Marnix Holtzer is a specialist in corporate governance and corporate litigation. 

He has been involved in litigation in many high-profile corporate inquiry proceedings (enquêteprocedures), focussing on corporate governance issues. He is a well-respected boardroom advisor and active as counsel in class actions, often on the defense side.

Marnix got his PhD at the University of Groningen on his doctoral thesis “The influence of employees on company strategy.”

Marnix has been appointed by the ministry of Economic Affairs as member of the Monitoring Committee of the Dutch Corporate Governance Code, which oversees good governance for listed multinational companies in the Netherlands.

Elise Troll is a partner at bureau Brandeis and heads the Privacy & AI Practice Group.

A significant part of her practice focuses on advisory work, litigation and enforcement proceedings before the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens), including matters relating to the processing of personal data in sensitive and highly regulated contexts.

• Elise regularly advises on GDPR-related issues such as international data transfers and automated decision-making. She also assists clients in relation to algorithms and AI.

• She frequently represents clients in litigation, for example in matters concerning cookies, criminal law data and data subject rights. She is also involved in various mass damage claims.

• Elise often assists clients facing enforcement action by the Dutch Data Protection Authority and supports them in permit application procedures for the processing of criminal law data, including in the context of blacklisting.

She acts for both national and international clients and moves seamlessly between advisory work, litigation and strategic positioning.

Elise studied Dutch law at Leiden University, where she completed her Master’s degree in European Law in 2012.

She began her career in late 2012 at Allen & Overy (now A&O Shearman). From 2014 onwards, she focused on competition law, general administrative law and privacy law. In 2018, around the time of the introduction of the GDPR, she worked for several months at Allen & Overy’s London headquarters, supporting the firm’s privacy practice. At the end of 2018, she joined the privacy team at Kennedy Van der Laan, where she was seconded for several months to Schiphol Airport and later to Ahold Delhaize. In 2023, she was appointed counsel. Since 2026, she has been a partner at bureau Brandeis.

Recent work includes:

• Representing a major Dutch company in an enforcement procedure before the Dutch Data Protection Authority, which concluded with the case being closed without sanctions.

• Successfully defending a fintech company against an individual complaint before the Dutch Data Protection Authority, which was ultimately declared unfounded.

• Assisting multiple clients in relation to access and erasure requests under the GDPR. In a recent court case, she successfully argued that a restriction of the right of access was justified in the circumstances.

• Acting on behalf of the Dutch government in contract negotiations with major US cloud service providers on multiple occasions.

Memberships:

• Dutch Association for Privacy Law (VPR)

Elise is affiliated as a lecturer with the VPR-A postgraduate specialisation programme for lawyers at Leiden University, where she teaches privacy law and the Dutch Act on the Collective Settlement of Mass Damage Claims (WAMCA).

Testimonials

Legal 500 (2024):
“Elise Troll is definitely on the rise. She is super smart, always available, very practical, comes with creative and out-of-the-box solutions and is fun to work with. She is strong on both content and relationship.”

Partner – Criminal Law, Victims’ Rights, Family Law, Juvenile Law & Financial and Economic Criminal Law

Mr Richard Korver is one of the most experienced and leading trial lawyers in the Netherlands. He is known for his tenacity in complex and socially charged cases and combines legal acumen with dedicated commitment to the cases within his practice. Richard acts for both victims and suspects and often operates at the intersection of criminal and civil law. As of 1 October 2025, he will be a partner at Brandeis.

Expertise

He assists companies, directors and professionals in investigations and proceedings concerning, among other things, fraud, corruption, money laundering, reputation, market and competition issues with and/or a criminal component, confiscation cases and disciplinary law.

He also plays a prominent role in victim and sexual offence cases. He assists victims in criminal proceedings and civil proceedings for compensation, and has represented clients in some of the most high-profile cases of recent years. His work has made an important contribution to the professionalisation of victim support in the Netherlands.

