Greenberg Traurig has expanded its labor and employment practice capability in Amsterdam, hiring partner Thomas Timmermans from Norton Rose Fulbright.

Timmermans, who is set to join the firm Aug. 1, represents local and international clients on complex employment law-related matters including dismissals, restructurings, cross-border corporate law-related employment matters and labor union relationships.

“We are delighted to welcome Thomas to our Amsterdam office,” Cees van Oevelen and Thomas van der Vliet, managing partners of the firm's Amsterdam office, said in a joint statement. “The addition underscores our ambition to strategically grow our office in Amsterdam and across the firm to meet the needs of our clients.”

Timmermans told Law.com that expertise in employment law has become essential to successful dealmaking, with the failure to follow correct procedures leading to delays in transactions or companies facing unexpected pension liabilities.

“You need early involvement of an employment lawyer because the consultation procedures are becoming more and more complex,” he said.

In addition, in the EU, companies are obliged to consult with and inform works councils, bodies made up of union representatives, about layoffs and takeover plans. Timmermans said council members are trained in employment law and often have their own legal advisers.

Only 15 or 16 partners specializing in employment law currently work at international law firms in Amsterdam, Timmermans said. Greenberg Traurig was looking for someone for its international practice, and Timmermans saw it as a good opportunity — a place where he could build an employment and pension team and enhance the firm's full-service offerings. Greenberg Traurig is planning to further expand its Amsterdam office, Timmermans said.

He noted business opportunities in Amsterdam are growing for several reasons. Brexit has prompted financial institutions to consider moving operations to the city, and Amsterdam has been offering corporate tax and investment incentives for business moves.

Other firms also have been expanding in Amsterdam. Dentons' Amsterdam office has doubled in size since it merged with the Dutch firm Boekel in 2017. Eversheds, which last year merged with a Dutch firm it had been affiliated with for a decade, hired three additional partners in Amsterdam last week. Baker McKenzie, in its latest promotions round last month, added two partners in Amsterdam. And Scott+Scott, which has offices in New York, Connecticut, California and London, launched an Amsterdam office in June.

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