About MAAK Advocaten
MAAK Advocaten is a specialist Dutch law firm in Amsterdam that has provided sector-focused, high-quality legal services since 2016. Our Dutch lawyers support businesses in managing the legal challenges that arise at the heart of their operations.
Our legal specialists in the Netherlands advise, draft contracts and litigate in the Netherlands as one integrated team. This prevents fragmentation between practice areas when your matter involves multiple legal disciplines. MAAK brings six integrated core areas of expertise together under one roof.
A significant part of our client base consists of suppliers, manufacturers, authorised representatives, importers, distributors, platforms and fulfilment service providers. Across the entire distribution chain, legal questions arise at different stages and in many forms. MAAK is the go-to law firm for these matters: from Product Regulations and Compliance and Market Access to Dutch Contract Law, Litigation in the Netherlands, Dutch Regulatory Litigation, Logistics, Industry and Trade, ESG and Sustainability and Dutch Intellectual Property Law.
MAAK also assists your organisation with enforcement actions initiated by supervisory authorities. Our specialised lawyers in Amsterdam can rely on a proven track record of achieving results for our clients.
We understand your sector, know your value chain and help identify both your commercial opportunities and legal risks.
Brochure
Download onze kantoorbrochure 2026 waarin ons aanbod van diensten, expertise en ervaringen zijn vermeld.
Why Do Businesses Choose MAAK Advocaten’s Integrated Approach?
An integrated law firm in the Netherlands means that our specialist lawyers in Amsterdam provide legal advice, draft and negotiate contracts, and represent clients in litigation and arbitration as one unified team. This ensures seamless legal support without fragmentation, even when your matter spans multiple areas of law.
By combining the expertise of our Product and Supply Chain Compliance specialists with our experienced commercial contract lawyers and litigators, we deliver comprehensive, high-quality legal services throughout the Netherlands. We understand your industry, know your value chain, and help you identify both the commercial opportunities and the legal risks that arise within it.
Contact our Dutch lawyers in Amsterdam for a no-obligation introductory consultation.
CSR
How does MAAK Lawyers put corporate social responsibility into practice?
MAAK Advocaten in Amsterdam pursues an active CSR policy built around four pillars: ESG integration in our legal services, diversity and inclusion at every level of the firm, investment in the community, and measurable reduction of our carbon footprint.
Our Dutch law firm measures its environmental impact annually and translates those figures into targeted improvement measures. Therefore, corporate responsibility is not a marketing promise at MAAK Advocaten, it is a demonstrable part of our day-to-day practice.
How do we integrate ESG into our legal services?
ESG is a core competence at MAAK Advocaten: our Dutch legal specialists advise daily on ESG regulations arising from the European Green Deal, including CBAM, REACH, EUDR, CSRD, CSDDD and the Forced Labour Regulation, and translate these into concrete contractual solutions for your organisation.
For example, we assist Dutch and foreign companies with drafting sustainability clauses, supplier codes of conduct and supply chain due diligence obligations. We also support organisations with transparency and reporting requirements within the value chain, namely: supplier risk analyses, raw material traceability, audit rights and remediation measures in response to ESG risks.
Consequently, we know from direct legal practice what ESG obligations mean in reality and how your organisation can remain both compliant and commercially successful. As legal experts in the Netherlands, we are furthermore connected to the renowned Green Chemistry Accelerator programme, within which our founding partner is regularly consulted on commercial contracts, product regulation and supply chain compliance. This engagement fits seamlessly with our broader ambition: legal services that actively accelerate sustainability, circularity and innovation in the manufacturing industry.
Why are diversity and inclusion indispensable to legal quality at our firm?
Diversity and inclusion at MAAK Advocaten are not an HR agenda item but a fundamental prerequisite for quality, because diverse perspectives demonstrably produce better legal solutions for complex questions.
We actively value, support and promote diversity at every level. Everyone deserves to feel appreciated and respected, regardless of background, role or seniority. Therefore, we stand for an open and honest culture in which colleagues freely give feedback and share ideas.
