Administrative & Public law
Administrative bodies act as regulators, supervisors, licensing authorities but also as private-sector contractors and they all rely on sound advice based on thorough knowledge of government and Administrative Law.
Our experience
Since 1902
Since 1902, we have built a large public-sector practice in which we have assisted more than 50 authorities over the years, resulting in collaborations of many, many years. The Administrative Law Team also assists a large number of businesses and other organisations in their dealings with the public sector in their various roles.
Proceedings involving the public sector are often characterised by tight and often unrealistic deadlines, complex procedural rules and the involvement of a large number of parties and interests. The stakes can be high, such as crucial permits, possible business closure or substantial fines or penalties. Our Administrative Law Team has wide-ranging experience of acting in this arena.
Specialists ánd full-service
In our Public Sector Team we have 10 lawyers who are exclusively involved with Administrative Law. They are specialised in topic areas such as Environmental Law, subversion, monitoring and enforcement, subsidies and the Dutch Open Government Act. Where necessary, we work in multidisciplinary teams to extend our expertise in other relevant areas such as Real Estate, Tenancy Law and Data & Privacy. We are a full-service lawfirm.
Our approach
Long-term collaborations
We aim to build long-term, lasting relationships with our clients, offering them more than just legal advice and assistance; we act as their legal partner. Our thought processes go beyond legal analysis and take into account the political and social context. We understand the time pressure of the deadlines to be met and the time involved in preparing administrative decisions.
Personal Connections
We highly value personal connections and maintaining low-threshold contact. We like to keep our lines of communication short. By being in tune with each other, we can work efficiently and save costs.
Attorney at law
You can contact us for the following
When developing spatial projects or processes in respect of environmental plans, environmental permits, land exploitation, land transactions and expropriations, there is often a complex interplay between public and private parties.
We have a multidisciplinary team that masters the broad field of environmental law and other related areas, such as social housing law and housing allocation matters. Our specialists are happy to share their knowledge and act as sparring partners.
If a citizen or business fails to comply with the rules, the competent authority must take enforcement action in many cases, but as the rules and powers may be listed across various laws and regulations, this can make enforcement proceedings highly complex.
Our attorneys at law can help you understand and correctly apply the regulations regarding enforcement and can advise you on imposing penalties or administrative orders and proceeding with recovery actions.
Is the mayor authorised to impose an area ban? Is it possible to ban a football match or other event that has been identified as a security threat? Such considerations affect public order and safety of a city or region. They are often socially sensitive and can be legally complex.
Our Attorneys at law have vast experience and knowledge of public order and security rules and powers. We can advise local authorities on the most appropriate strategy and provide support in legal proceedings.
Another challenge affecting public entities is dealing with subversion, which for many municipalities, has been one of the focal points in recent years. Our specialists can advise on the application of Section 13b of the Dutch Opium Act and the Dutch Public Administration (Probity Screening) Act (Bibob), the imposition of area bans, and the drafting of emergency orders and emergency ordinances. When dealing with subversion, information gathering and sharing is key, which our privacy specialists can advise on.
Since the introduction of the Civil Servants (Standardisation of Legal Status) Act (Wnra) in the Netherlands, the legal status of civil servants has been brought more and more in line with that of employees in the private sector. Nevertheless, specific laws and regulations apply to decisions made by public entities, such as the appointment decision, dismissal decision, redeployment decision, salary decision, and disciplinary measures.
Our attorneys at law have been providing legal assistance to municipalities and other local authorities for many years, and can provide you with targeted advice on the legal status of civil servants. They know better than anyone what is going on within public entities.
Our Administrative Law Team assists a large number of businesses and local authorities in matters in respect of scarce permits, such as mooring permits, market permits, environmental permits for activities in restricted areas (formerly Wbr permits), and amusement arcade permits. We provide municipalities with relevant policies and regulations, and guide market players through application processes, and also frequently conduct litigation in respect of this matter.
