Eversheds Sutherland has significantly bolstered its finance capability in the Netherlands with the appointment of senior Partner Kees Westermann and Partner Vasco Hoving.
Kees and Vasco arrive from law firm Rutgers & Posch. They are joined by their Principal Associate Maarten Ahsmann.
All three will be based at Eversheds Sutherland’s Amsterdam office, along with the firm’s current Netherlands finance team comprising Senior Associates Burcin Oral and Eyup Cerci and Associate Thijmen Kluizenaar.
Kees’ main focus is on structured finance and portfolio transactions. He advises an array of clients including investors and financial institutions, credit rating agencies and companies, fintechs and government authorities. His experience also comprises acquisition finance, asset finance, bond issues and restructurings.Prior to joining Rutgers & Posch in 2013 and establishing its finance practice, Kees successfully built structured finance practices at international law firms Linklaters and Clifford Chance.
Kees has acted on most Dutch covered bond and rmbs/car lease securitisation labels and is responsible for a number of innovations and ‘market firsts’. He structured the first-ever Dutch covered bond programme for ABN AMRO, the first Belgian covered bond programme for Belfius and the original Bumper car lease securitisation for LeasePlan. In addition, Kees co-wrote a number of industry standards and laws and regulations benefiting the Dutch structured finance market.
Kees is ranked in legal industry directory Chambers and Partners, where he is described as an ‘intellectual powerhouse’, ‘an expert in his field’ and ‘very solutions-driven’ (Chambers 2014/2024).
The Finance practice led by Kees and Vasco is ranked for Securitisation by Chambers and Partners. In addition, it has two rankings in Legal 500: Asset Finance & Structured Finance and Borrower Side.
Vasco provides financial law advice to a broad range of entities including banks, corporates and investment funds. His experience encompasses corporate lending (as well as acquisition financing, syndicated loans, asset financing, cash pooling and real estate financing), structured finance (including covered bonds, securitisations and factoring) and financial restructuring.
Before joining Rutgers & Posch in 2015, Vasco spent several years at international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.
He is praised by Legal 500 for his ‘unique experience when it comes to advising on the borrower side of financings’.
Nick Swiss, Eversheds Sutherland, commented: “We’re thrilled to welcome these exciting new hires to the firm. Kees’ formidable experience and technical ability are well-known within the industry, while Vasco’s complementary skill set is particularly impressive. Both are highly reputable lawyers, who, along with Maarten, bring a repertoire of legal and commercial acumen which will strengthen our client offering on both a local and international scale.”
Stefan Corbanie,Benelux Managing Partner, Eversheds Sutherland, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome our new finance lawyers to Eversheds Sutherland. Their arrival underscores our determination and ongoing commitment to bolstering our legal capabilities within our regional markets and meeting the increasingly complex needs of our clients head on. Their skills will also be instrumental in addressing the unique financial challenges and opportunities our clients face as well as supporting our teams in our wider jurisdictions.”
Kees Westermann, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland, commented: “This is an exciting new chapter – we’re looking forward to working with Nick and our Eversheds Sutherland colleagues on both new and existing opportunities.”
Vasco Hoving, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland, commented: “We’re thrilled to be joining Eversheds Sutherland. The firm has a great reputation and has a strategic focus on the Netherlands, so please watch this space.”
This news story was originally published on the firm’s website.