The ‘Happy Me’ conversations developed by our firm give structure to this ambition: together with each colleague, we discuss concretely how he or she wants to develop further. We also maintain transparent remuneration processes and actively pursue fair representation at all seniority levels. Ultimately, talent determines how far someone goes, not origin or background.
How does MAAK Lawyers invest in the Amsterdam community?
MAAK Advocaten supports “Stichting Noordje”, an Amsterdam-based organisation that runs arts and language projects for children and young people aged 6 to 18, reaching hundreds of children each year across Amsterdam-Noord, Nieuw-West, Zuidoost and the city centre.
Noordje works with a network of approximately 100 volunteers. In particular, children who receive little one-to-one attention at home or at school find a place where they are truly seen at the Schrijflab (Writing Lab), the Kunstacademie (Art Academy) and the Zomerschool (Summer School). That is precisely why we support Noordje, our community involvement belongs to the neighbourhood in which we are based: the district along the northern bank of the IJ, where art, industry and community converge.
How does MAAK Lawyers concretely reduce its carbon footprint?
MAAK Advocaten measures its carbon footprint annually and uses that data to implement targeted reduction measures covering travel behaviour, paper consumption, digital infrastructure and procurement, with an internationally award-winning sustainable office building as its starting point.
The most visible expression of this commitment is our office location. We are based at Kraanspoor 34, an iconic and award-winning sustainable building above the former NDSM shipyard on the IJ in Amsterdam. A heat pump uses the water of the IJ to heat the building in winter and cool it in summer. A double-glazed climate façade further enhances the building’s energy performance. Consequently, Kraanspoor has won several international sustainability awards, including the MIPIM Green Building Award and the Urban Landscape Institute Global Award of Excellence.
However, sustainable premises are merely the starting point. Our CSR ambition extends well beyond walls and installations: we connect our CSR commitments directly to the ESG advisory practice we carry out daily for our clients. Therefore, we firmly believe that credible legal services in the ESG field must begin with putting your own house in order. Get in touch to find out how we can help shape your ESG compliance strategy.
What does the MAAK Foreign Student Internship Programme offer international law students?
The MAAK Foreign Student Internship Programme is a structured placement at our Amsterdam office, open year-round to international law students who want to gain hands-on experience at the intersection of Dutch, European and international commercial law.
An internship abroad offers law students a unique opportunity to experience international legal practice directly. Therefore, we open our doors throughout the year to students from universities across Europe and beyond who wish to complete a placement at MAAK Lawyers in Amsterdam. Interns do not simply observe, they are embedded in live matters from day one, working alongside experienced lawyers on real client instructions in commercial contracts, product regulation, ESG compliance and cross-border dispute resolution.
Our guidance goes beyond the desk. Interns participate in client meetings, attend contract negotiations and gain direct exposure to the practical realities of Dutch and European commercial law. Namely: this is hands-on legal education at an international level, in a firm where the lines between practice areas are deliberately kept open. For students with a particular interest in distribution law, product liability or sustainability regulation, the learning curve is steep and the insights concrete.
Through our German Desk and our international network, including the IBA, AIJA and IDI, we are well placed to guide students whose legal background sits in a civil law tradition. A placement at MAAK Advocaten is therefore not merely a line on a CV, but a genuine step towards a career in international commercial law. Interested? Contact us to discuss the possibilities for your internship in Amsterdam.
How does the MAAKademy keep our lawyers at the forefront of their field?
The “MAAKademy” is MAAK Advocatens’ internal academy: a structured programme of continuing legal education through which our lawyers systematically deepen their expertise in Dutch law, European regulation and international commercial practice.
We believe that legal expertise only creates value when it is current, sharp and directly applicable. Therefore, the MAAKademy is not an occasional seminar but an integral part of how we work. Our lawyers regularly participate in tailored sessions covering the latest regulatory developments, for example in ESG legislation, product liability, distribution law and contract drafting under Dutch law.
