Lennard Noordzij

Lennard studied Dutch law at the University of Groningen and has been working as a lawyer in Amsterdam since 2013. Lennard gained experience at a medium-sized law firm in Amsterdam and joined AMS Advocaten in May 2017.

Specialisms

Lennard litigates, negotiates and advises national and international clients in court proceedings and arbitration (“commercial litigation and dispute resolution”) in the first instance and on appeal, both in preliminary relief proceedings and in legal matters. Lennard speaks fluent English and for this reason, he litigates on behalf of international clients.

He specialises in the field of liability law. He also advises, negotiates and litigates in the field of employment law, (prejudicial) seizure and foreclosure law, debit collection, private international law and contract law.

Lennard successfully completed training in Company and Liability at the Grotius Academie. This is the most comprehensive and complete postgraduate training in liability law.

Recent track record

In August 2024, Lennard, acting on behalf of a Danish client, sought recognition in the Netherlands of a foreign arbitral award under the New York Convention for an amount of €1 million and permission to enforce the arbitral award in the Netherlands. The Arnhem-Leeuwarden Court of Appeal granted the request, ruling that there was no conflict with Dutch public policy. It recognised the arbitral award, authorised its enforcement in the Netherlands, and ordered the opposing party to pay legal costs of €11,000. In October 2024, Lennard initiated summary proceedings on behalf of the same client. The Gelderland District Court ordered the defendant to disclose sources of income and assets, including providing access to bank statements, accounts receivable, and other income from both domestic and foreign sources.

In April 2024, Lennard, together with a colleague from his firm, represented a client in an appeal who had sued a lawyer for professional malpractice. The Arnhem-Leeuwarden Court of Appeal ruled that the lawyer in question should have warned about the short limitation period for penalty payments and was responsible for the enforcement of rendered judgments. As a result, the lawyer was ordered to compensate the client's damages, which the court assessed at €15,000.

In September 2023, Lennard represented a Belgian director in a director's liability case at the Rotterdam court, where the director was held liable for €300,000. In this case, all claims against the director were dismissed, as it could not be established that the director could be seriously personally blamed. The opposing party was ordered to pay legal costs amounting to €8,000.

In June 2022, Lennard successfully assisted a foreign company that remained on an empty BV with an unpaid claim. The Northern Netherlands District Court allocates all claims of Lennard’s client and considers the director in person, the mother and daughter company of the company in question liable for the entire debt of approximately € 170,000. At Lennard’s request, the court adds its earlier decision in a later judgment, so that the start date of the interest is correct and the decision can be implemented immediately.

In March 2022, Lennard successfully represented an employer who was held liable by a former employee for more than €60.000 in wages. According to the employee, he was still entitled to wages, because his employment contract for a definite period has not ended, but has been changed into an employment contract for an indefinite period. The North Holland Court rejects the wage claim because the employment contract has not been changed into an employment contract for an indefinite period.

In January 2022 Lennard successfully assisted an enterprise and two of its directors who were sued for payment of a financial penalty of more than € 1.1 million. This case before the Noord-Nederland Court, location Haarlem, concerned discontinued negotiations. The Court ruled in favour of Lennard’s clients and held that the enterprise and its directors were free to discontinue the negotiations without any liability for compensation.

In July 2021 Lennard successfully assisted a receiver of AMS during proceedings commenced by an application before the Amsterdam Court for the reopening of a cooperative after an expedited liquidation. The Court inter alia granted the application because the liquidated cooperative must be in existence to be able to be involved in legal proceedings.

In November 2020 Lennard successfully assisted a director during proceedings on the merits before the Rotterdam Court. The director was ordered in default of appearance to pay more than € 15 million. Lennard appealed on behalf of the director against this judgment and put forward a motion contesting jurisdiction. The Court allowed this defence and deemed itself to still lack jurisdiction. It dismissed all claims against the director.

In March 2020, Lennard successfully assisted a shareholder in a shareholder dispute in preliminary relief proceedings before the District Court of Amsterdam. The shareholder will receive 50% of his shares back, his salary will continue to be paid and the dismissal decision will be suspended.

In February 2020, Lennard assisted an employer in a legal matter before the District Court of North Holland. The court ruled that the employee is liable for more than € 80,000.

In November 2019, he successfully assisted an employee who had been dismissed with immediate effect. At ‘s-Hertogenbosch Court of Appeal convicted appeal, the employer will pay over € 230.000.

In April 2019, Lennard assisted a director under the articles of association in legal matters before the District Court of Amsterdam. The director received € 120,000 in compensation.

Expert at BusinessInsider.nl

In addition to his daily practice as a lawyer, Lennard is an expert in the business news website BusinessInsider.nl.

Lennard has registered as principal areas of law in the register of legal areas of the Dutch Bar Association: civil procedural law and law of obligations. On the basis of this registration, he is obliged to obtain ten training credits per calendar year in each registered principal legal area, in accordance with the standards of the Dutch Bar Association.