Mooie rankings en quotes voor Ploum in de Legal 500 2026

Industry focus: Food: TIER 1

Ploum combines in-depth knowledge of food and feed regulatory law with expertise across customs, IP, corporate, and criminal law. The firm demonstrates extensive experience in high-profile litigation, including administrative, civil, and criminal cases involving fraud and enforcement. It also advises on technical matters like contaminants and product liability claims and regularly represents clients against the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority and the Dutch Organic Control Authority. The practice is led by Marijn van Tuijl, who handles product recalls and litigation against regulatory authorities. Van Tuijl is supported by Willem Leppink, who focuses on soft IP, and Jikke Biermasz, who handles international trade and customs law.

Testimonials

• ‘Besides being very knowledgeable about a variety of different topics, they are also very approachable.'
• 'They have a good understanding of the various dynamics that play a role in international trade, which makes their advice more practical.’
• ‘I enjoy working with Jikke Biermasz and Marijn van Tuijl. They are very knowledgeable and approachable. Their advice is always on point.’
• ‘Marijn van Tuijl knows the food sector and relevant legislation.’
• ‘I have known Marijn van Tuijl for a very long period. He is extremely knowledgeable and quick in his responses.'
• ‘Very creative, state-of-the-art team.'

Work highlights

• Successfully appealed against the decision by Netherlands organic food authority Skal to revoke the licence to operate of DFI Food Sourcing.
• Assisted five agricultural commodity trade associations in a test trial against Netherlands Food and Product Safety Authority on the legal right to notify the authorities of a potential food safety risk.

Leading partners

Marijn van Tuijl

Transport: TIER 1

Ploum boasts a ‘robust and highly capable team’ which is highly sought-after for its depth of expertise in a wide range of transportation mandates. The team is led by the trio of Jikke Biermasz, Marijn van Tuijl and Albert Wiggers. Biermasz is praised for her ’creative and hands on approach’, which is regularly deployed on customs claims, logistics mandates and road transportation lawsuits. Van Tuijl brings a wealth of shipping experience to the team and is particularly adept at handling corporate negotiations. Wiggers is noted for his capabilities in the negotiation of maritime joint ventures and commercial transportation matters.

Testimonials

• ‘Jikke Biermasz has extensive experience and works efficiently and responsively.’

Work highlights

• Representing a consortium of buyers of 260 BMW cars purchased after being offloaded from the mv Fremantle Highway, a car carrying vessel which endured a widespread fire.
• Supported Customs Support Group in multiple due diligence projects in acquisitions of customs brokering / freight forwarding businesses throughout Europe, supporting the client’s buy and build strategy.
• Representing freight forwarder Flexport International in interim relief proceedings concerning the exercise of a right of retention on dozens of shipping containers with merchandise ordered by toy retailer Intertoys.

Leading partners

Jikke Biermasz

Environment and planning: TIER 2

Environmental and administrative work is at the heart of Ploums public law group, which acts for corporates, developers, authorities, and industry bodies. The team is co-led by Alexandra Danopoulos, whose practice is devoted to conservation and nitrogen-related matters, alongside Maayke Maas-Cooymans, a trusted advisor on regulatory and compliance issues for renewable energy, LNG, ammonia, and hydrogen projects. Linda Hoeben is ‘impressively strategic’ during permitting, enforcement, and spatial planning procedures.

Testimonials

• ‘Good team, they keep agreements and are proactive.’
• ‘They are among the frontrunners in environmental law, especially in cases where the law is not clear, for instance, newly detected substances. Their collaboration with the client is excellent.’
• ‘Alexandra Danopoulos is a highly dedicated and knowledgeable partner. Her legal expertise, combined with a deep understanding of our business and the sector in which we operate, is truly outstanding.’
• ‘I’ve worked with Ploum for a while now, and what really makes them stand out is how they manage to combine the knowledge and resources of a big law firm with a genuinely personal approach.’
• ‘Working with Alexandra Danopoulos and Linda Hoeben has been an absolute pleasure. They’re not only incredibly sharp and quick during negotiations, but also impressively strategic.'
• ‘What really stood out for us was Ploum's ability to understand our business and apply this knowledge to our issues.’