Clients appreciate his strategic vision, his persuasiveness in court and his ability to handle media and politically sensitive cases in a level-headed and goal-oriented manner.

Experience

• Acting in complex and (international) cases;

• Litigation experience in all phases: from preliminary investigation to appeal and cassation;

• Regularly asked as an expert in the media on criminal and

victim law;

• Author of the book Recht van Spreken (Right to Speak) and the book Dichtbij Huis (Close to Home).

Additional positions & memberships

Chair of the LANGZS Foundation (National Lawyers Network for Victims of Violence and Sexual Abuse)

Vice-chairman of VOCAL (the international representation of victims’ rights within Europe)

Chair & senior trainer of The-Act (advocacy and communication skills for professionals) Ambassador of the Lots Foundation and Leergeld Amsterdam.

Education & Lectures

Richard is a much sought-after guest speaker and acts as a lecturer and trainer. He gives lectures

and talks at various universities, the IVJO and the Forensic Nursing programme, among others.

Eric Meijer van Gelderen is a partner at Brandeis in the Commercial & Financial Services litigation practice group.

Eric’s practice focuses on commercial disputes between companies, with a strong emphasis on complex disputes in the financial sector, including disputes concerning contracts, financial products and insurance in the broadest sense. He advises and litigates on matters such as liability claims, duty of care (claims) and insurance law, and acts in class actions concerning (among other things) financial products.

Eric has approximately 25 years of experience in litigation before the courts and the Kifid. However, Eric never loses sight of the fact that an amicable settlement is often preferable, especially if the parties wish to continue working together. Eric completed his three law degrees (Dutch law, corporate law and notarial law) at VU University Amsterdam in 1996, all three with honours.

He then obtained an LL.M. from Harvard Law School, also cum laude, and subsequently worked there for another year as a visiting researcher.

Eric then worked for eight years in the commercial and financial litigation practice(s) of De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek. He then moved to Rabobank (head office), where he worked for eight years as an in-house solicitor in the financial litigation practice. As head of business litigation at Rabobank, Eric handled many contractual disputes, liability claims and duty of care claims by and against companies, including those relating to financing, (complex) investment products, insurance, fraud (including bank helpdesk fraud, boiler room fraud, termination of customer relationships) and special management cases. Eric has also worked on individual and collective actions concerning (among other things) interest rate derivatives and manipulation of Libor and Euribor rates. Eric also led projects within the bank, supervising many internal and external lawyers. At Rabobank, Eric learned a great deal about dealing with internal and external stakeholders (such as the AFM, DNB, media), where there are many major interests at stake and a good strategy is important.

After Rabobank, Eric continued as an independent entrepreneur (self-employed). His (law) practice then also focused on advising and litigating on (complex) commercial/financial disputes in a broad sense. Eric has worked at Baker McKenzie, Hoyng Rokh Monegier, Norton Rose Fulbright, ABN AMRO Bank and Van Traa Advocaten. Recently, he has also handled collective actions concerning cartel damage (WAMCA cases) at an American law firm.

Memberships

Eric is a member of:

– VEMCA – Association for Mass Damage and Collective Action

– VVMA – Association for Mass Damage Lawyers.

Wesley Vader is a partner at bureau Brandeis in the Corporate & Commercial litigation practice group.

Wesley’s practice focuses on resolution of corporate and commercial disputes. He advises and litigates on, inter alia, (civil) fraud cases, (directors’) liability, shareholder disputes and also contractual disputes. Wesley is also involved in various class actions, in particular mass tort litigation.

Wesley completed his studies in Dutch law at the University of Groningen in 2007. During his studies, he also studied in Canada at the University of Western Ontario. In 2013, Wesley graduated cum laude from the postgraduate specialization course in Business and Liability at the Grotius Academy.

Wesley has been an attorney since 2007. At that time, he joined the firm now called Eversheds Sutherland. From 2010, Wesley worked in Lexence’s Litigation practice and in 2019 he joined bureau Brandeis, where he became partner in 2023.

