Dutch Law Firm for International Businesses

Q: In which languages can I work with MAAK Advocaten?

Dutch, English and German. Contracts, correspondence, meetings and court submissions can all be handled in the language that best suits the client and the matter. For English-language proceedings we regularly represent clients before the Netherlands Commercial Court in Amsterdam.

Q: How are fees structured at MAAK Advocaten?

Fees are always agreed up front. Depending on the matter we work on a fixed fee, an hourly rate, or a hybrid arrangement. There are no hidden costs and no surprise line items. For new clients an initial call to discuss the matter and the fee approach is at no charge.

MAAK Advocaten is an independent Dutch law firm in Amsterdam that advises international businesses on commercial contracts, EU product compliance and commercial litigation under Dutch law. We serve the manufacturing supply chain, suppliers, producers, importers, distributors and their commercial counterparties, with direct access to the specialist handling your file.

International companies working with Dutch counterparts, selling into the EU through the Netherlands, or setting up Dutch operations, face a legal system that differs in meaningful ways from common law jurisdictions. Contract formation and interpretation follow the Dutch Civil Code and the Haviltex standard, product regulation is driven by EU directives and regulations, and commercial disputes run through written procedure before Dutch courts. MAAK Advocaten bridges that gap: practical guidance grounded in Dutch law, delivered directly to business decision-makers in English, German or Dutch. The firm also operates an English-language website at maak-law.com and the Dutch-language site maakadvocaten.nl.

Our work focuses on six integrated areas where our clients need certainty: product and supply chain compliance, market access (international compliance for the EU, US/FDA, UK/UKCA and other markets), regulatory litigation, commercial contracts and ESG, commercial litigation and disputes, and logistics, industry and trade. We do not try to be a full-service firm. We serve the manufacturing industry and its trading partners, and everything we do is shaped by that focus.

A specialist firm for the manufacturing industry and cross-border trade

MAAK Advocaten was founded to serve the maakindustrie, the manufacturing sector, and the international businesses that buy from, sell to or partner with Dutch producers. That specialisation is the firm's reason for existing, not a marketing line.

Manufacturers, importers, distributors and commercial agents each face their own set of legal questions: who bears liability when a product fails in the field, how to draft a distribution agreement that survives termination, how to respond to a market surveillance authority asking for technical documentation, or how to collect an unpaid invoice from a counterparty abroad. These are recurring patterns in our practice, not isolated matters, which is why we can move quickly and give commercially realistic advice from the first call.

The firm's client base is deliberately international. A substantial share of our work involves cross-border contracts, choice-of-law questions, international sale of goods under the CISG, and enforcement of Dutch judgments in other jurisdictions. For many foreign clients, MAAK Advocaten is the firm they turn to whenever the Netherlands appears in a contract, a dispute, or a supply chain.

Commercial contracts under Dutch law

Contract law is the backbone of our practice. We draft, negotiate, review and enforce commercial agreements under Dutch law, from the framework distribution agreement that will govern a ten-year trading relationship to the one-off purchase order that needs to close before the week is out.

Dutch contract law offers parties considerable freedom to structure their agreements, but it also imposes mandatory rules and an overarching duty of reasonableness and fairness (redelijkheid en billijkheid) that can override literal contractual language. Getting the drafting right at the outset is therefore not a formality, it is the single most effective way to manage commercial risk.

The agreements we see most often in our practice include:

Distribution, agency and franchise agreements (including commercial agent goodwill claims under articles 7:428 et seq. of the Dutch Civil Code)
International sale of goods contracts, Incoterms questions and CISG application
General terms and conditions, drafting, contesting and battle-of-forms situations under articles 6:231–6:247 of the Dutch Civil Code
Manufacturing, supply and quality agreements across the supply chain
Licensing and technology transfer agreements
Settlement agreements and letters of intent

When a contract is already in place and something has gone wrong, late delivery, defective goods, unpaid invoices, an unexpected termination, we assess the position quickly and advise whether to suspend performance, serve a default notice, claim damages, rescind the contract, or negotiate. Each of those routes has its own procedural and substantive requirements under Dutch law, and picking the wrong one can be costly.

