BASE Advocaten

What BASE Advocaten does

BASE Advocaten B.V. is a private Dutch law firm (besloten vennootschap) headquartered at Boompjes 542 in Rotterdam, with general terms filed at the District Court of Rotterdam on 15 October 2014. The firm operates as a unified boutique practice with two interconnected service areas: Dispute Resolution & Litigation (commercial litigation, corporate litigation, attachment and execution, and arbitration/binding advice) and Employment Law & Employee Participation (reorganisations, dismissals, director positions, terms of employment, sickness/employer liability, and works council matters). The team numbers approximately 20-24 staff, including five named partners, a roster of lawyers registered in civil, corporate, and employment law, and dedicated team-assistant support. The firm maintains a website presence in both Dutch and English.

The client base is hybrid and anchored by multi-year enterprise mandates. BASE has served Havenbedrijf Rotterdam (Port Authority) in civil proceedings for over ten years and acts as permanent advisor to Greenchoice on employment and medezeggenschap matters for over a decade. Additional named clients span telecommunications (Cellnex), energy (Stainalloy), port operations (APM Terminals Maasvlakte II), transportation (RET), housing (Havensteder), IT (TDX), food services (Vital Food Group), PE (Kenzoll Capital, Ramphastos/Boekhoorn), agricultural machinery (Dewulf Group), and medical technology (Breathomix). Beyond enterprises, the firm serves SMEs, individual directors, shareholders, employees, trade unions, and works councils.

The business model is professional services billing on an hourly rate basis. Fees are calculated as hours worked multiplied by firm-set hourly rates, plus disbursements and VAT, with monthly invoicing and 14-day payment terms. No subscription, retainer, or alternative fee arrangements are disclosed. GTM is direct enterprise field sales and referral-driven, supplemented by content marketing through scenario articles on the firm website and an academic partnership with the Erasmus University Rotterdam master program in labour law. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

BASE Advocaten

Legal name

BASE Advocaten B.V.

Website

https://baseadvocaten.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BASE Advocaten is a Rotterdam-based Dutch boutique law firm specialising in commercial litigation, corporate disputes, employment law, and employee participation, serving enterprises, SMEs, and individuals across the Netherlands with a team of approximately 20-24 staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAAAB

Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Legal Services

Keywords

• Commercial litigation services
• Employment law advisory
• Dispute resolution services
• Corporate litigation counsel
• Employee participation law

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: BASE Advocaten charges clients for legal services performed. Unless agreed otherwise, fees are calculated based on the number of hours worked multiplied by hourly rates set by BASE Advocaten, plus disbursements and VAT. Invoices are issued monthly and payable within 14 days.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

BASE Advocaten is a Rotterdam-based law firm providing legal services in Dispute Resolution & Litigation and Employment Law & Employee Participation. The firm advises and litigates on commercial disputes, corporate disputes, shareholder conflicts, attachment and enforcement, arbitration, reorganizations, dismissals, director liability, works council matters, and terms of employment. Services are delivered by a team of approximately 20 lawyers to multinationals, SMEs, individual directors/shareholders/employees, works councils, and trade unions.

