Soo-Ja Schijf

Herstructurering en reorganisatie / Collectief en individueel ontslag / Medezeggenschapsrecht / Outsourcing en overgang van onderneming / Bestuurders

Soo-Ja Schijf is Partner bij de praktijkgroep Arbeidsrecht, waar zij leiding geeft aan het arbeidsrecht team.

Soo-Ja heeft jarenlange ervaring in het begeleiden en adviseren van multinationals in een scala aan arbeids- en medezeggenschapsrecht kwesties. Haar expertise betreft onder andere reorganisaties, collectief en individueel ontslag, outsourcing, overgang van onderneming, onderhandelingen met ondernemingsraden en vakbonden en (grensoverschrijdende) detacheringen.

Ook adviseert zij regelmatig over (gevoelige) onderwerpen zoals de benoeming en het ontslag van bestuurders, concurrentiebedingen en de rol van ESG in de arbeidsrelatie, bijvoorbeeld op het gebied van diversiteit en inclusie.

Soo-Ja heeft een internationale track record en spreekt regelmatig op internationale congressen. Ook geeft zij trainingen over arbeidsrecht actualiteiten aan bedrijfsjuristen, HR-teams en advocaten. Zij is lid van de Diversity and Equality Law Committee en de Employment and Industrial Relations Law Committee van de International Bar Association (IBA), de European Employment Lawyers Association (EELA) en de Vereniging voor Arbeidsrecht (VvA).

Soo-Ja studeerde rechten aan de University of Victoria in British Colombia (Canada) en aan de Universiteit Utrecht, en is gedetacheerd geweest bij een internationaal advocatenkantoor in Londen.

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."

• Adviseur van een FinTech bedrijf in een juridisch geschil over de overtreding van concurrentie- en relatiebedingen door een (voormalig) global senior executive.
• Adviseur van een beursgenoteerd MedTech bedrijf in een complex collectief ontslag traject, waaronder het uitzetten van de strategie en de onderhandelingen met de ondernemingsraad en vakbonden.
• Adviseur van een Nederlandse bank in een omvangrijke internationale outsourcing, onder andere over de arbeidsrechtelijke gevolgen van overgang van onderneming en het harmoniseren van (collectieve) arbeidsvoorwaarden.
• Adviseur van een multinational op het gebied van transport over het ontslag van een bestuurder.