Recent work:

• Wesley is involved in several class actions. For instance, he acts as claimant counsel in five class actions in the diesel scandal against conglomerates of car manufacturers, including Volkswagen, Mercedes, Fiat, Renault, Peugeot and Opel, among others.
• Wesley acts in multiple fraud-related matters. For example, he litigates in civil proceedings concerning the misappropriation of confidential corporate information, misappropriation of funds by directors or employees, but also assists clients who join criminal proceedings as aggrieved parties and claim compensation for damages resulting from fraud.
• Wesley assists directors in civil law (liability) proceedings.
• Wesley assists parties in inquiry proceedings before the Enterprise Chamber of the Court of Appeal in Amsterdam.
• Wesley acts in disputes concerning unlawful competition.
• Wesley handles commercial disputes and litigates on matters, for example, relating the interpretation of contracts.
• Wesley has extensive experience in (prejudgment) attachments (a. on evidence), exhibition claims and enforcement disputes.

Memberships:

• Association for Corporate Litigation
• Dutch Association for Procedural Law
• Association for Mass Damage Lawyers

Wesley regularly gives (in-house) courses on, among other things, directors’ liability and preventing and combating fraud. He also publishes with some regularity, including in the Tijdschrift voor de Ondernemingsrecht Praktijk (TOP), the Monthly Magazine for Business Law (MvO), Financing & Enterprise (O&F) and annotates case law, such as in JBPr.

Publications:

• Duty of care in corporate law practice in TOP 2014/583.
• Fraud in corporate law practice: thresholds in taking recourse in TOP 2016/346.
• Profiting from fraud: the sliding scale from unlawful to unjustified in TOP 2018/482.
• Liability for frivolous inquiry request in MvO 2023, issues 1&2.
• Annotation in JBPr under the judgment of the District Court of The Hague of 20 September 2023 in the collective action against Airbus cs (JBPr 2024/18, ECLI:RBDHA:2023:14036).
• How much control may an external funder have over an advocacy collective action? in O&F 2024-1, pp. 31-46.

Testimonials:

Legal 500 (2024):

• ‘Wesley Vader is an outstanding lawyer with an exceptional knowledge of Dutch civil procedural law. He is someone who immediately understands the needs of his clients.’

Legal 500 (2023):

• ‘Louis Berger is a seasoned and knowledgeable lawyer and great to work with. Frank Peters and Wesley Vader stand out.’
• ‘Wesley Vader is an excellent litigator. Very energetic and on the ball. We work together seamlessly.’
• ‘Senior associate Wesley Vader has an outstanding knowledge of Dutch civil procedural law.’

Bas is Co-Managing Partner at bureau Brandeis and heads the EU Competition & Regulated Markets team. Bas has over 25 years of experience in the field of (European) competition law and is regarded as one of the leading lawyers in this field. He is a respected specialist in regulated sectors, particularly in the areas of digital markets, media & telecoms, sport, post & parcels, and aviation. Bas advises companies and their management teams in both civil proceedings and investigations conducted by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), the European Commission and the Dutch Investment Screening Bureau (BTI). He has represented clients in numerous (both administrative and civil) proceedings relating to competition law, consumer law and economic regulation, before both Dutch and European courts.

Bas defends companies in cases involving (alleged) cartels and dawn raids, and advises and litigates on an almost daily basis regarding the Dutch Vifo Act (foreign direct investments), the Digital Markets Act (DMA), consumer law, forms of cooperation, distribution agreements, state aid and a wide range of regulatory issues relating to access, tariffs and administrative enforcement. Bas is involved in several major class actions and is involved in various follow-on competition cases (cartel damages cases), including in the financial and tech sectors.

Bas is regarded as a trusted adviser and often acts as ‘counsel’s counsel’ on specific (European) competition law issues, for example in the context of acquisitions and joint ventures or civil proceedings.

