility of a multidisciplinary approach in a file. Potential clients want to know the experience of the lawyers in their field of attention. Compared to other firms Kennedy van der Laan is in our opinion one of the top firms.’
• ‘Hester de Vries, Elsie Troll and Cees Plaizer all stand out because of their personal approach, with a detailed attention to the client combined with their experience and knowledge in the field of privacy.’

Kennedy Van der Laan boasts market-leading expertise in several areas of TMT, particularly regarding media regulations and IT outsourcing. The law firm handles a number of high-profile media disputes relating to the publication of misinformation, defamation claims and advertising litigation. The team is also highly esteemed for its work in the technology sector, advising on outsourcing and procurement agreements, the launch of new platforms, opening new data centres and licensing contracts. Kennedy Van der Laan also represents clients in contentious matters, including disputes with suppliers. It also acts on data privacy matters, advising clients on the use of biometric data and data sharing agreements, as well as representing clients regarding alleged breaches of GDPR.

"Kennedy Van der Laan's service levels are excellent and the response to our questions is within reasonable time."

"The team work well together and therefore have broad expertise."

Hester De Vries is well regarded in the field of privacy and data protection. In addition to her experience in data sharing mandates, she regularly represents clients in GDPR disputes and advises on the use of biometric data under data privacy regulations. "Hester is an expert on privacy matters."

Kennedy Van der Laan ‘always strives to deliver high-quality work’ across data protection regulatory mandates, investigations and enforcement proceedings. The group has also seen an increase in data breach and cybersecurity instructions and leverages the firm’s newly expanded corporate department to assist with data transactions. With expertise in the publishing, telecoms, technology, transport and entertainment sectors, key clients include Azerion, Keolis Nederland and Royal Schiphol Group. Noteworthy individuals include group co-heads Hester de Vries and Quirine Tjeenk Willink, and senior associates Elise Troll and Rosalie Brand.

Practice head(s): Hester de Vries; Quirine Tjeenk Willink
Other key lawyers: Elise Troll; Rosalie Brand; Laura Poolman

Hall of fame

• Hester de Vries

Leading individuals

• Quirine Tjeenk Willink

Rising stars

• Rosalie Brand
• Elise Troll

Testimonials

• ‘Very good and large team. Experienced members and more junior members providing a good and opportune mix for larger clients requiring broad privacy assistance.’
• ‘Hester de Vries is very experienced and knowledgeable. Hester stands out through her in-depth knowledge of the laws, regulations and case law in combination with her knowledge of the key players in terms of privacy experts. Rosalie Brand is a pleasure to work with. She is intelligent, dedicated, very knowledgeable and pragmatic.’
• ‘The firm has much relevant knowledge and expertise (all but criminal law). Collaboration, mostly behind the scenes, is almost seamless.’

Kennedy Van der Laan boasts market-leading expertise in several areas of TMT, particularly regarding media regulations and IT outsourcing. It acts on data privacy matters, advising clients on the use of biometric data and data sharing agreements, as well as representing clients regarding alleged breaches of GDPR.

One interviewee reports that Kennedy Van der Laan "holds its own in the Dutch scene, and its lawyers are always quite innovative."

A client reports that the team "has a strong capacity" and highlights the "great quality of advice."

A client reports that Hester De Vries is "an extremely intelligent and talented lawyer with in-depth knowledge of privacy law and the exchange of data." In addition to her experience in data sharing mandates, Hester De Vries represents clients in GDPR disputes and advises on the use of biometric data under data privacy regulations.