In practice, this means our clients benefit from specialists who are continuously trained, not just at the start of their careers. The MAAKademy brings together internal knowledge exchange, external expert speakers and structured peer learning. Consequently, the insights generated within our firm are systematically shared and applied across practice areas. This approach reinforces the integrated structure that sets MAAK Lawyers apart: six areas of expertise that collaborate not only in client work, but also in professional development.
In addition, the MAAKademy supports the professional ambitions of our lawyers at every stage, from junior associate to senior partner. In this way, we ensure that talent is not only attracted but also retained and developed. That commitment to continuous growth is, however, not only good for our people, it is ultimately in the best interest of your organisation.
Partnerships & Networks
Which partnerships strengthen the international expertise of MAAK Lawyers?
MAAK Lawyers in Amsterdam is affiliated with leading national and international legal and business networks, giving your organisation direct access to specialised partners at home and abroad — precisely where your situation requires it.
| Network | Value for your organisation |
|---|---|
| DNHK (Deutsch-Niederländische Handelskammer) | Direct connection to the German-Dutch business market |
| AIJA (Association Internationale des Jeunes Avocats) | International network of specialised lawyers under 45 |
| IBA (International Bar Association) | Global network for complex international legal matters |
| DFA (Dutch Association for Distribution, Franchise and Agency) | Dutch authority on distribution, agency and franchise law |
| IDI (International Distribution Institute) | International expertise in distribution and franchise contracts |
| NOvA (Netherlands Bar) | The Netherlands Bar (Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten) is the statutory professional body for all lawyers practising in the Netherlands. Every Dutch lawyer is required to be a member of the Netherlands Bar and is registered in the national register of lawyers, known as the Tableau. |
| VJP(Association of Young Litigation Lawyers) | Specialist network for procedural law developments |
For example, within the DFA our founding partner holds a board position, which means we identify the latest developments in distribution, franchise and agency law at an early stage — a concrete advantage for our clients in a rapidly evolving legal landscape.
One of our founding partners also serves as an Officer on the Product Law Committee of the IBA. This enables us to engage directly with specialists from a network we have carefully built up for our clients over the past years. Furthermore, another of our partners is affiliated with AIJA and regularly participates there as a speaker, moderator or event organiser.
Mission & Vision
What is the mission and vision of MAAK Advocaten as a specialist law firm in Amsterdam?
Our Mission
MAAK Advocaten helps organisations to operate with legal strength. Our Dutch specialist attorneys advise, draft contracts and litigate at the intersection of Product & Supply Chain Compliance, commercial contracts and disputes under Dutch law. In doing so, our Dutch lawyers translate new and complex legislation and regulations into practical, workable and commercially sound solutions.
We believe that legal services only truly add value when they contribute to our clients’ objectives. That is why we combine specialist legal knowledge with an understanding of the sector in which our clients operate. Clear communication, to-the-point advice and sustainable results always form the basis of our approach.
Our vision
We believe that the role of the lawyer is changing. Organisations have an ever-decreasing need for purely legal advice and an ever-increasing need for a strategic partner who helps manage risks, identifies opportunities and contributes ideas on the continuity and growth of the business.
As a leading Dutch niche law firm specialising in Product & Supply Chain Compliance, commercial contracts and international commercial disputes, MAK Advocaten aims to meet this need. By combining specialist knowledge with a deep understanding of the manufacturing industry, trade and international supply chains, we help organisations to operate in a future-proof manner in an environment where regulation is increasing and the value chain is becoming longer.
Our core values
Our core values form the basis of everything we do.
Curious
We immerse ourselves in your organisation, your position within the chain and, consequently, your role in the supply chain. Only by truly understanding your organisation can we provide legal advice that works in practice.
Open and clear
We communicate clearly, honestly and accessibly. You know exactly where you stand, what options are available and what the legal and commercial implications of each are.
Client-focused
Your objectives are our priority. We do not think solely in terms of legal possibilities, but in terms of the solution that best serves your organisation’s interests.
Committed
We build long-term relationships. We get to know our clients, think proactively alongside them and are available even before legal issues arise.
These core values form the basis of our collaboration and are the reason why many of our clients have relied on MAAK Advocaten for their legal matters for many years.