Leading partners

Maayke Maas-Cooymans

Insurance: TIER 2

Ploum stands out for its role in complex insurance issues arising from environmental and industrial risks, construction disputes involving CAR and PI coverage, D&O liability matters and professional liability claims. Offering deep experience in domestic and international arbitration, Natalie Vloemans steers the group and stands out on high-stakes insurance and liability disputes, including major calamity claims, Design & Construct insurance matters and complex coverage issues. Maurice Verhoeven is a key port of call in the field of professional liability, D&O liability, shareholder disputes and Inquiry proceedings.

Testimonials

• ‘The people have a lot of knowledge, and they are easy to work with.’
• ‘The team operates like a well-oiled machine — efficient, synchronised, and highly effective in delivering results.’
• ‘Natalie Vloemans brings a strong business-oriented mindset and an exceptional depth of knowledge in her area of expertise. Her level of preparation is truly remarkable — always thorough, strategic, and several steps ahead.'
• 'Natalie Vloemans' combination of legal insight, precision, and tactical thinking makes her a formidable and highly respected professional.'

Leading partners

Natalie Vloemans

Intellectual property: trade marks, copyrights and design rights: TIER 2

Ploum is valued for its ability to deliver ‘convincing solutions even in the most complex cases’ relating to trademark, design, and copyright matters. The team handles IP disputes across diverse sectors, including consumer products, technology, luxury, and regulated industries. Leading the department is Sabin Tigu, who focuses on project-driven IP litigation, including customs and parallel trade enforcement; and Willem Leppink, who brings deep knowhow in soft IP as well as anti-counterfeiting and parallel trade strategies. Paul Trapman is a further key team member.

Testimonials

• 'The practice has strength in depth, they are experts in their area and provide excellent client service.'
• ‘Willem Lepink and Sabin Tigu are both very responsive, technically excellent and provide excellent service. Paul Trapman is clearly up and coming, technically excellent and has a nice manner.’
• ‘As a truly Dutch law firm, Ploum has an excellent local (and also international) network with outstanding market knowledge. Our collaboration with their office in Rotterdam has been excellent, rapid and highly professional.'
• ‘For years, our contact persons have been Willem Leppink and the equally excellent partner Sabin Tigu. We greatly appreciate their enormous commitment and goal.'
• 'A young and growing team in Rotterdam, strong on advertising law and parallel trade. Easy to work with and very responsive.'
• ‘Willem Leppink stands out in the team; he is both pleasant and effective. A leading figure in the advertising law space. Paul Trapman is up and coming.'

Work highlights

• Organising and coordinating Western Digital and SanDisk’s pan-European efforts against counterfeiting and parallel trade across online marketplaces.
• Assisting Coty, a global beauty company, in close cooperation with other counsel in Europe, in its fight against parallel trade, counterfeiting and other unauthorised use of Coty’s trademarks.
• Assisting LVMH with its day-to-day customs enforcement against counterfeit perfumes and cosmetic products, as well as counterfeit leather & fashion goods with brands including Christian Dior, Celine, Guerlain, Givenchy, Kenzo, and Sephora.

Leading partners

Willem Leppink

Construction: TIER 3

Ploum centres its construction practice around international construction law, renewable energy projects and procurement law issues. Building off its longstanding expertise in negotiating FIDIC contracts, the team is well-versed in representing clients in construction arbitration disputes involving FIDIC issues. Construction specialist Jacob Henriquez spearheads the practice and pairs an engagement in large-scale FIDIC projects with expertise in handling construction disputes. Tjinta Terlien also assists clients with construction and procurement law issues.

Testimonials

• ‘The team is dedicated and committed to the case on hand.’
• ‘A competent, experienced team covering a full range of services from litigation, alternative dispute resolution to general legal services.’
• ‘Jacob Henriquez is very pragmatic and client-oriented.’
• ‘Ploum is unique for combining broad expertise with a pragmatic, business-focused approach.’
• ‘Tjinta Terlien stands out for her sharp legal insight and pragmatic approach. She has the rare ability to translate complex legal matters into clear, practical solutions that truly serve the client’s interests. I valued her strategic mindset and strong communication skills.'
• 'Sophie Cairo distinguishes herself through her curiosity, enthusiasm, and perseverance.’

