Why call a lawyer?

Many people hesitate before getting legal advice – not because they are unsure if they need it, but because they are uncertain if they ought to involve a lawyer. Legal Expat Desk explains why calling a lawyer can be the right thing to do.

Read more

GMW lawyers – the legal partner for expats in the Netherlands

Expats face the daily challenge of building a new life in a foreign country with unfamiliar rules. As a result, many people are unsure about their rights. That is fine when things go smoothly – but when the going gets tough, it may be time to call a lawyer.

Lawyers for expats

When a situation escalates past a certain point, it can become impossible to solve it alone. That’s when you need a legal partner who can help you to work it out.

GMW lawyers has been helping expats in the Netherlands to solve their legal problems for more than 25 years. With lawyers who have been expats themselves, we understand the specific challenges and needs of internationals living abroad, and offer a range of legal services to support you. Our lawyers are experts in their fields, with the knowledge and the experience to provide advice that you can trust.

Areas of legal expertise

GMW lawyers can assist you with family and inheritance law, employment and pension law, property and tenancy law, company and insolvency law and liability law.

Family law – Our divorce lawyers can assist you with family law issues ranging from pre-nuptial agreements to divorce, custody, partner alimony and child maintenance. Our inheritance lawyers can help you to deal with inheritance issues and advise you on your rights and obligations as an heir in the Netherlands. They can also advise you about estate planning, and specific issues such as appointing an executor or a guardian for your children.

Employment law – Our team can answer your questions about employment contracts, pensions and human resource policies. We can also help you deal with employment issues such as dismissal, performance, illness, non-competition clauses, outsourcing, collective bargaining agreements, privacy and discrimination. Our clients operate in virtually every industry and vary from knowledge workers, directors, corporate level executives and civil servants to entrepreneurs and independent professionals.

Property law – GMW lawyers can help you in all aspects of property law. Whether it is about the purchase, sale, construction, project development, financing or rental of property, our experts can help you find a solution. We work with: housing associations, property investors, property managers, project developers, construction companies, local authorities and private landlords.

Company law – Our corporate and insolvency lawyers contribute to the success of SME’s, large and small international companies, non-profit organisations, management boards, supervisory boards and shareholders. From contracts to commercial disputes, directors’ liability and financial problems, we will help you find the best solution for your business.

Liability law – If you have suffered damage caused by a third party, you need trusted advice to help you hold them liable. GMW lawyers can support you in the event of personal injury, breach of contract, work-related accidents, unlawful acts, group claims and directors’ liability. Our clients include private individuals, entrepreneurs, directors, principal shareholders and non-profit organisations.

How GMW lawyers helps expats

GMW lawyers team of legal experts can advise you on your rights and legal options, and offer mediation and/or litigation where needed.

If you’re just starting to investigate a legal question, we recommend discussing your case with a lawyer. They can advise you about your rights and help you decide whether or not to take legal action. Should you decide to proceed with your case, your lawyer can then support you throughout the process.

How to get started

Discuss your case with one of our expat lawyers. Submit your question online, start a conversation by phone on +31 (0)70 3615048 or make an appointment online via www.gmw.nl/en

 

This article was originally published on Iamexpat

Lawyers and alcohol? Not always a good combination

There are many rules governing alcohol in the Netherlands, from how old you must be to consume it to restrictions on how much you can consume before driving. There are also laws covering who can serve alcohol, where alcohol may be served and even when serving alcohol is permitted. But regulations don’t end there. Lawyers and other service professionals face extra requirements that don’t just cover how they represent their clients, but also how they should and should not behave on their own time.

Read more

What you need to know about discrimination in rental ads

If you’ve looked for rental accommodation in the Netherlands, you’ve probably seen a lot of property descriptions. These property descriptions may tell you how large the apartment or e.g. has good lighting. However, sometimes the landlord of the property wants to ban certain groups from applying (“Not suitable for students”), or encourage other groups (“Perfect for expats”). But, is this allowed?

Read more

The Equal Treatment Act

Direct discrimination? Indirect discrimination? What is the difference and who is protected in the Netherlands? Last week, a court in The Hague ruled in favour of a family who sued their school after the school scheduled the class photo on Eid al-Adha (Offerfeest). The court found that the school had indirectly discriminated against the students.

Read more

The right to privacy in the European Union

What ever happened to privacy? New technologies gather, store and share information as never before. And we ourselves happily take part in the gathering, storing and sharing of information. At the same time, we know how important privacy is to modern life and how endangered privacy has become.

Read more

Exemption for gift taxes

Anyone in the Netherlands, can give someone a gift of € 100,000 free of tax (this amount has been indexed annually since the existence of the scheme.). One of the conditions for this tax-free gift is that the receiver uses the money for the receiver’s own house; to buy one, to renovate one, or to pay off a portion of the mortgage of a house.

Read more

Stalker banned from social media

On 4 December 2012, a court in Amsterdam made a unique ruling in preliminary relief proceedings. The court imposed a social media ban. The man in question was ordered to delete his hyves and Facebook profiles and his blog and may not take part in social networks for a period of one year.

Read more

Cookie legislation: have you brought your website into line?

Under the Dutch Telecommunications Act (DTA), several new provisions have been made regarding cookies. Under the new rules, websites are required to ask visitors for their consent before setting a cookie (or other information) on their PC, laptop or mobile phone.

Read more