Greenberg Traurig

Greenberg Traurig has continued the expansion of its Amsterdam office by adding two partners in its global corporate practice.

Bas Vletter has joined from Loyens & Loeff, where he chaired the firm's M&A practice and worked for 35 years. Herald Jongen comes from Allen & Overy, where he co-founded the firm's office in Amsterdam in 2000 after having worked at legacy Loeff Claeys Verbeke, which broke up that year, with some lawyers forming the firm Loyens & Loeff and others joining Allen & Overy.

Vletter's practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, equity capital markets, joint ventures and private equity. He has represented clients in the energy sector and international private equity houses in complex mergers and acquisitions.

Jongen's practice focuses on outsourcing, technology transactions, strategic relationships, and mergers and acquisitions.

Jongen said that he and Vletter, who began their careers together, were "looking for a new challenge after 30 years in our current firms".

"We were trying to find an environment in which we would be entrepreneurial and commercial, and more hands-on at the partner level. In that sense, Greenberg Traurig does things a bit differently," he said.

One of the reasons they were attracted to the firm was the way it combines a global presence with a decentralised approach to working with clients.

"As Greenberg Traurig executive chairman Rosenbaum said to us: 'Greenberg Traurig is a global firm, but its offices have strong local roots and freedom to operate locally,'" Vletter said. "That is very appealing to us."

He said he and Jongen had been attracted by a "strong growth opportunity" that the firm offered in the Dutch market.

Greenberg Traurig plans to double its headcount and revenue in the Amsterdam office within the next two to five years, Vletter said. The firm hopes to attract new lawyers by offering "a different environment" and "way of working" than other firms, including the "unique opportunity" in the Dutch market to become a partner.

"At Greenberg Traurig, it is possible to make partner even if you don't have turnover of £3 million," he said, noting that you can make partner with turnover of £1.5 million. "That's not the case at the Magic Circle firms."

In a statement, Rosenbaum noted that this is a time of disruptive change for the legal industry. "Bas and Herald represent a truly extraordinary opportunity to build a top-quality global M&A and private equity practice with the right people, at the right time and in the right place," he said.

Greenberg has expanded globally in several locations in recent months, including in Amsterdam. In July, it hired Thomas Timmermans as a partner in Amsterdam in its labour and employment practice. The firm also established an office in Milan this year by merging its operation with Santa Maria Studio Legale, a firm with which it had had a strategic alliance since 2005. And after a series of defections from its large Latin America practice, Greenberg hired Chile-born Oscar Stephens to join its Latin America practice in New York.

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Greenberg Traurig Expands in Amsterdam