Loyens & Loeff signals new fightback with B&M raid…

Baker & McKenzie's ailing Dutch practice is suffering another spate of departures as it prepares to drop the Caron & Stevens name in the Netherlands to strengthen the firm's global brand.
Benelux multidisciplinary practice (MDP) Loyens & Loeff has hired three partners from the practice, which will be known as Baker & McKenzie from mid-September.
Loyens was set up in January 2000 after Loeff Claeys Verbeke was raided by Allen & Overy. The remaining lawyers teamed up with tax advisers Loyens & Volkmaars.
Corporate lawyers Mic van Bremen and Herman Kaemingk and civil law notary Pieter van Druten will join LoyensAmsterdam office. It is understood that a team will go with them.
Loyens corporate partner Ewout Stumphius said the hires are part of a strategy to grow its venture capital and private equity practice.
The news follows the departure of three Caron partners at the end of June to set up their own property boutique firm. A litigation partner has also left to set up his own practice. Insolvency partner Bhrend de-Roy-van-Zuydewyn took his team to AKD Prinsen Van Wijmen, the Dutch ally of Deloitte & Touche, earlier in the year, and in December two tax partners left for Deloittes and Ernst & Young.
The departures are understood to have followed a partnership meeting at the end of last year in which the board expressed its desire to focus more heavily on international work. A new bonus scheme is also understood to have caused disquiet among partners.
Baker & McKenzie has just appointed Stibbe tax lawyer Monique van Herksen as a partner. It now has 26 partners in the Netherlands, including five which are newly promoted.