Work highlights

• Advised Hitachi Energy on various renewable energy projects in the Netherlands.
• Represented Aluchemie in matters relating to the decommissioning of their entire production site in the Netherlands.
• Advised Mineralz Maasvlakte on construction and coordination agreement for their new landfill site to responsibly and permanently store both non-hazardous and hazardous waste.

Leading Partners

Jacob Henriquez

Employment: TIER 3

Ploum fields a Rotterdam-based employment and incentives group which focuses on co-determination and works council mandates. The team is also adept at handling employment litigation, dismissals and restructurings. Practice heads Rutger Ploum and Simon Tan both handle contentious and non-contentious employment matters such as conflicts between companies and work councils or unions, collective labour disputes and termination cases. Daniël van Gerven co-chairs the team and has an emphasis on co-determination matters and cross-border M&A.

Testimonials

• ‘Daniël van Gerven is a knowledgeable and hands-on partner.’
• ‘Very strong team throughout the ranks. Great partner involvement, always on the ball. Able to overcome all hurdles with a counterparty, very pleasant to work with. Provides strong support, over and over again. Really committed.’
• ‘Simon Tan really stands out. Fantastic service level and client responsiveness. Exceptional lawyer, client-driven. Simon connects the dots very easily. Very pleasant to work with. Fantastic lawyer who is always there to help out. Simon always remain calm, friendly and reliable, even in the storm. He is the kind of lawyer that each client would like to work with!’

Leading partners

Rutger Ploum

Next Generation Partners

Daniël van Gerven

Data privacy and data protection: TIER 4

Dispute resolution: Commercial litigation: TIER 5

Ploum‘s dispute resolution practice handles contractual disputes, corporate litigation, insurance disputes and insolvency cases. It is also active on contentious regulatory and environmental cases, representing both domestic and international clients. Maurice Verhoeven leads the practice and focuses on liability issues, shareholder disputes and inquiry proceedings before the Enterprise Chamber. Insurance and liability-related disputes are also handled by Natalie Vloemans.

Testimonials

• ‘The team is alert, open to cooperation and it was a pleasure to cooperate with them.’
• ‘Natalie Vloemans is very keen and alert, able to discuss legal matters without pre-fixed opinions.’
• ‘The Ploum lawyers are very pleasant people to work with, easily accessible and great collaborators. They bring different expertise to the table, while working as one team.'
• ‘The biggest differentiator of this is firm is its easy and collaborative way of working together.’
• ‘The teamwork stands out when it really matters.’
• ‘Each individual is seriously concerned about our matters. Also they take immediate actions on feedback to elevate their knowledge.'

Work highlights

• Assisted Nationale Energie Vergelijker B.V. with a multimillion commercial dispute with Total Energies Power & Gas Nederland B.V. and Total Holdings Nederland B.V..
• Represented Chemours and DuPont in defending the companies against C8 and GenX exposure claims following similar US litigation.
• Represented TUI in a case where an environmental organisation (Reclame Fossielvrij) seeks to ban an advertisement by TUI.

Practice head

Maurice Verhoeven

Commercial, corporate and M&A: TIER 6

Albert Wiggers, Nick Hessels and Tom Ensink head the team at Ploum, which ‘brings a wonderful blend of legal precision and commercial instinct to every transaction’. Wiggers focuses on maritime transactions, while Hessels is adept at handling share sales and majority stake acquisitions. Ensink is a ’very thorough lawyer’ and is noted for his expertise in manufacturing deals.

Testimonials

• ‘‘Stephan Sluijters is always ahead of the game and available. Great sparring partner in M&A strategies and seamless execution of transaction documentation. Pragamatic when possible, strict when needed. ’
• 'They were excellent at handling a very difficult client’.
• ‘Ploum’s commercial, corporate and M&A team brings a wonderful blend of legal precision and commercial instinct to every transaction.'
• 'Their deep understanding of the corporate and commercial dynamics, and deal mechanics, combined with a pragmatic, solution-driven mindset, makes them a standout partner in the Dutch market.'
• 'Stephan Sluijters offers a wonderful combination of profound legal insight, strategic finesse, and composed leadership.
• 'Their collaborative approach and ability to simplify complexity consistently lead to smooth, timely closings and long-term value creation.’

Leading partners

Albert Wiggers