On the 8th of June, the law firm Buren hosted a seminar for embassies at the Crown Plaza in The Hague. Numerous heads of mission and representatives of embassies attended the session.
Founded in 1898, Buren is a well-established, internationally operating law firm with offices in The Hague, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Beijing and Shanghai. The firm has more than 70 attorneys, notaries and international tax advisors providing a full range of services to domestic and international clients who conduct business nationally and globally.
Located prominently in The Hague’s diplomatic quarter, Buren has established long-term relationships with a large number of diplomatic missions and international institutions. In order to cater the needs of its diplomatic clients and their referrals, Buren has established a dedicated Diplomat Desk. Staffed by professionals of different nationalities, speaking seven different languages, the Diplomat Desk acts as a one-stop-shop for any legal needs diplomatic clients and their referrals may have.
The objective of the seminar was to inform embassies on a number of common legal topics they may encounter.
The seminar was opened and led by Buren’s senior partner Mr. Steven van der Waal, who gave an introduction on Buren and provided some inside-information about working and living in the Netherlands.
The first speaker, Dr. Machiko Kanetake, focused on diplomatic law and more in particular on matters of jurisdiction and immunities. Dr. Kanetake is assistant-professor in diplomatic law at Utrecht University. Her presentation provided an overview of this field of law and an update on relevant case-law.
Mrs. Suzan van de Kam presented labour law issues that embassies may come across when hiring local staff. The presentation outlined the life-time of an employment relation, from recruitment through sick leaves, dismissal and pension.
Matters of Dutch real estate law were presented by Mr. Jonathan Gal, who focused on the acquisition of property and on rental agreements, as well as on typical features of Dutch contract law.
The presentations were followed by a number of questions from the audience, mostly relating to labour law and rental agreements. Buren informed to follow-up on this seminar after summer with more subject-concentrated gatherings. Overall seminars are organized on an annual basis. But the attendants were cordially invited to contact Buren for any specific legal questions they might have in the meantime.
The seminar was followed by an informal get-together, which enabled a further exchange of experiences and thoughts in the various fields of law.