(EU) product compliance from the Netherlands

MAAK Advocaten is one of the few Dutch law firms with a dedicated EU product compliance practice serving manufacturers, importers and distributors across the entire supply chain. This is the area where our specialisation is most visible.

Placing a product on the EU market triggers a web of obligations: CE marking, harmonised standards, technical documentation, declarations of conformity, post-market surveillance, recall procedures, and allocation of responsibility among economic operators under regulations such as the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), the Machinery Regulation, the Low Voltage Directive, the EMC Directive, the Radio Equipment Directive, and sector-specific frameworks. We advise on each of these, and on the liability consequences when something goes wrong.

Typical product compliance questions in our practice include pre-market regulatory review of new products, allocation of obligations between manufacturer and importer under contract, response to enforcement actions by the Dutch authority for product safety (NVWA), voluntary and mandatory recalls, and defence in product liability proceedings brought under the Product Liability Directive and Dutch tort law.

Commercial litigation and arbitration in the Netherlands

When a dispute becomes unavoidable, we represent clients before Dutch courts, the Netherlands Commercial Court (proceedings in English), and in arbitration under NAI, ICC and UNCITRAL rules. Our litigation practice is built around commercial contracts, product liability and international trade disputes.

The Netherlands offers two instruments that are particularly valuable for creditors and claimants: pre-judgment attachment (conservatoir beslag), which allows a party to freeze a counterparty's Dutch assets on short notice without prior warning, and summary proceedings (kort geding), which can deliver an enforceable first-instance judgment within a matter of weeks. We use both regularly and pragmatically, often the threat of attachment resolves a dispute before formal proceedings even begin.

Full merits litigation in the Netherlands follows a predominantly written procedure. Cases typically run 12 to 18 months at first instance, with a modest filing fee and a modified "loser pays" regime in which the winning party recovers part, but not all, of its legal costs. We discuss costs, timelines and realistic outcomes with clients before proceedings start, so that the litigation strategy aligns with commercial objectives rather than taking on a life of its own.

How we work

MAAK Advocaten was built around three principles that matter to international clients: direct access to the specialist handling the file, working languages that match the client's preference, and transparent fees agreed in advance.

There are no intermediating layers between client and specialist. When you call, you speak with the attorney doing the work, not a relationship manager, not a junior taking notes to brief someone else. For international clients in different time zones this matters: decisions are made faster, context does not get lost in translation, and commercial urgency translates into legal action on the same day.

Our working languages are Dutch, English and German. Contracts, court submissions, correspondence, calls and meetings can all be handled in the language that suits the client and the matter best. For English-language proceedings we regularly appear before the Netherlands Commercial Court.

Fees are agreed up front. We work on fixed fees for defined projects, hourly rates for open-ended matters, and hybrid arrangements where that makes commercial sense. There are no surprise line items and no hidden costs.

Contact MAAK Advocaten

If your business is considering Dutch law in a contract, facing a dispute that may involve Dutch parties, placing products on the EU market through the Netherlands, or simply looking for a Dutch law firm that understands how international businesses operate, we are happy to have an initial conversation at no cost.

Call +31 20 210 31 38, email mail@maakadvocaten.nl, or visit our contact page. MAAK Advocaten is based at Kraanspoor 34, 1033 SE Amsterdam, and works with clients across the Netherlands, the European Union and worldwide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of clients does MAAK Advocaten typically work with?

MAAK Advocaten works primarily with international businesses active in the manufacturing supply chain: producers, suppliers, importers, distributors, commercial agents and their trading partners. Clients range from family-owned manufacturers to multinational groups, and come to us when they need Dutch law expertise on commercial contracts, EU product compliance or commercial disputes.