“We were looking for a legal advisor with the right specialist knowledge, who is also able to act quickly. We found the right partner in Kneppelhout.” – Aad Zonneveld, Senior legal advisor at ‘Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland’.
Keeping 1.3 million people safe from floods, and more than twelve thousand hectares of clean water; that’s the responsibility of ‘Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland‘ in the area between Velsen and Gouda. Water safety and water purification are among the other key tasks of this government body. In short, everything for a sustainable, wetland habitat, where we will still be able to live, work and enjoy ourselves in the future.
“Although we’re a government organisation, we’re not dependent on the central government, the province, or the local authority. We also deal with a lot of legal issues, partly due to the amount of properties owned by Rijnland, which range from quays and dykes to treatment plants and homes. Managing this large area requires us to make lots of decisions on a daily basis, and we also have to deal with objections and appeals. Our internal team takes care of this as much as possible, but given the amount of work and the specialist knowledge and speed required for some issues, we also outsource some of it. We found the right partner in law firm Kneppelhout, which has been supporting us structurally for more than ten years.”
““We found the specialisms we need at Kneppelhout, together with the desired speed and quality.”
“We first came into contact with Kneppelhout ten years ago through a tender. It soon became clear that this law firm had everything in-house that we need as a water authority, including the specialisms covering our area of activity; civil law, water law, and expropriation law. The latter involves sensitive issues and complex interests, so we can’t afford any mistakes. Kneppelhout has shown that it masters every detail of this specific right, and the firm has earned our enormous appreciation.
“It also quickly became clear that the firm delivers high quality, can quickly switch track, and supports our integrity and reliability. We rely on Kneppelhout’s expertise, especially when it comes to very large interests or large sums of money, so we regularly call it in for a second opinion. This is mainly the case with claims for damages, where we’re assigned a lawyer through the insurer.”
“I’ve been relying on the speed, expertise, and quality of Kneppelhout for more than ten years.”
Aad: “The first time I got to know Kneppelhout was about ten years ago, but I remember it very well. I came into contact with Gert-Jan de Jager, a passionate lawyer. He had a very personal and easy approach. We simply had a normal, pleasant, person-to-person conversation, based on, as is still the case today, ‘Tell me your problem, and how can we help?’ It became immediately clear to me that service is the top priority at Kneppelhout. And what’s the best thing of all? They’ve managed to keep it up for more than ten years!”
“We’ve been working together for years, and that’s something I’d like to continue. I also regularly recommend Kneppelhout to colleagues at other water authorities.”
“All the issues that Kneppelhout has dealt with in recent years have been resolved to our satisfaction. Obviously, that’s an excellent basis for continuing the partnership. The very direct lines of communication are also very pleasant, and often relevant to my work. For example, should a preliminary injunction be instituted or not? For me this is also a tense moment; are things going to work out, and are we going to manage in time? That’s where I can rely on Kneppelhout. I can e-mail, call or message via an app, and immediately deal with the appropriate specialist. That’s something I appreciate greatly.”
