Shannon Blonk is a litigation lawyer (procesadvocaat) at MAAK Advocaten in Amsterdam, specialised in Dutch civil proceedings and commercial dispute resolution for business clients. She acts for both claimants and defendants in national and international disputes: before the district court (rechtbank), the court of appeal (gerechtshof) and in arbitration. Her approach is therefore always strategic: first analyse the feasibility of a claim, and only then litigate. Shannon appears in court regularly and knows Dutch procedural law inside out.
Because she works daily with cross-border matters, Shannon is a natural point of contact for international and English-speaking clients who need to enforce their rights before the Dutch courts. She translates the Dutch procedural system into a strategy that foreign companies can follow with confidence.
What are Shannon Blonk’s specialisations as a litigation lawyer?
Shannon Blonk is a litigation lawyer specialised in five core areas: proceedings on the merits (bodemprocedures) before the district court and the court of appeal, summary proceedings (kort geding) before the interim relief judge, prejudgment and executory attachment (conservatoir en executoriaal beslag), international arbitration and appeal (hoger beroep). She guides companies through the entire dispute-resolution trajectory: from preventive litigation advice and settlement negotiations to summons proceedings and the enforcement of judgments.
Shannon’s practice involves more than formal litigation alone. She advises organisations preventively on contractual risks, so that a costly court case is avoided as far as possible. Her work for companies in Amsterdam and throughout the Netherlands includes, among others:
- Summary proceedings: urgent proceedings in which the interim relief judge usually rules within two weeks of the hearing, for example in the event of threatened unlawful publications or the lifting of an attachment
- Proceedings on the merits: the final resolution of disputes over breach of contract (wanprestatie), non-conformity and damages
- International arbitration: cross-border commercial disputes before the NAI, the ICC or the LCIA
- Prejudgment attachment: obtaining security for claims by attaching the counterparty’s assets
- Appeal: a renewed assessment of a judgment by the court of appeal, in which both the facts and the law are reconsidered
- Debt recovery and enforcement: the collection of unpaid invoices and the enforcement of court decisions
Is your organisation facing a threatened dispute, or do you want to know whether litigating makes sense? Contact Shannon Blonk for clear litigation advice.
How do proceedings on the merits work – and how long do they take?
Proceedings on the merits (bodemprocedure) are civil proceedings that lead to a final judicial decision on the dispute and that take, on average, twelve to eighteen months, depending on the complexity of the case and the court’s calendar.
The procedure starts with a writ of summons (dagvaarding) in which the claimant states what it claims, from whom and on what grounds. The bailiff (deurwaarder) serves the writ on the defendant, after which a statement of defence (conclusie van antwoord) follows. The further course involves these steps:
- Oral hearing: a court session at which both parties are present and the judge asks further questions
- Settlement attempts: the judge explores whether the parties can reach agreement
- Second exchange of written submissions: the parties respond in writing to each other’s positions
- Judgment or interim judgment: the court rules or gives an order to provide evidence
Appeal against the final judgment is available within three months of the date of the judgment; in summary proceedings, a shortened appeal term of four weeks applies. The subdistrict court (kantonrechter) handles disputes up to € 25,000 and employment, agency or lease matters; other civil disputes, however, require mandatory representation by a lawyer. Shannon Blonk assists you in this – before courts throughout the Netherlands.
When are summary proceedings (kort geding) the right choice?
Yes, summary proceedings (kort geding) are the right choice when you have an urgent interest that justifies immediate intervention and that cannot wait for the outcome of proceedings on the merits lasting more than a year. The interim relief judge can namely grant an interim measure (voorlopige voorziening) within two weeks of the hearing.
Urgent situations in which Shannon Blonk starts or defends summary proceedings include:
- A threatened enforcement sale of real estate
- The lifting of a prejudgment attachment that is disproportionate
- A prohibition on the publication of damaging information
- Specific performance of a continuing agreement (duurovereenkomst) such as a distribution relationship or cooperation
- An advance on damages where liability is clear
The ruling in summary proceedings is an interim measure. In proceedings on the merits, however, the court may reach a different conclusion. In 90% of cases it is therefore strongly advisable to be assisted by a litigation lawyer as a defendant too, even though this is not a legal requirement before the interim relief judge.
Case example: In summary proceedings between two companies, MAAK Advocaten argued on behalf of the claimant that the attachment levied was disproportionate and the claims too high. The interim relief judge followed this position and reduced the attachment amount for a substantial part – an important success for the client (ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2024:2569).
What role does prejudgment attachment (conservatoir beslag) play in procedural law?
A prejudgment attachment (conservatoir beslag) is a measure that you levy before or during proceedings to obtain security for your claim and to safeguard recovery options, even before a court has ruled. Executory attachment (executoriaal beslag) therefore only follows after a judicial judgment.
Shannon Blonk drafts the petition for attachment to the interim relief judge and carefully substantiates the grounds and the amount of the claim. After leave is granted, the bailiff levies the attachment. The main rule is that you must start proceedings on the merits within 14 days of the attachment, unless the court has set a different term.
A party subject to attachment can subsequently start an enforcement dispute (executiegeschil) in summary proceedings to have the attachment lifted, or provide security through a bank guarantee (bankgarantie). Shannon Blonk acts on both sides: as the attaching party and as the party seeking to have an attachment lifted.
