Former Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and EY partner Richard Norbruis has launched an independent law firm in Amsterdam after leaving the Big Four firm last year.

Norbruis spent four years at EY after joining from Freshfields in 2014, when he became one a growing group of private practice lawyers moving over to the legal arms of the Big Four accountants.

At EY, he sat on the firm's global management committee and led its transactional law capability in Amsterdam, before which he spent almost 15 years at Freshfields, holding roles including global people partner.

His time at EY came to an end last year, and he has now teamed up with tax specialist Thijs Clement – the former managing partner of Dutch law firm Van Doorne – to launch Norbruis Clement, which opened for business this month.

Richard Norbruis

The new firm will focus on corporate, tax and litigation, but Norbruis told Legal Week that it is not aiming to compete with the magic circle, and will instead offer a more bespoke service.

He said: "We've built the new firm from scratch, based on the idea that you don't need to be a big firm to provide the types of services clients really want.

"It is not about getting the biggest clients – those guys will go to firms like Freshfields or Linklaters. Instead, we're [catering] to the needs of investors, managers, non-executive board members and entrepreneurs."

He added that while the firm was looking to recruit, it would initially remain a relatively small operation. The Amsterdam base will be the firm's sole office for the time being, but Norbruis said he is open to the possibility of opening new offices if "like-minded" lawyers in other regions wish to work with them.

Norbruis's 2014 move to EY marked a rare example of a magic circle partner joining the Big Four, although this week Deloitte has announced the hire of Allen & Overy finance partner Michael Castle to lead its UK legal arm.

Other moves from private practice to the Big Four in recent years have included EY's hires of former Berwin Leighton Paisner finance chief Matthew Kellett and Addleshaw Goddard corporate head Phillip Goodstone, while in 2017 KPMG recruited Eversheds Sutherland M&A partner Richard Lewis to lead its corporate and commercial practice.