Dutch giant hives off private client practice

Dutch heavyweight Nauta Dutilh is splitting with its Rotterdam-based private client team as the firm continues to pursue its corporate-focused strategy.
The two-partner, five fee-earner team will establish a new boutique, the name of which will be announced later this year. The split has been described as entirely amicable, with Nauta commiting to refer its private client work to the new boutique.
One of the two partners, Loes Gijbels, is particularly well known in the Netherlands and has been cited by publishers such as Elsevier and KSU for her private client expertise. The full firm will feature Gijbels, fellow partner Carla Smeets, and assistants Wendy van der Stroom-Willemsen, Julia Veldkamp and Paul de Gier.
Last year, Nauta put in place a new management team headed by chairman Marc Blom with a remit to streamline its focus on corporate, finance and related areas.