Case example: MAAK Advocaten acted successfully on behalf of a collector of precious stones and obtained an order requiring an auction platform to provide a bank guarantee of € 500,000 (ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2022:5532).
How does international arbitration work for commercial disputes?
International arbitration is an alternative to the state court for cross-border commercial disputes, in which arbitrators with specific expertise resolve the conflict and arbitral awards are enforceable in more than 160 countries under the 1958 New York Convention. Arbitration arises from an arbitration clause in the contract or from a voluntary choice by the parties after the dispute has arisen.
The advantages compared with the state court are, namely: expert arbitrators with industry knowledge, full confidentiality of the procedure, international recognition of the award and flexibility in the language and rules of procedure. Shannon Blonk also advises on the validity of an arbitration clause in general terms and conditions – such a clause may be unreasonably onerous and ultimately voidable. For questions of jurisdiction, Article 25 of the Brussels I bis Regulation plays a central role, while the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards is governed by the New York Convention.
How do you appeal against a judgment?
An appeal (hoger beroep) means that the court of appeal reassesses the case in full – both the facts and the law – and that you must have an appeal writ served by a lawyer within three months of the date of the judgment.
Before you appeal, litigation advice from Shannon Blonk is advisable. In it, she analyses what went wrong at first instance, whether the evidential position or the legal framework can be improved on appeal, what the grounds of appeal are and how the costs relate to the expected benefits. This assessment of appeal prospects prevents companies from investing time and money in a case without sufficient chance of success. For summary judgments, however, a shortened appeal term of four weeks applies – acting in time is therefore essential.
Case example: On appeal, MAAK Advocaten obtained a victory for a client whose counterparty refused to accept and pay for 500,000 ordered bottles of hand sanitiser. The ’s-Hertogenbosch Court of Appeal ruled that a valid sales contract (koopovereenkomst) existed and ordered the counterparty to pay over € 1.3 million in damages, plus over € 67,000 in legal costs (ECLI:NL:GHSHE:2025:2680).
Case example: In a dispute over a medical repatriation flight of almost € 300,000 from Italy to the USA, the Amsterdam Court of Appeal upheld a reliance on error (dwaling). The application of Article 3:53(2) of the Dutch Civil Code (BW) meant that the counterparty had to reimburse the client € 250,000 after the fact (ECLI:NL:GHAMS:2024:48).
What does litigation cost – court fees in 2026?
The costs of civil proceedings consist of lawyer’s fees on an hourly basis and court fees (griffierecht). The court fees have been indexed again for 2026. For legal entities, the fees amount, for example, to € 3,083 for claims up to € 100,000, € 7,062 for claims between € 100,000 and € 1 million, and € 10,487 for claims above € 1 million. For cases of undetermined value – such as a request for a prejudgment attachment – the court fee is € 735.
At MAAK Advocaten, Shannon Blonk generally works on an hourly basis. In addition, MAAK offers the LAAP approach (Law As A Product): a fixed price agreed in advance for a defined legal product, so that your organisation has cost transparency even before the procedure begins.
How do you prevent a commercial dispute from escalating?
Early legal advice and clear contracts are namely the most effective way to avoid costly proceedings. Shannon Blonk advises companies in Amsterdam and throughout the Netherlands preventively on contractual risks and settlement strategies. When a conflict looms, settlement negotiations can moreover prevent lengthy proceedings. Sometimes a preliminary witness examination (voorlopig getuigenverhoor) or expert report is useful to gather evidence before proceedings on the merits begin.
Preventive measures that Shannon works out concretely for your organisation include:
- Clear contractual arrangements on delivery, quality, payment and termination
- General terms and conditions that are validly and exclusively declared applicable
- Written recording of arrangements and amendments as a documentation strategy
- Timely action at the first signs of breach of contract
- Settlement negotiations and the drafting of settlement agreements (vaststellingsovereenkomsten)
Case example: In a case concerning REACH registration costs, MAAK Advocaten successfully defended against the claims of a competitor. The court ruled that a valid opt-out registration with its own dossier existed, so that no cost-sharing obligation applied. This defence was fully upheld in the proceedings on the merits, and the counterparty was ordered to pay the legal costs (ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2025:4436; ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2025:6489).
Why do companies choose Shannon Blonk as their litigation lawyer in Amsterdam?
Shannon Blonk combines in-depth knowledge of Dutch procedural law with a strategic, results-oriented approach. She appears in court weekly, knows the ropes and acts quickly when required. Her track record includes successful outcomes in complex cases before the Amsterdam District Court, the Amsterdam Court of Appeal and the ’s-Hertogenbosch Court of Appeal – both at first instance and on appeal.
Shannon’s approach is characterised by strategic insight up front, efficient dispute resolution and clear communication throughout the procedure. Whether it concerns summary proceedings over an attachment, proceedings on the merits over a breach of contract, international arbitration over a trade dispute or an appeal after an unfavourable judgment: MAAK Advocaten in Amsterdam is ready to represent your interests in commercial dispute resolution.
Do you have a legal dispute, or do you want to know whether litigating makes sense in your situation? Contact Shannon Blonk for a no-obligation conversation on +31 (0) 20 210 31 38 or shannon.blonk@maakadvocaten.nl. Our specialised litigation lawyers in Amsterdam give you clear advice on the feasibility and the strategy that suits your situation.
