Clyde & Co has marked its debut in the Netherlands, merging with 17-lawyer liability and insurance boutique Stadermann Luiten Advocaten (SLA) to open an office in Rotterdam.
The office – the firm’s ninth in Europe – is the latest in a string of additions to the firm’s network, including Warsaw and Milan.
It will be led by former SLA partners Wence Rupert and Peter Knijp alongside partner Frits van der Woude, who has joined for the launch from Dutch independent Kennedy Van der Laan. The team is completed by four senior lawyers, 10 other lawyers and six support staff from SLA.
Matthew Kelsall, chief executive officer at Clyde & Co, described the launch as a “milestone” in the firm’s European expansion strategy.
“Rotterdam’s strategic location, its role as a major trading and logistics hub and the historic base of operations of both national and international insurance companies and even the (former) insurance bourse make it an ideal base for us to serve our clients in the region,” Kelsall said. “We are excited to bring our expertise to the Netherlands and look forward to building strong relationships with our clients here.”
SLA, which is based in Rotterdam, has operated for 25 years and represents domestic and international insurance companies and their insureds. The team brings expertise in professional liability, directors’ and officers’ liability, personal injury, fire and building damage, coverage disputes, policy drafting and advisory services, litigation before Dutch civil courts, arbitration cases and disciplinary tribunals, Clydes said.
The firm’s Rotterdam expansion follows it opening its first Polish office, in Warsaw, early last year after hiring a 20-strong team from Dentons. In 2023, the firm also entered the Italian market, hiring insurance and litigation partner Leonardo Giani from Simmons & Simmons to open an office in Milan.
It also continues a concerted international expansion drive that has so far this year seen the firm expand into Dallas, through a merger with local boutique Tillman Batchelor, and launch associations with Ghana’s Legal Ink and Colombian insurance firm G Herrera Abogados & Asociados.
Going the other way, over the course of last year, the firm saw more than 30 lawyers exit for rival Kennedys across Australia and in Spain.
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