Daan Spoormans
As a lawyer/partner, Daan Spoormans specialises in (international) contract law and corporate law. He heads the Corporate Law section at Ekelmans Advocaten. His clients describe him as knowledgeable, committed and approachable.
Expertises
CV
Daan’s legal practice has two areas of focus. Companies with international operations, insurers and law firms from other jurisdictions frequently ask him to assist them with complex disputes related to contracts. In addition to Dutch, Daan speaks and writes both English and German fluently.
Daan also regularly conducts the defence for executive or supervisory directors who have been accused of errors in their management or oversight. He has already successfully defended several dozen executive and supervisory directors, and not once has a client been ordered by the court to pay a claim against which Daan filed a defence. Daan is engaged for these assignments by insurance companies or by the directors themselves.
Daan has an acute understanding of both the legal and the strategic aspects. His approach is thorough but also cost-efficient. He is hard on the content and soft on the person. In his analysis, he considers the interests of stakeholder parties as well as the legal positions these parties could adopt (or have adopted).
Daan joined Ekelmans as a lawyer in 2008 and became a partner in January 2022.
Some examples of cases he has handled recently:
- On behalf of a German bankruptcy trustee as the creditor, he successfully held liable an executive director and a policy-maker in practice of a company dealing in luxury yachts in two courts. For more on this case, see here.
- He successfully assisted a listed German company that builds biogas plants for third parties in a dispute with its former regular supplier of the roofs (numbering dozens) for the biogas plants. For more on this case, see here and here.
- He successfully conducted the defence in two courts on behalf of former executive directors of an educational institution that was blamed for initiating a large project for new buildings. For more on this case, see here and here.
What his clients say about him:
‘Daan Spoormans has a very efficient and pragmatic approach to case management. He has very good knowledge of problems arising from cross-border litigation, in particular between Germany and the Netherlands.’(Legal 500 2022).
‘Experienced litigator, (…) Young, innovative and high knowledge.’(Legal 500, 2023)
Daan is an arbitrator (dispute resolver) at the arbitration tribunal of the German-Dutch Chamber of Commerce.
Education
Daan graduated in Dutch law from the University of Groningen in 2007. In 2012, Daan completed the postgraduate specialist course on entering into contracts nationally and internationally at the Grotius Academie, gaining a distinction.
News & insights
‘The team of Ekelmans is very experienced and professional. Our cooperation with several specialized lawyers of their team has always been at a high quality level. It is a pleasure to work with them. Ekelmans is a knowledge partner in several domains of our association of insurers.’
‘Very professional, reliable and cooperative.’
‘The kindness of the people, the knowledge, their principles, their fast way of working.’
‘Consistent quality and thorough approach to litigation, combined with an honourable style.’
‘Ekelmans team is a highly competitive firm with no match regarding corporate/insurance work. The team understands the commercial and practical aspects of the insurance industry like no other.’
‘Ekelmans are always willing to help and always willing to go the extra mile.’
‘(..) the office has clout and extensive specialist knowledge’
‘One client highlights that the firm’s team is made up of smart people with a lot of knowledge who are still really friendly and social.’
This firm is renowned for its litigation expertise and has a long track record advising on high-profile cases before the Supreme Court.