Taylor Wessing has today [1 September] announced it has merged with Dutch firm Deterink, gaining offices in Amsterdam and Eindhoven as it looks to broaden its European presence.
The combination sees Taylor Wessing gain two new offices covering the main financial and tech hubs of the Netherlands, with seven partners and 47 lawyers joining. Deterink’s partners previously operated as part of EY Law until 2010.
The two firms had already been working together since 2011, particularly in M&A, corporate litigation, IP/IT and employment, with a view to growing the combined Dutch offices in disputes and real estate.
Tim Eyles (pictured), managing partner of Taylor Wessing UK, said: ‘Deterink is a perfect partner for Taylor Wessing, typical of our merger partners in that it is a local business with superb knowledge of and connections within the Dutch business community, but also has an international mentality and a significant international client base. These offices will not just be ‘hubs’ for international clients, but also leaders for national work.’
Some 68% of Taylor Wessing’s top-50 clients have a presence in the Netherlands. ‘Many of those multinationals base their European headquarters there, so this presence will help the firm to serve those clients even more effectively’, said the firm.
The merger forms part of Taylor Wessing’s wider strategy to cover western, central and eastern Europe, alongside the firm’s push to grow in Asia and the Middle East. The firm’s fee earning headcount now totals over 1,200 across 28 offices in Europe, the US, the Middle East and Asia.
jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk
