Aanbevelingen

Advising on mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures, and handling abuse of dominance allegations in major litigations are all areas of experience for the EU and competition practice at Kennedy Van der Laan. It is equipped to handle matters in both domestic and international contexts. Annemieke van der Beek specialises in payment services work in particular, counsel Martijn van Bemmel has experience advising on matters across the financial, banking, retail, transport and IT sectors, and Martine de Koning has expertise handling commerce and trade work; the three oversee the team.

Practice heads: Annemieke van der Beek; Martijn van Bemmel; Martine de Koning

Hall of Fame

Annemieke van der Beek

Other key lawyers

Jelle Blom

Testimonials

• ‘Kennedy Van Der Laan’s team is oriented towards providing client-friendly and to-the-point advice, and has vast knowledge of competition law and is a pleasure to work with.’
• ‘We have primarily worked with Martine de Koning and Jelle Blom, and find both to be extremely professional, knowledgeable, and great at coordinating multi-jurisdictional matters.’
• ‘The commercial and international trade team has excellent knowledge of the broader EU and Dutch regulatory framework for consumers, in particular the regulatory framework relevant for product compliance, sustainability, advertising and greenwashing in commercial practices.’
• ‘The team members are very approachable and fun to work with.’
• ‘The team is flexible, efficient and has fast turnaround times.’
• ‘Martine de Koning and team are always ready to provide support where necessary.’
• ‘Martine de Koning makes the most complex law sound very understandable and knows how to advise and support franchise organisations through excellent advice re the Dutch Franchise Act and EU competition law.’

Kennedy Van der Laan assists financial sector clients with competition matters, including obtaining approval for joint ventures. The law firm also represents clients in contentious competition law matters, including investigations and collective action damages claims. The team further acts for clients from the fashion and luxury goods industries on contentious distribution matters. Additionally it has clients from the healthcare sector.

"It is a very responsive team that always provides very thorough advice."

"The advice we have received from Kennedy Van der Laan has always been of high quality, relevant and rapid."

"The team has always provided an in-depth and comprehensive analysis of the questions at stake."

Annemieke van der Beek is a popular choice with clients from the financial services sector for advice on competition law compliance. She further represents clients in investigations before the ACM and assists with obtaining competition law clearance for proposed business combinations.

Led by Annemieke van der Beek, senior associate Martijn van Bemmel and Martine de Koning, Kennedy Van der Laan assists clients with compliance, regulator investigations and enforcement proceedings. Handling EU and competition law, including sanctions, trade controls and financial regulation, as well as abuse of dominance, follow-on litigation and merger control, the firm stands out for its sector-specific experience in manufacturing, fashion, retail and hospitality, with an additional focus on banking and finance particularly in relation to the payment services market.

Practice heads: Annemieke van der Beek; Martijn van Bemmel; Martine de Koning

Leading Individuals

Annemieke van der Beek

Other key lawyers

Jelle Blom

Testimonials

• The team has multiple qualities: easy to approach, hands-on mentality, high level of knowledge and provides good quality advice that is easy to apply in practice.’
• ‘The team is so experienced and on top of all developments so it is a pleasure to work with them.’
• ‘I especially have contact with Martine de Koning. Her quality is to interpret the law and see what the effects may be on the business side. And even though her agenda must be busy, she always makes time to have a call or meeting. She has been very helpful and informative.’
• ‘The team, and in particular Jelle Blom who we have worked with, is really clear in its communication and keen to provide hands-on advice to its clients.’
• ‘Jelle Blom is a young practitioner, yet is very capable and knowledgeable in the field of distribution and competition matters. I also very much like to work with Martine de Koning, be it with respect to distribution or franchising.’
• ‘Martine de Koning is the best in the Netherlands as regards combining distribution, franchise and competition law! A true expert and creative thinker. Jelle Blom excels too, especially in distribution matters, in particular in an international context.’
• ‘Client-focused, practical, strong project management.’

