Commercial & International Trade

Martine de Koning is ranked global wide within Franchising.

"Martine de Koning is based in Amsterdam and is very active in the European franchise market. Clients say: "She is a very energetic and professional lawyer. She is very pragmatic and at the same time goes deep into legal issues." Other sources describe her as "very sharp, intelligent and very well informed.""

WWL says:
"Martine de Koning is a “very active” franchise lawyer with “exceptional legal knowledge”. She has extensive experience of structuring complex matters including joint ventures."

Read the full recommendation at Who' s Who Legal.

The Kennedy Van der Laan practice 'provides creative solutions, combining expertise in different areas such as IP, distribution, data protection and licensing and also stands out at managing complex projects' and it specifically benefits clients with 'significant expertise in the retail industry'. Martijn van Bemmel and Jelle Blom are 'outstanding' while Martine de Koning is viewed as 'a top lawyer who perfectly knows the retail industry'. Nike, Converse, VodafoneZiggo and Elecosoft UK are among its client list. Of late the team has handled matters including a complex distribution dispute, franchising, and online retailing issues. It also advised Panda Sporthallen Exploitatie in a Court of Appeal case in which it claimed compensation for the early termination of a fitness club franchise format. Counsel Bart-Adriaan de Ruijter and senior associate Isabel van Tuyll van Serooskerken are other team members of note.

"Best known for franchising, distribution and commercial contracts, Kennedy Van der Laan’s practice has cross-border capabilities, and is ‘particularly knowledgeable about e-commerce’. Group head Martine de Koning ‘combines great commercial, legal and competition law knowledge’. Ahold Delhaize is a client."

Monique van Diessen, Nike Europe

"We highly recommend Martine de Koning, first and foremost because of her knowledge and creativity in providing solutions and strategic thinking."

Bill Berner, General Counsel Nike EMEA

"Martine de Koning has been Nike’s Account Manager at Kennedy van der Laan since 2000. Over the years, Martine handled strategically important litigation for us such as international commercial disputes and competition law cases before the relevant authorities. She has a clear vision and takes the lead in a smart and assertive manner with an eye to effective communication with all stakeholders involved. Martine offers high service levels and quickly understands the business interests at stake. Martine handled in a pragmatic way many franchise, distribution, agency and procurement cases over the years. She became involved early on in the legal support of the Nike stores project, including localisation and implementation of contracts in the EMEA region. Martine was a key player in the creation of the Alliance for Nike, an innovative concept which allows Nike to work with selected firms in a number of European countries, under the leadership and coordination by Kennedy van der Laan, creating savings and efficiencies and driving convergence."

"Kennedy Van der Laan is een no-nonsense en betrouwbare zakenpartner die waar voor je geld geeft. De advocaten begrijpen onze bedrijfstak, zijn zeer professioneel en prettig om mee samen te werken. Ze kijken naar het grotere plaatje en dragen innovatieve en praktische oplossingen aan. Ze focussen snel op de essentie en zijn niet te theoretisch in hun benadering. Ze hebben passie voor hun beroep en dat zie je."

“De Alliance for Nike, onder leiding van Kennedy Van der Laan, is nu vijf jaar actief in de bredere Europese regio en is een groot succes. In de eerste jaren heeft de Alliance de efficiëntie opgevoerd, convergentie gestimuleerd en de voorspelbaarheid van uitgaven significant verbeterd. In recente jaren lag de nadruk op het intensief delen van kennis en best practices, innovatieve (digitale) communicatie, effectieve feedback processen en centrale projectcoördinatie. De Alliance maakt het ons mogelijk om kantoren in te schakelen die het beste aan Nike's behoeften voldoen in elk rechtsgebied, terwijl wij blijven profiteren van de centrale leiding door Kennedy Van der Laan. Het is een echt partnerschap en de Alliance blijft bloeien en uitbreiden, zowel op deelterreinen van het recht als in rechtsgebieden.”