Product overview

BASE Advocaten is a Rotterdam-based law firm organized as a unified single-firm structure rather than a platform with separate product modules. The firm offers two interconnected core service areas: Dispute Resolution & Litigation (covering commercial litigation, corporate litigation, attachment & execution, and arbitration/binding advice) and Employment Law & Employee Participation (covering reorganizations, dismissals, director positions, terms of employment, sickness/liability, and works council matters). These practice areas are supported by specialist expertise in fraud, employee participation law, and talent law, delivered by a team of approximately 20 lawyers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dispute Resolution & Litigation Comprehensive dispute resolution and litigation services covering commercial disputes (contract breaches, supplier issues, failed negotiations, takeovers, real estate, agency, distribution, professional liability, duties of care), corporate disputes (shareholder, director, supervisory director matters including exit proceedings and inquiry proceedings at the Enterprise Chamber), attachment and execution services (prejudgment attachments and judgment enforcement), and arbitration or binding advice via the Netherlands Arbitration Institute or other institutions. For multinationals, SMEs, directors, shareholders, and supervisory directors in the Netherlands.
• Employment Law & Employee Participation Comprehensive employment law services covering reorganizations, dismissals and disciplinary measures (including warnings, suspensions, demotions), position of directors and WNT (Standards for Remuneration Act) compliance, employee participation (medezeggenschap) for both employers and works councils, terms of employment and collective labour agreement drafting and litigation (including non-competition clauses, secondment, and transfer of undertaking), and sickness and employer liability matters. For (large) employers, works councils, trade unions, directors, and individual employees in the Netherlands.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10 years of continuous advisory relationship with Greenchoice
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Stichting Vrienden van het SophiaminorOthersBASE Advocaten has supported the Friends of Sophia Foundation for many years, both financially and by actively participating in events such as 'Fietsen voor Sophia' (Cycling for Sophia).
• Erasmus Universiteit - Master ArbeidsrechtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBASE is a partner of the master program in labor law at Erasmus University Rotterdam. The firm supervises moot courts for years, reviewing litigation documents and helping students develop practical skills.
• Leapius - Outside General CounselminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaul Drop, former General Counsel at companies including Europe Container Terminals (ECT), engages BASE for complex litigious matters requiring external expertise in dispute resolution and corporate litigation.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• NautaDutilh: Major full-service Dutch law firm headquartered in Amsterdam. Compares to BASE because two of BASE's founding partners (Appelman, van Eijck) were previously NautaDutilh lawyers, and the firm competes for the same complex commercial litigation and corporate disputes work — but at significantly greater scale and broader practice breadth.
• Bird & Bird (Netherlands): International law firm with significant Amsterdam presence and strong employment, litigation, and technology practices. Comparable to BASE for cross-border employment disputes and commercial litigation, particularly for tech and telecom clients like Cellnex where both firms compete.
• Stibbe: Amsterdam-headquartered full-service Dutch law firm with deep litigation and arbitration capabilities. Comparable to BASE for complex commercial litigation and corporate disputes mandates, particularly cross-border matters where Dutch law governs.
• Houthoff: Top-tier Dutch law firm with strong litigation, corporate, and employment practices in Amsterdam. Comparable to BASE as a competitor for high-value Dutch commercial litigation, shareholder disputes, and employment mandates, though with substantially larger headcount and international network.
• De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek: Premier Dutch law firm with elite corporate litigation, shareholder dispute, and Enterprise Chamber practices. Direct comparator for BASE's most premium mandates (shareholder disputes, exit proceedings), though De Brauw operates at a much larger scale and serves the largest Dutch and international corporates.
• Loyens & Loeff: Major Dutch law and tax firm with a strong corporate litigation practice and significant client overlap with BASE in mid-market and family-owned enterprises. Comparable as a competitor for commercial dispute mandates involving Dutch corporates, especially those with international structures.

Direct peers

• Boels Zanders: Mid-sized Dutch regional law firm based in Limburg with commercial and employment law practices. Comparable to BASE as a smaller Dutch firm competing for SME and mid-market commercial dispute work, though with a different geographic footprint and less litigation specialization.
• Kennedy Van der Laan: Amsterdam-based Dutch law firm with strong litigation, employment, and corporate practices. Comparable to BASE for employment law and commercial dispute work, though with broader practice breadth including tech, privacy, and insurance.
• Rutgers Posch: Dutch boutique litigation firm specializing in corporate and commercial disputes, including Enterprise Chamber proceedings. Closest direct peer to BASE — comparable size, similar litigation focus, similar clientele of mid-market and family businesses facing complex disputes.
• Kienhuis Hoving Advocaten: Dutch employment law boutique with strong works council and employee participation expertise. Directly comparable to BASE for the employment law and medezeggenschap practice area, serving similar enterprise clients with co-determination mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/base-advocaten

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BASE Advocaten