Currently, more than 200 lawyers are working at BLD in their eight German offices in Cologne, Munich, Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Karlsruhe, Dortmund, Hamburg and Leipzig. By merging with the renowned lawfirm Ekelmans Advocaten, BLD is now also offering legal services in the Netherlands under the name "BLD Ekelmans". The 22 experienced professionals who work at BLD Ekelmans in The Hague specialise in cross-border legal issues. BLD Ekelmans is not only a respected name in cooperation with Dutch and international insurance companies, but also in company law and supreme court appeals. Marcella de Haan, Andrea van de Velde and Rob Kossen will head the The Hague office.
Managing partner of BLD, Bastian Finkel, sees the expansion into the neighbouring country as a consequence of the close business ties between Germany and the Netherlands as well as the resulting high number of insured risks in cross-border business relationships: "We are delighted to be able to take this first of further scheduled steps into neighbouring European countries together with our Dutch colleagues, with whom we have already been working successfully and trustingly for decades." He adds: "Together with our cooperation partner DAC Beachcroft, we are thus expanding our international services, the aim of which is to link our qualities as the market-leading law firm for insurance and liability law in Germany with the necessary close connections into the relevant jurisdictions worldwide."
Marcella de Haan, Managing Partner at BLD Ekelmans: "We are delighted to formalise our years of successful cooperation with BLD. By combining our knowledge, expertise and market insights, we serve our clients even better in international matters. The partnership of BLD with DAC Beachcroft is very valuable in this context as well: together, we provide our clients with access to legal services in the most important jurisdictions worldwide.” She emphasises that the culture of the firms aligns well. "Moreover, due to the German roots of some Dutch colleagues and the practise of our German Desk, we have a good understanding of the German market."