Bas studied in Leiden, Paris and London and was admitted to the Dutch bar in 2001. Prior to joining bureau Brandeis, Bas worked at Allen & Overy (Amsterdam and Brussels) for many years and was one of the co-founders of a niche firm specialising in competition law. Bas has authored numerous publications and lectures regularly. For many years, Bas has been recommended by prestigious legal guides such as Legal 500 (Leading Partner) and Chambers & Partners (Tier 2) for his expertise in European competition law and regulated sectors. In 2018, 2021 and 2025, Bas won a Client Choice Award in the Competition category for “excellence in client service”.

Legal guides write the following about Bas:

• “Bas Braeken is an outstanding lawyer.”
• “Sharp, strategic, and deeply knowledgeable in competition and regulatory law.”
• “Bas Braeken consistently demonstrates exceptional legal acumen, strategic foresight, and a deep understanding of the regulatory landscape in the Netherlands and EU.”
• “His ability to distill complex issues into actionable advice is invaluable, especially in high-stakes environments where clarity and precision are paramount.”
• “His ability to translate legal frameworks into clear strategic advice makes him a highly trusted adviser for our organisation.”
• “He is a good lawyer in terms of being knowledgeable about the law and how to apply it for his clients.”

Relevant experience:

• Representing skaters Mark Tuitert, Niels Kerstholt and sports trade union EU Athletes as third parties in the (appeal) proceedings before the EU courts against the European Commission’s decision on the admission rules and CAS arbitration mechanism of the International Skating Union (ISU), which led to a landmark judgment of the Court of Justice establishing that the ISU’s rules constitute an abuse of ISU’s dominant position and that the arbitration mechanism undermines the effectiveness of competition law.
• Representing Stichting Consumer Justice in (partly follow-on) WAMCA proceedings against Apple for breaches of competition law on the App Store, following a pivotal judgment by the Court of Justice on the relative jurisdiction of the Amsterdam District Court in mass claims for damages.
• Representing TicketSwap in an appeal against the ACM’s decision to make Ticketmaster’s commitments regarding secondary sales on the TicketSwap platform binding.
• Representing Vierhouten Pallets and de With Pallets in securing unconditional approval for their acquisition by Foresco, in which the ‘serial acquisitions’ theory of harm was examined by the ACM for the first time.
• Representing Stichting Consumer Justice in extensive WAMCA proceedings against various energy suppliers concerning an unreasonable amendment clause.
• Representation of various parties in major follow-on competition proceedings, including Stichting FX Claims in a follow-on cartel damages claim arising from the Forex cartel, and Stichting CSS Claims in a damages claim following Google’s abuse of a dominant position on Google Shopping.
• Successfully represented three online travel agencies in a consumer case in which the Rotterdam District Court, for the first time, deemed the practice of dynamic or fluid pricing to be permissible. The ruling led to the ACM withdrawing its previous decisions imposing periodic penalty payments.
• Successfully represented Youfone in its acquisition by KPN, which, despite initial competition law concerns raised by the ACM, was unconditionally approved following a lengthy authorisation process.
• Successful defence of Joh. Enschedé Amsterdam in an antitrust case, in which the appeal proceedings ultimately led to a reduction in the fine from the original €2 million to €10,000.
• Representing Pro Agent, an organisation for the interests of football agents, in civil interim proceedings against FIFA and the KNVB concerning new rules governing the profession of football agent.
• Successful representation of a clothing company in relation to alleged misleading sustainability claims; the case was settled with a commitment decision and no fine was imposed.
• Representing TUI Airlines in appeal proceedings before the ACM concerning the reasonableness of fare increases implemented by Schiphol.
• Successful representation of an online travel agent in a consumer case concerning the provision of unsolicited services, in which the ACM imposed a symbolic fine of €1,000 for the first time.
• Assisting various tech companies, often scale-ups, in obtaining Vifo approval from the Investment Screening Bureau (whether following the provision of (informal) commitments).
• Various preliminary ruling proceedings before the Court of Justice concerning the interpretation of Article 101 TFEU (the prohibition of cartels), the role of European recommendations in the telecoms sector, and tariff regulation in the postal sector.
• Competition law support in various complex merger cases, both before the European Commission and the ACM, and on behalf of both merging parties and complainants. Bas has played an active role in complex (often second-phase) merger cases, such as Booking/eTraveli, Sunweb/Corendon, PostNL/Sandd, Vodafone/Ziggo, Ziggo/Liberty, T-Mobile/Tele2, KLM/Martinair, Holland Pharma/FACO and KPN/Tiscali.
• Successfully represented Eredivisie Media & Marketing (Fox Sports) as a third party in an appeal brought by KPN and CAIW following a decision by the ACM regarding the broadcasting of Eredivisie football matches.
• Successfully represented RadioCorp, owner of SLAM! and 100% NL, and co-owner of One Media Sales, in an investigation by the ACM into the abuse of a dominant position in the radio advertising market.
• Extensive litigation experience in both European and Dutch antitrust cases, including procedural aspects such as the ACM’s investigative powers, the Digital Procedure, and proceedings relating to the publication of fine decisions in both consumer and competition law

