Long-standing Eurojuris member Frits Bienfait of Van Dam & Kruidenier Advocaten in Rotterdam tells us about his keen interest in the harbour, his work in inland shipping and transport law, contract law, and much more.
At Van Dam & Kruidenier Advocaten, Frits’s practice domains cover Inland shipping and Transport, Contracts and General conditions, and Personnel and Employment. He is an active member of the Knowledge Group International Litigation, ADR and Contracts and has chaired the Employment Group in the past.
His fascination for water, ships & the harbour brought him to Rotterdam. A city that brings back lively childhood memories: ‘My mother’s family comes from Rotterdam. The harbour in all its aspects has always been fascinating, whether construction or transportation,’ he shares and illustrates, ‘I remember going with my grandfather on the Spido tour boat through the harbour, watching bridges being built.’
Many years later, in the year of his admission, he decided to come and work for Van Dam & Kruidenier, one of the oldest law firms in the district of Rotterdam, whose roots lie in inland shipping. With the law firm being an authority in its field, Frits was fortunate to combine personal and professional interests.
However, before starting his legal practice, Frits looked into his career opportunities: he gained insights into many work areas through internships during and after his studies at the RU Leiden and the University of London. ‘My interest for the shipping industry was raised at a traineeship the a Rotterdam P&I agent, Van Ommeren P&I. They then represented some of the world’s leading Protection and Indemnity Associations, providing P&I, FD &D and War Risks cover. After acquiring additional traineeship experience at a law firm, I decided to become a lawyer in the maritime field.’
Now, Frits has been working as a lawyer at Van Dam & Kruidenier for almost 30 years. In the course of his career, he has shifted his working focus towards entrepreneurs, with a speciality in SME businesses. His daily practice includes contract law, business law, insurance law and transport law. He also leads the employment law section within the office.
His long-time interest in seafaring and ships provides him with practical knowledge beyond the legal profession that has proven beneficial: ‘Clients always appreciate when you show an interest in the technique and their business. One time I went to Norway to visit a power plant, to see what specific technical problems the court had to deal with in the case pending.’
But his interest in the harbour was not the only reason Frits choose to work for Van Dam & Kruidenier. The law firm’s relative small size was an attractive aspect. ‘The prospect of being free to develop skills in multiple areas, and to do what you think you are fit to do was very appealing.’
Indeed, versatile matters have been a constant part of his practice. ‘I always kept handling more than one field. That way I was able to gain proficiency in various areas.’ In line with this, Frits has also become a specialist in labour law, initially focusing on employment cases in shipping. Back in the 90s, he established his name in this specific field when handling a landmark case about ‘Enforceable Collective Labour Agreements in Shipping Law’. ‘I was the first to raise this issue. This was a lucky shot as a young lawyer’.
Concluding, Frits provides an insight into his clients’ current challenges: international compliance at all levels and security. ‘The GDPR is a major issue. Our clients and we spent a lot of energy to meet the requirements. In some cases, the practice is not in tune with the regulation. For example, the Dutch Public Authority currently takes the stand that an employer is not allowed to test an employee on the use of alcohol and drugs, even with the consent of the employee. This major security matter remains unsolved so far.’ Frits is sure, ‘the GDPR will keep us busy.’
About Van Dam & Kruidenier:
Van Dam & Kruidenier (founded in 1909) is one of the oldest law firms in the district of Rotterdam and has been providing legal assistance to many different clients for over a hundred years. The roots of our firm lie in inland shipping. Nowadays our firm provides all-round legal services to national and international clients in various fields of law. Besides ship owners, carriers, freights, shipyards, ship suppliers, brokers, we have been advising companies from all walks of industry for some time. In addition to the (cross-border) collisions, we advise and litigate in cases concerning shipbuilding, supplies, financing, insurance, transport, transfers of undertakings, personnel problems, but also public law licences, European regulations and (economic) criminal law, and this is just a random selection from the wide range of issues that we deal with.
Links:
Van Dam & Kruidenier: www.damkru.nl
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DamKruidenier/
Twitter: twitter.com/damkruidenier
Linkedin:
www.linkedin.com/company/van-dam-en-kruidenier-advocaten
