About Gerrit van der Veen
Gerrit der Veen is an partner and attorney-at-law at AKD who specialises in administrative and environmental law. He focuses chiefly on general administrative (procedural) law, public administration and government acts that are subject to private law, environmental law/liability, the law on subsidies and administrative compensation, mining legislation and associated liabilities.
Most of Gerrit's clients are municipalities and other government bodies, with companies, such as real estate developers, and institutions, such as hospitals and educational institutions, making up the rest of his client list. A perfectionist, Gerrit focuses on delivering practicable solutions, which is highly appreciated by his clients. At a conference, someone who heard him speak commented: "It's quite something to hear the most practical solution coming from a professor." Gerrit obtained his doctorate at Utrecht University with a dissertation that examined the convergence between public and private law, in particular with regard to public affairs.
Gerrit is frequently retained in 'high-spec' cases that attract media attention. He also acts as an "in-house" attorney-at-law for medium-sized and large municipalities. He has built an excellent rapport with the government bodies with which he negotiates. Combining thorough professional knowledge and affinity with administrative aspects, he gives clear, sound and bespoke advice. Gerrit regularly publishes articles on administrative and environmental subjects for various journals, for example the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Bestuursrecht (Netherlands Administrative Law Journal), JBPlus (an administrative case law journal), BOUWRECHT (a construction law journal) and the AB (an administrative case law journal). The AB has published his commentary on dozens of judgments of the Dutch Supreme Court, in particular with regard to the two-way doctrine, the relationship between public and private law, government liability and the division of judicial powers. Gerrit is also a member of the editorial staff of the journal entitled De Gemeentestem (Voice of the Municipality), and an editor for the Kennisbank Bestuursrecht (Administrative Law Knowledge Database), the Sdu Commentaar Bestuursrecht (a journal dealing with administrative law), Vastgoedrecht (a journal on real estate law) and the Tijdschrift voor Omgevingsrecht (Journal for Environmental and Spatial Planning Law). He is the chairperson of the Netherlands Society for Construction Lawyers (Vereniging voor Bouwrecht-Advocaten). In addition to being a frequent keynote speaker, Gerrit is also a lecturer at the OSR and the Grotius Academy, among other institutions.
In his capacity as professor at the University of Groningen, Gerrit examines the interaction between environmental law and general administrative law, for example with regard to enforcement in the area of environmental law. His inaugural lecture to mark his acceptance of the Environmental Law Chair, in 2014, addressed duties of care and liabilities under the new Environmental and Planning Act [Omgevingswet], with a particular focus on major enforcement cases involving a large number of both private and public bodies, such as the Chemiepack case. Gerrit is listed as a leading individual in Who’s Who Legal – Environment 2019.