Pro-bono-in-Amsterdam

The consequences of the coronavirus (COVID-19) affect almost everyone. The outbreak of the virus, and the subsequent measures to address it, are causing unrest and uncertainty.

In a special (Dutch language) Q&A, lawyers from our Amsterdam office share their legal expertise and strive to provide answers to questions put to us by consumers, self-employed persons, enterprises large and small, foundations and NGOs as a result of the corona crisis.

Download the Q&A

The Minister of Health, Welfare and Sports has imposed new obligations on the 'Nu Niet Zwanger' project of the GGD as a result of administrative appeal proceedings initiated by Bureau Clara Wichmann and the Dutch Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (NJCM). Stibbe assisted Bureau Clara Wichmann and the NJCM pro bono in these administrative appeal proceedings.

Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, we have seen an outpouring of support and solidarity. This has resulted in multiple COVID-19 related initiatives to overcome challenges raised by the pandemic.

SVS is an NGO that champions the cause of 4,000 women who say their breast implants have led to serious side effects. This claim was not necessarily accepted by the medical community as a whole. For years SVS has been trying to get the Ministry of Health to ban the use of implants until their side effects are clearly documented to enable women to make informed decisions about the procedure.

With more than 11,000 members, the Rembrandt Society is one of the leading art patrons in the Netherlands. Their main goal is to enable Dutch museums to purchase pieces of art that are an important part of the Dutch cultural heritage.

The Dutch government has expressed its intention to recognize the Malaysian Timber Certification System (MTCS) as evidence of sustainable wood for a two-year period, even though MTCS does not meet all official criteria. This is done to encourage full compliance with those criteria and means government agencies can use the wood in their building projects. The World Wild Fund for Nature, worried about the negative impact on the Malaysian rainforest and indigenous tribes, objected.

Citing the right to freedom of expression, the Reformed Political Party (Dutch abbreviation: SGP) argued that while women can become a member of the SGP, they couldn’t vote within the party or stand for public office on behalf of it.

We took on the case on behalf of the NGOs against the SGP and the State, arguing that SGP’s position was in violation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The ultimate Supreme Court decision paved the way for female SGP members to decide for themselves whether to stand for office or not.

In 2011 the Dutch government expressed its intention to fine students €3,000 if they take too long to graduate. Student unions opposed to this change and approached Stibbe with a request for pro bono legal counsel.

Our lawyers spent several weeks on this complex case and concluded that the government’s proposal violated various legal principles and was unlawful. The student unions used our advice to lobby Parliament, but this was only partially successful. The case was then taken to court with the help of Stibbe.

In 2012, we provided advice for the Legal Resource Initiative (LRI) created by Oxfam and the WWF in the preparation for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC), Cancun Summit in Mexico. This included matters in relation to the Kyoto Protocol (KP), public international law, an assessment of the Copenhagen Accord, the Gigaton Gap and the possible consequences between the first KP and the next.

Stibbe has advised Defence for Children and PILP-NJCM on a pro bono basis about the possibilities of conducting legal proceedings in relation to the Dutch amnesty scheme for minors seeking asylum (Kinderpardon).