Marnix Leijten is managing partner at prestigious Dutch firm De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek. Ahead of the Global Independent Law Firms Forum 2021 event in November, he speaks to Law.com International about a 'difficult' pandemic for the firm and its young lawyers, ESG, referral relationships, the Big Four, legal tech and more. 


As we come out of the pandemic era, how well do you feel independent law firms are positioned compared with international rivals to deal with the new business environment?

This pandemic, and the way out of it, poses unique challenges as it is a global occurrence with a distinctly local impact. Independent law firms are therefore perfectly positioned to deal with this. We have an unparalleled understanding of our home jurisdiction, and have access to law firms with similar positions in other jurisdictions.