A fresh approach to people; a firm approach to law
PASSION ➔ PROFESSIONALISM
Professionalism is key in our approach. The passion with which we apply this in our daily practice ensures that we pursue your best business interests at all times. While fully investing in our mutual relationship. NEWGROUND has strong roots, and an even stronger future.
ACCOUNTABILITY ➔ QUALITY
We don’t recognise complex structures. Everyone in our firm bears individual responsibility. From Day 1. That allows us to go the extra mile for our clients. And that is precisely what ensures your success is also our success.
DIVERSITY ➔ CREATIVITY
We make the difference by pushing boundaries. Our team has been hand-picked for their skills, experience and, just as importantly, diversity. This enables us to devise the most creative solutions for the challenges we are presented with.
PARTNERS
- Charles van Rijckevorsel
- Cynthia de Witt Wijnen
- Anne-Marie Klijn
- André Gaastra
- Erwin Noordover
- Renée Fennis
- Etiënne Dijkhorst
Charles van RijckevorselBekijk bio
Cynthia de Witt WijnenBekijk bio
Anne-Marie KlijnBekijk bio
André GaastraBekijk bio
Erwin NoordoverBekijk bio
Renée FennisBekijk bio
Etiënne DijkhorstBekijk bio
Charles focuses primarily on the civil law aspects of the real estate sector. He has extensive experience in assisting in transactions involving the sale and purchase of capital-intensive property investments (existing properties as well as new-build projects) for both Dutch and foreign clients. In addition, property development, sale and leaseback transactions, collaboration and implementation agreements, real estate financing, redevelopment of existing properties and tenancy law form part of his core expertise, and are amongst the regular components of his practice. Charles regularly represents clients in civil law and arbitration proceedings.
Quote from Legal 500 EMEA 2024:
“The way they deal with customers, the relationship of trust that you can build with the management and employees. Someone like Cynthia de Witt-Wijnen who always sees the big picture of real estate transactions, or Charles van Rijckevorsel who fights like a lion to win judicial procedures for you.”
Cynthia de Witt Wijnen works almost exclusively for international property clients, advising them on commercial transactions involving hotels, offices, retail centres and logistics centres. She is consistently involved in headline transactions on the Dutch property market, such as the acquisition of the HQ of BOOKING.COM (worth EUR 566 million), the purchase of the Terrace Tower in Amsterdam (worth EUR 180 million) and the purchase of a logistics real estate portfolio for Hansainvest (worth EUR 245+ million). She also worked on the deal for the acquisition, of a high-end 5 star hotel in Amsterdam (valued at EUR 260 million).
Prior to co-founding NewGround Law, Cynthia was partner at Baker & McKenzie. She also worked for a women’s rights organization with the United Nations (New York). Cynthia started her career in 1993 with De Brauw. In 2015, she was sworn in as an assigned civil-law notary by the District Court of Amsterdam. In August 2020, Cynthia was sworn in as a civil-law notary.
Cynthia has been listed in the Chambers Europe Legal Guide, Band 3: Real Estate Leading Notaries for over a decade (click on icon Chambers).
Anne-Marie Klijn has practised law since 1990 and advises companies and public authorities in all areas where national and local government exercise direct influence on society. This includes aspects such as spatial planning, the environment, nature, energy, water, traffic and transport, subsidies and grants, education, health care, government liability, loss resulting from government planning decisions and compensation for loss resulting from, for instance, administrative acts. She focuses particularly on sustainability and circular building. The energy transition and its impact on the global ecosystem must inevitably be part of considerations on the acceptability of a project from an environmental law perspective. Anne-Marie worked as a municipal lawyer for the Municipality of Amsterdam between 2015 and 2019.
Anne-Marie Klijn has been listed in the Chambers Europe Legal Guide for 15 years with the highest entry: Band 1: Public Law: Planning and Environment.
André has, in addition to graduating in law, graduated in marine engineering and completed the post-doctoral Grotius specialised programme in General Administrative Law. He has more than 20 years’ experience as an attorney-at-law in administrative law, environmental and safety law, supervision, (criminal) enforcement and energy law and 15 years’ experience in commercial (chemicals) industry. This is often related to Greenfield and Brownfield projects. His clients merely are active in the (chemical) industry, transport and storage and other manufacturing activities. Advising on ESG related matters is an increasing part of his practice. Clients view his commercial experience as a significant advantage in complex legal matters.
Who’s Who Legal recognised André as Global Leader Environment 2020: “André Gaastra is highly sought after for his strong experience across the gamut of environmental law issues, including air emissions, waste handling and permits and compliance.”
Erwin Noordover has been a lawyer since 2009 with a focus on Clean Tech and (sustainable) energy. As an energy transition expert, Erwin has worked on the development and financing of large and very complex (sustainable) energy projects on land and sea. He has now contributed to more than 3,000 MW of wind energy.
Erwin assists market parties, financiers and governments in environmental law matters and procedures regarding the generation, transport, storage and saving of energy. With his extensive experience in legal project management, he guides industrial, urban and infrastructural spatial projects from start to finish. As a strategic and legal advisor, Erwin focuses on the prevention of delays and procedures. Erwin has a good eye for the political, administrative dynamics and social context in which his clients operate and the challenges associated with the realization of a project.
Erwin obtained his master’s degree in Constitutional and Administrative Law (LL.M.) in Leiden and completed the postgraduate specialization course Environmental Law at the Grotius Academy cum laude in 2016. He also completed a business administration mini-MBA at INSEAD. Before Erwin joined NEWGROUND LAW as a partner on 1 February 2021, he was a lawyer at Stibbe Amsterdam.
Quote in Legal 500 EMEA 2023: “Erwin Noordover is great to work with: fast, smart and with a good feeling of the dynamics”
Renée Fennis advises and litigates in matters pertaining to real estate development- and construction projects, acquisition and sale of real property and tenancy law. Renée has experience in drawing up (turnkey) sale and purchase agreements, construction and design & build contracts, project management agreements and lease agreements. Initially, Renée started as an administrative law specialist with a focus on spatial planning. She has a strong understanding of the interconnections between public and private law aspects of real estate projects. Renée also advised on DBFM(O) agreements in public private partnership (PPP) projects.
Renée graduated cum laude from Utrecht University and has been a lawyer since 2012, working within the real estate divisions of the international law firms Dentons, Baker & McKenzie and NautaDutilh and as senior legal counsel at an international hotel and development company. From 2021, Renée is working at NEWGROUND as a lawyer and on January 1, 2023, Renée has been appointed partner of NewGround Law.
The Legal 500 EMEA quotes a testimonial:
“Renée Fennis is a very good professional who assisted in a lot of our negotiations and is of great help in particular complex situations.”
Languages: Dutch, English
As a candidate notary, Etiënne has extensive experience in the real estate practice. Dutch multinationals are among his regular clients. Etiënne also advises other corporates, national and international institutional investors and prominent private equity funds on both real estate transactions and M&A transactions with a significant real estate component. He also has experience in advising on and structuring legally complex projects focused on renewable energy such as the development and purchase and sale of wind and solar farms.
Etiënne received his masters in Dutch Law (private law) and Notarial Law from the University of Groningen. Part of his studies, he did in Stockholm and, before starting at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek in 2010, he spent several months in Berlin studying at the Goethe-Institut. In April 2023, Etiënne joined NewGround Law as a partner..
Languages: Dutch, English and German
Expertise
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