Bas earns at least ten professional development points each year in the field of competition law, in accordance with the standards of the Netherlands Bar Association.

Machteld Robichon is partner at bureau Brandeis. She assists parties in disputes with regulators such as the Dutch Media Authority, the Dutch Gaming Authority, the  Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets and the Dutch Data Protection Authority. These often concern strategic cases that include public policy, such as the modernization of the Dutch Gaming Act and the admission of new operators.

In addition to her many years of experience in litigating in administrative law, Machteld provides practical advice on regulation in the media, telecom and gaming sectors.

Previously, Machteld worked with SOLV and Kennedy van der Laan.

Machteld Robichon’s recent work:

• Various (enforcement) proceedings for providers with the Dutch Media Authority, the Netherlands Gambling Authority and the Netherlands Authority for the Consumer & Market or relevant Ministers regarding compliance with legislation:
  • Proceedings on fines resulting in the prevention or reduction of fines.
  • Advising providers on information and regulatory demands from law enforcement or regulators.
  • Successful appeal against order under penalty of the Netherlands Consumer & Market Authority on compliance with the e-Commerce Directive. The court annulled the order and ruled that Netflix’s LiveChat is an effective means of contact and that Netflix is not required to publish an email address.
  • Successful ruling by the Council of State, which held that the promotion ban in the (former) Gaming Act did not apply to payment service providers.
• Various proceedings for Talpa Radio on allocation and renewal of frequency licenses.
• Advising on the content of collaborations between public media organizations within the Media Act and possible notification to the Media Authority.
• Successful assistance in obtaining licenses for online gambling with the Netherlands Gambling Authority.
• Successful appeal with the Amsterdam District Court against rejection of charity lottery application. This resulted in the opening of the lottery market to new entrants.
• Advice and proceedings concerning installation of fiber optic networks and issues under Chapter 5 Telecommunications Act, including preliminary reference: proceedings on fees for installation of networks. The CJEU ruled that fees must be assessed under the Authorization Directive.
• Requests and proceedings under the Open Government Act. Among other things, our team secured in court that a provider’s confidential business plans were not released to competitors.

Ranked Chambers

• “Machteld is responsive and capable of thinking outside of the box.”
• “Machteld has a keen eye and a sharp pen, and she does not give up easily.”
• “Machteld Robichon frequently assists clients from the media sector with advertising, broadcasting and media regulatory matters. Clients appreciate Robichon’s tenacity and think “she is very good in court”.”