Kennedy Van der Laan assists financial sector clients with competition matters, including obtaining approval for joint ventures. The law firm also represents manufacturing sector clients in cartel damages claims. The team further acts for clients from the fashion and luxury goods industries on contentious distribution matters. Additionally it has clients from the healthcare sector.

"The lawyers understand our business very well and so are able to react and respond very quickly to our queries and requirements."

Annemieke van der Beek is well reputed for her expertise assisting financial institutions with competition cases spanning compliance procedures and proceedings before the ACM.

Annemieke van der Beek, Martijn van Bemmel and Martine de Koning co-head the EU and competition team at Kennedy Van der Laan, which has a leading position in the Dutch banking and finance sector, and is also active in the public transport and hospitality sectors. Van der Beek is particularly noted for her competition expertise in the payment services market. As part of an ongoing trend, the practice continues to see an increase in follow-on damages actions. In addition, it has seen a growth in mass claims following recent changes in the law. Elsewhere, the group provides compliance advice and represents clients in regulatory investigations, among other matters. In an ongoing mandate, van Bemmel and others are acting for Union Cyclist Internationale (UCI) and Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA) in a dispute with Cycling Service over a new platform for managing prize money.

Practice head(s): Annemieke van der Beek; Martijn van Bemmel; Martine de Koning

Leading Individuals

Annemieke van der Beek

Testimonials

• 'They know our business very well and are able to provide advice that is really suited to our requirements.’
• ‘They are very quick to respond, know the business and know our challenges.’
• ‘We have been working with Kennedy van der Laan over the past 10 years in the field of competition law. The cooperation is good and successful. The team is well informed about our business and the relevant completion law issues.’

Kennedy Van der Laan assists financial sector clients with competition matters, including obtaining approval for joint ventures. The law firm also represents manufacturing sector clients in cartel damages claims. The team acts for clients from the fashion and luxury goods industries on contentious distribution matters. Additionally it has clients from the healthcare sector.

A client appreciates the firm's "very quick and informed responses."

Annemieke van der Beek represents financial institutions, transport operators and food and beverage companies in competition cases spanning merger control procedures, ACM investigations and cartel damages claims.

Martine De Koning maintains a clientele of fashion retailers and luxury brands, advising them on distribution agreements.

“We at GSN are especially happy with the cooperation model between ourselves and Kennedy Van der Laan. Thanks to a great mutual commitment to the preparation of the cases and a clear division of roles, we were able to choose the best strategy to follow in these cases together. With Kennedy Van der Laan we have developed a characteristic method of cooperation, in which GSN supplies the relevant facts, after which the team translate this business information into legally relevant information.

All in all, we are extremely satisfied; not only with the positive outcome of the various proceedings and summary proceedings, but also with the cooperation. The team of Kennedy Van der Laan, consisting of Annemieke van der Beek, Martijn van Bemmel and several other colleagues from other practice groups, always do their utmost to achieve the best result for us.”

“I’ve been working with Annemieke van der Beek for many years. She combines thorough knowledge of competition law with a hands-on and very client orientated way of working. Besides that Annemieke is very capable to align interests of stakeholders leading to strategic relevant advantages for her clients. Her professional approach has led to unanimous positive results when dealing with competition authorities needed for carrying out strategic projects. Highly recommended!”

“Annemieke van der Beek geldt in de betalingsverkeerwereld als een autoriteit op het gebied van het mededingingsrecht. Doordat zij de betrokken instellingen en de relevante personen goed kent en doordat zij altijd op de hoogte wil blijven van de ontwikkelingen rond het betalingsverkeer, worden haar adviezen breed gewaardeerd.”

"Aan Annemieke heb ik advies gevraagd over een complex mededingingsrechtelijk onderwerp. Zij heeft hier samen met haar medewerkster Minke de Haan op voortreffelijke wijze invulling aan gegeven. Het doorwrochte schriftelijk advies had enerzijds ruim voldoende juridische diepgang, maar was tegelijkertijd pragmatisch en oplossingsgericht. Ik was met de uitkomst zeer content en aarzel dan ook niet om Annemieke aan te bevelen aan anderen die op hoog niveau bediend willen worden."