The Quality of Collection Services Act, effective April 1, extends beyond debt collection agencies to encompass lawyers engaged in extrajudicial collection activities. It aims to enhance the quality of such services and address abuses in the sector, in line with coalition agreements. The Act applies specifically to extrajudicial collection activities performed or offered by professionals…
The Dutch Government has moved to strengthen access to legal advice in criminal cases
The Dutch Government aims to enhance access to free legal assistance in criminal cases by introducing new regulations, requiring suspects to receive information from a lawyer about consequences before waiving their right to consultation assistance, a move supported by the Netherlands Bar Association (NOvA). This legislation addresses concerns where suspects could previously waive legal assistance…
The Netherlandse Orde Van Advocaten (Dutch Bar Association) brings in new regulation around annual lawyer testing
Each year lawyers in the Netherlands must comply what the NOvA calls ‘quality tests’ to ensure they maintain their level of expertise. This means that lawyers must participate annually in the form of structured feedback: Intervision (a structured and periodic form of discussion within a peer group of professionals), peer review or structured peer consultation…
The General Council of the Netherlands Bar presents vision on future supervision
The General Council of the Netherlands Bar has presented its vision for lawyer supervision to the Minister for Legal Protection. The General Council has proposed a national supervisory authority for the legal profession (LTA) to guarantee quality of supervision and independence from the state. The board would consist of both lawyers and lay members independent…
The NOvA publishes updated guidelines for lawyers and firms on anti-money laundering
The new manual outlines tools to help lawyers and law firms comply with the obligations set out in the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Prevention Act (Wwft). These include which lawyers are (not) subject to the Wwft, what services are subject to the Wwft and which fall under the so-called process exemption, what the customer…
Dutch Bar provides special resilience training for criminal defence attorneys
The Dutch Bar has recognised that criminal defence attorneys who have clients behind bars can face pressure, threats and possibly even manipulative behaviour and is organising special resilience training to their members facing this challenge. Special attention is paid to manipulative behaviour and how this can lead to undesired influence on lawyers. The course covers how…
NOvA, the Dutch Bar, has extended the subsidy for trainee lawyers working in social law firms
NOvA, the Dutch Bar, has extended the subsidy scheme for trainee lawyers working in socially- minded law firms. The scheme was first introduced in 2020 and reached its full allocation, with 175 lawyers making use of it. The scheme finances the training costs of lawyers seeking to work in a socially based law firm. The…
NOvA, the Dutch Bar, is using the DilemmApp to increase awareness of ethics and compliance issues amongst lawyers
The Dutch Bar is using an app called DilemmApp as a tool for increasing awareness and insight into ethics and compliance issues for its members. The App confronts the user with a dilemma in which they have to make a judgment call about the best course of action. After 2 weeks, NOvA posts its final…
Nederlandse Orde Van Advocaten, the Dutch bar, has set up a taskforce to increase support for lawyers facing risks of being used by organised crime
Nederlandse Orde Van Advocaten has set up a taskforce to better protect those working within the legal profession against threats from organised crime and illicit finance. The taskforce aims to increase the rule of law, awareness of the legal profession and improve the security of lawyers by increasing their resilience and improving safety measures. This…
The legal Aid Board in the Netherlands is to begin a subsidy scheme experiment for divorce cases
The legal Aid Board in the Netherlands will begin a subsidy scheme experiment for complex divorce cases. The scheme will begin in February 2022 with the aim of uncovering how best to assist litigants in complex divorce cases, with a view to providing high quality legal aid assistance after an appropriate fee has been agreed….