Ranked in Legal 500

• “We regularly work with Machteld Robichon, who is a pleasant and very intelligent person, both socially and in terms of content. She has enormous knowledge of the subject, is fast and customer focused, being able to transfer her knowledge quickly and in a simple manner to the client. She has a strong sense for political sensitivities and is able to combine this with her legal knowledge in spot on strategic advice.”
• “Machteld Robichon has a unique knowledge of gaming and media law especially and law enforcement issues. She is straight forward, honest and has integrity.”
• “They are leading in the gambling law field and have successfully advised and supported new entrant firms in litigation against the state and during licensing processes. They are pro-active and business minded and do not think in limitations but in solutions.”
  “Machteld Robichon listens very well and is able to transform the story of the client into a viable legal strategy. She follows through and does not give up, even in dire situations.”
• “bureau Brandeis consists of highly qualified lawyers, who provide high-level services and advice. There is not a single person in the firm, whom we have worked with, who we would not want to work with again. They are intelligent, social, and very pleasant people to work with. They do not only have excellent legal knowledge, they also know how to combine this with up-to-date knowledge of developments, leading to to-the-point services and advice. They are also highly qualified when it comes to publications and educational services.”

Christiaan A. Alberdingk Thijm is a partner at bureau Brandeis. With his clients, he has been creating landmark case law since 1998, often on the interaction between new technologies and the law. Few can match his experience in complex litigation with high stakes in information law.

Alberdingk Thijm is considered an expert on free speech, privacy and reputation management. He is regularly asked to fight or defend a publication in summary proceedings.

His experience in the field of (digital) copyright law is unrivaled. Especially when it comes to the duties of care of Internet platforms such as Facebook and Google, companies that he has often battled with in court. The complexity of the cases he handles has brought him to the European Court of Justice many times.

Clients describe him as “incredibly knowledgeable” and “the definition of calm”. His legal peers say he is “difficult to outsmart” and “able to handle the most difficult cases, because he masters both technology and law”. The quotes are from Chambers, the authoritative guide that has ranked him more than 15 years.

As a member of the committee to review the disciplinary rules for lawyers, he helped write the current code of conduct for lawyers.

In addition to his work as an attorney, Alberdingk Thijm is a senior lecturer at the internationally renowned Institute for Information Law at the University of Amsterdam. His academic publications appear regularly. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the law faculty.

Christiaan is also a novelist. His novel “The Trial of the Century” was published in 2011 and is a classic among lawyers. In 2021, “The Family Watchman” was published and is currently running its fourth edition.

Freedom of speech, privacy and reputation management

Alberdingk Thijm knows both sides of press cases. Challenging cases, often conducted under high time pressure. He regularly represents companies and individuals whose honor and reputation have been affected. For example, the Dutch Financial Times had to rectify on its front page after successful proceedings. He is the go to lawyer of the business glossy Quote, published by Hearst, for whom he often defends publications.

Copyright

As a lawyer, Alberdingk Thijm pleaded in a large number of cases that have become part of the regular teaching of the intellectual property profession. Cases that have been fought all the way to the Supreme Court or even the European Court of Justice. Examples are the cases on digital exhaustion, (Tom Kabinet), hyperlinking (GS Media), cable transmission (NLKabel), home copying (Norma) and e-lending (VOB).

Intermediary liability

Alberdingk Thijm has conducted unprecedented proceedings on the duty of care of online platforms and internet intermediaries. This involves the question of what measures platforms must take to protect the rights of third parties. He litigated for over ten years for KPN and XS4all against the anti-piracy organization Brein about the blocking of The Pirate Bay, via the Supreme Court to the European Court of Justice and back again to the Supreme Court. He assisted Marktplaats in a landmark case against Stokke. For Tommy Hilfiger, he successfully sued Facebook on several occasions.

Class actions

Alberdingk Thijm has unique expertise and experience in class actions. He has a long track record as counsel to claim vehicles and assisting funders in class actions. He was the first to litigate GDPR claims under the WAMCA, the new Dutch regime for collective redress introduced in 2020. Currently, he acts against Oracle and Salesfore on behalf of The Privacy Colllective and against TikTok on behalf of the foundation Massaschade & Consument.