Daniel Huisman Advocaten

Law Firm

Daniels Huisman Advocaten, a law firm with more than 30 lawyers divided over their offices in Enschede, Almelo and Deventer, is one of the top three law firms in Overijssel. The firm, originally from Twente, now has an office in Deventer with ten employees, including seven lawyers, after merging in 2017 with the Deventer law firm Fievez.

Daniels Huisman is a full-service firm, offering every specialisation for the entrepreneur. The only missing specialisation is criminal law, a conscious choice. The focus lies in servicing regional small to medium-sized businesses in Overijssel and Gelderland, although the firm also offers services to clients outside this region. This varies from self-employed entrepreneurs to businesses with hundreds of employees. For clients doing business in Germany, Daniels Huisman maintains partnerships with several German law firms.

Paul Arenthorst LL.M is one of the internationally oriented solicitors within Daniels Huisman. Paul: ‘My specialisations are IP, IT and Privacy law (copyright, trademark law, design right, trade name law, patents rights and the GDPR). These legal fields are often international in nature. Many businesses want to safeguard their product and/or their intellectual property on the international market. Much of Paul’s work involves advising businesses on how to legally protect their brand name, URL, invention or product, and drafting general terms and conditions and contracts in these areas of law. As he points out, he is not a ‘desk-bound solicitor’, but always goes to visit the client businesses on location. Paul: ‘As a solicitor, it essential that you truly understand the client’s invention or product to be able to draw up an effective legal framework. That’s one of the most interesting aspects of my work. I come across many different businesses, often with the most amazing new initiatives. As a solicitor, born and raised in Leiden, I also appreciate the eastern (Dutch) mentality. There is more time for personal contact and communication.’

The future

The market is picking up and this is reflected in the legal profession. There is more money available to have matters settled legally beforehand and to initiate a judicial procedure or infringement procedure when required. Thanks to their comprehensive automation system, Daniels Huisman Advocaten are able to support their clients in a lean-and-mean fashion. The Deventer office is currently slightly smaller in size than the offices in Twente. The Deventer branch operates increasingly as a gateway for customers from the western part of the country. We therefore expect that the Deventer office will soon be reinforced with new solicitors.